2001 Dodge Caravan SE Front Brake Torque Specs

Hey guys\gals, I'm doing a front brake job for my old man and his van hehe. I just don't have a service manual for it and I needed to know a few quick things:

1)What is the torque value for the front caliper pins? My GMC and JEEP are about 23 ftlbs and 11ft lbs respectively. What are the caravans?

2)What is the torque value for the caliper bracket? If there even is one in the front.

3)Does the hub nut need to be removed to remove the rotor on these vans? If so, how much torque needs to be put back on to let it seat properly with the bearings?

4)Any other tricks about caravan front disc brake jobs?

Thanks a million :D

Haynes lists the following torque spec:

Caliper Guide Pin Bolts 30 Ft Lbs

No listing for Caliper Bracket and I don't think it has one.

The rotor is separate from the hub so the hub doesn't have to come off. If you are changing rotors and doing a front brake rebuild then you should probably remove and grease the front wheel bearings. I have yet to do this job on my van so I can't offer any insights.

Haynes lists the following torque spec:

Caliper Guide Pin Bolts 30 Ft Lbs

No listing for Caliper Bracket and I don't think it has one.

The rotor is separate from the hub so the hub doesn't have to come off. If you are changing rotors and doing a front brake rebuild then you should probably remove and grease the front wheel bearings. I have yet to do this job on my van so I can't offer any insights.

Great thanks a million for the specs. Did it list a front wheel bearing torque spec as well? I can grease them easy enough. Thanks again :D

No, there isn't a procedure given in Hayne's, that I have found, for doing the wheel bearings. Perhaps it's in there but I can't find it in the index or in maintenance. I also didn't see anything about the wheel bearing torque spec.I don't have a shop manual so I can't help you any farther on the wheel bearing spec/procedure. It isn't rocket science. As I recall the deal on reassembly was to tighten until you started to feel roll resistance and back off one tooth on the castellated nut. Not all systems work that way, so until you find out for sure, this info should be considered an overview, not procedural.

No, there isn't a procedure given in Hayne's, that I have found, for doing the wheel bearings. Perhaps it's in there but I can't find it in the index or in maintenance. I also didn't see anything about the wheel bearing torque spec.I don't have a shop manual so I can't help you any farther on the wheel bearing spec/procedure. It isn't rocket science. As I recall the deal on reassembly was to tighten until you started to feel roll resistance and back off one tooth on the castellated nut. Not all systems work that way, so until you find out for sure, this info should be considered an overview, not procedural.

Cool thanks for the info again, I'll call up the stealership and see if they list a torque value, if not I'll line it up like I've done on other cars in the past. Again thanks.

well it's front wheel drive so you will tighten the driveaxle nut to 180 ft lbs,and as for the bearing, its pressed into the hub and not greaseable unless it makes a horrendous noise then you replace it.As webbee mentioned the rotor is seperate from the hub so no need to remove the axle nut,but the caliper bracket has 2 bolts at the back holding it on(cant remember the size) and it has to be removed to get the rotors off.As for tips make sure you use good parts as these vans get most of the stopping from the front brakes and you can grease the caliper slides just to make sure it doesn't squeak.The squeaking just drives me crazy.hope this helps

well it's front wheel drive so you will tighten the drive axle nut to 180 ft lbs,and as for the bearing, its pressed into the hub and not greaseable unless it makes a horrendous noise then you replace it...
Ah-ha so it is like the rear axle and the bearings are sealed. No maintenance necessary until failure. Do you know what year that started with?

Thanks for the help guys. I left the bearings alone since they seemed fine and were serviced not too long ago by the dealer records anyways. All went well, the caliper brackets had 12mm bolts on them and man I coulda killed the last dealership that worked on them. They friggin well put permanent locktite on both caliper bracket bolts on both sides!! I'm 300lbs, 6'5" and a firefighter and even I struggled to break that locktite out with a steel hammer and a breaker bar! I dunno who's idea that was... Everything went great, the rotors were finished (big chunks missing and they were glazed badly) but everything else seemed fine after I replaced the pads and rotors it sealed up nicely.

Just for future reference: you can break Loctite Red and Green with heat. Use either a heat gun or a propane torch. I seem to remember the magic number is 300*F but I could be wrong. It would have made your job a lot easier. Glad to hear you got it done!

Just for future reference: you can break Loctite Red and Green with heat. Use either a heat gun or a propane torch. I seem to remember the magic number is 300*F but I could be wrong. It would have made your job a lot easier. Glad to hear you got it done!

Hehe yeah I considered torching it but all I had was a propane torch and it was just above zero today (I live just north of the arctic water shed) so it woulda been a pain, also I didn't want the heat to travel through the housing and torch the wheel bearings grease and seal. Thanks though :D