Well, the bangin' and clangin' had finally increased to the point where some investigation was required, and the technician said that nothing was busted but the strut mounts need replaced... He also commented that "while you're in there, might as well replace the struts too". Total parts/labor bill would be about $750 (gasp).

The Caravan only has 40k miles (i always think that looks funny "40K miles"), and it hasn't been driven abusively...

1) Warranty ended (of course) about 10 months ago. This represents the first "big dollar" repair. Should I be disappointed in the short-lived factory mounts?

2) Do I really have to replace the doggone struts too?

The van, which we bought new in December 2001, has been well-behaved and generally great, in spite of the "Haunted Airbag Light Debacle", but I think I need a bunch of 2nd opinions on this one. It's going to be tough to pry my wallet open that wide.

Thanks in advance,
Tatt

 

I think midas can do it MUCH cheaper.

If you can not detect oil marks on the dampers near the top seals, you
might still be okay. But if you are going to replace them, you might
want to replace the other side too so that the damp rate is the same.

otherwise your car will be biased to one side being stiffer than the
other and possibly cause tracking issues after hitting bumps and dips
as the vehicle will not straighted upright and hold at the same speed.

one of my car buddies at work went to Pep boys and orderd a pair
of rear shocks for his Ford Bronco a while back. he said he got both
for less than $100.

 

Ken thanks for replying . The cost "estimate" that I received was not from a dealership (I wasn't clear about that was I, in the initial post).

I hear you about replacing both struts, not just one. My "goal" is to not replace (both of) them unnecessarily. I believe that, all along, my technician was thinking of doing both sides, whether it was mounts and struts, or mounts only.

What you said about looking for oil marks is the kind of test I was hoping for - thanks for that. Midas or something similar would be worth the trip for another estimate or 2. I should have thought of that. I've never had 2 "young" vehicles at the same time before, so I sort of got out of "Midas mode" lol.

edit: and Ken what do you think of the strut mounts breaking down after only 4 years??

gratefully,
Tatt

 

tatt- imho, that's kind of premature to break down in 4yrs/40k miles... i
think the strut nuts were not torqued correctly from the factory and
backed out.., or they didn't use the self-locking nut on the piston shaft
or something...

 

are you sure the mounts are actually 'broken' and not just loose?

If it was the strut mounts, a little tightening of the strut tower nuts
should cure the banging. (25-30lbs/ft, just use a small wrachet).

unless the mount's rubber is damaged or the metal mount completely
bent out of shape, or the tower bolt missing, i think you can reuse it...
or at least just replace the worn part of the mount which should be
like less than $20-25 or so...

i recommend you take it into another shop as you said.

 

Many thanks! I like it how the Chicago constituency watches out for each other, even when we're hunkered down buried under a "Winter Wonderland" . (Last night I dreamed that I washed my MINI )...

Tatt

 

while my car hibernates, i have too much time on my hands.
(actually I don't.... but hey).

 

Tatt, I own a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan. The van has been very reliable but I have always had some valve clatter from the 3.8 six engine pretty much since the van was new

The van just turned 95,000 the other day. What engine do you have?

 

I'll answer your questions but first I've got one for you - Are you still running the factory front struts and mounts, at 95,000 miles??

Our Caravan SE has the 3.8 six-cylinder engine, with about half your mileage - and I totally concur with you on the extracurricular noises that engine makes. Sometimes for weeks at a time I get about 5-10 very pronounced (valve?) "TICKTICKTICKTICKs..." on start up from cold only. Then for reasons unbeknownst to this owner, the ticking stops happening, and this will last days/weeks/months.

I always supposed that mixing fuel brands was the culprit - well, that and the steady diet of 87 octane .

On the plus side, the exterior finish seems Very Tough Indeed, and cleans up realllly nice! The Caravan gets detailed less frequently than my MINI, but when it does, I use the same "kit" as I do on the MINI (had to justify spending 200+ on Zaino and microfiber somehow ). Also, the factory exhaust system is holding up nicely. I haven't set foot in a Meineke shop in a lonnng time. In Chicago, that's no mean feat.

The only speeding ticket I ever got, since college, was in the Caravan ... Embarrassing story, since spouse and offspring were all aboard at the time.

Tatt

ps Can we keep this conversation going in PM (Rather than me hijacking my own thread, LOL)? Networking with more Caravan owners would be a huge bonus for me, as I've sought unsuccessfully to do just that for a long time - thanks!

 

Tatt, yep still runnin with the same struts and mounts. Replaced the tires at 60,000 and I change the oil every 3000 without fail. Is the struts and mounts something I should be concerned with at this point? Heck I'm still running the factory shocks. The van handles very well. I do haul some heavy loads from time to time, but never more than the van can handle.

The clatter from the valves is more pronounced after the engine has warmed up. When its cold, the engine is tight. Let it warm up a bit, then comes the clatter. The clatter is from one valve only.

The wife and I do about 40 arts and craft shows in a seven state area and the van has been a real work horse hauling the crafts with no complaints.

I'm amazed at the fact that the van has no rattles what so ever. Okla has some of the worst roads in the country, yet the 2002 Grand soldiers on with out complaint.

I was wondering about how many miles one could expect to get from this motor before an overhaul? Since I have a clatter, I wonder if this will shorten engine life?

I read on one site that its not un- common for the 3.8 motor to go 200,000 miles before major work.

I try and change all fluids, tranny, radiator, like the factory calls for. Except for the oil. Factory calls for 7500 miles oil changes Ain't no way I'm leavin oil in for 7500 miles.

 

If the mounts start to let go, you will hear things that will make you think suspension parts have come undone, particularly over rough road. There won't be any "question" that something is amiss... Sounds like you have no issues, which means you got more than twice the useful life (and still counting) outta yours than we did. In our case, we knew that all of the bars, rods, and arms, and the bushings where they join one another were all OK.

Maybe around 100k is a good time to get it up on a lift and "inspected" for worn pieces. Might be a cheap way to help assure you make it to 200,000 miles and more.

So, you haven't had this tickticktick... I will continue to blow it off...

THAT is good to hear... I remember reading initial reviews of the 2002's that mentioned "cheap interior bits" and getting a little bit worried... I don't rattle either, at least when the front struts aint banging around against their mounts. I think kenchan is onto something, a thing I suspected too, about the rubber-cushy parts being damaged, worn, or gone... Big fat gaskets can go a long way in quieting metal-vs-metal noise.

Don't know if this applies, but I know 2 family members who drove Dodge and Plymouth minivans over 200,000 miles without having to replace motor/tranny etc... This partly why we looked at the Caravan in the first place (well, this and 0% APR - paying that sucker off enabled me to get my Cooper S last January).

YEsssss! There is reserved seating on the 50 yard line in heaven, for those of us who change our dinosaur oil every 3,000 miles. As for the stuff other than oil, it's good to know I'm not the only one reading those maintenance schedules in the manual and maintaining accordingly (per the more "extreme" schedule of course).

One last cool thing- I like being able to try out stuff, such as "scratch remover" on the Caravan, before I go hammer on the MINI's finish with a new product (shhhh that is a secret from Mrs. Tatt - she's just tickled her van looks so nice - so I let it be).

Good talking to you,
Tatt

 

Tatt, thanks for the info. I suspect that I will be getting new shocks pretty soon. Might even go with some air shocks for the back for the heavy loads from time to time.

Was out in California a couple a months back doing another arts and craft show and while there, I rented a 2006 Grand with the stow and go seats.

Pretty nice feature, but the seats felt kinda cheap. But sure was nice to fold down into the base of the van without taking them out completely. But taking out the seats on mine is pretty easy as I have the bucket seats in the second and third row.

I think when the motor finally konks out on mine, I will just drop in a factory fresh motor and keep the ole van a few more years.

Sure less money than buying a new van

 

I still have to go visit my trusted mechanic friend and tell him he mis-diagnosed my front-end noises . Firestone (my 2nd 2nd opinion place) replaced right and left sway bar links, bushings, and pins and all is well...

Total damage $200 (not $750).

Santa Claus will still be coming this year, after all.

Grateful for all responses,
Tatt