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#1
05-31-2005, 03:56 PM
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Rear suspension sinks!!!
I put on new Shock Absorbers from KYB on my '95 Grand Caravan back in August '04 and rides pretty good while the fam is with me (4 passengers), but when we add anymore (5, 6 or 7 passengers) the van sinks and bounces pretty bad on the rear. Is there anything that could be done to improve the ride? Can those leaf springs be exchanged for new ones?
Last edited by Ed_Strong; 06-03-2005 at 09:53 AM. 
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#2
06-01-2005, 08:25 PM
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Re: Rear suspension sinks!!!
My guess is that you probably could get firmer leafs for it, or helper springs to add to the current leafs, however with a lighter load, it would probably be a stiff ride. They also have adjustable air bags for the suspension that you can firm up with an extra load in the rear, but I am not sure of the price or if it would be worth putting on a van that old.
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#4
06-02-2005, 02:55 PM
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your rear springs are weak.
not sure what type of springs the 95 uses, but if it's the leaf springs, it would cost about $200-300 parts and labor to replace, if it's the coil springs, about $250-350 parts and labor, depending on the mechanic
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#5
06-02-2005, 09:29 PM
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Re: Rear suspension sinks!!!
It's got Leaf Springs on the rear... Now, I can do the replacement job my self, so all I'm concerned about is the parts price. How much would it be for the set?
Has anybody done that type of repair that could comment and give some good advice? Is it cheaper, easier and better to do the Leaf Spring Helpers job instead? How much do Leaf Spring Helpers go for and where can they be found?
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#6
06-03-2005, 10:00 AM
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Re: Rear suspension sinks!!!
I found these two types of Helper Springs but I'm not sure which would be the better one for my Grand Caravan. They're easy clamp-on installation—no need to remove U-bolts, springs. They come in different lengths, one which covers half of the leaf pack, 20" LONG HELPERS mount on leaf spring behind rear axle. You can choose 1,000- or 1,500-lb. capacity.
The other which covers the whole lenght (front to back) of the leaf pack is 33" FULL-LENGTH EXTRA-HEAVY-DUTY HELPERS for rear leaf springs mounted below axle only. 2,000-lb. capacity. I'm not sure of which would be best for me! My Grand Caravan is rated at 2726lbs GAWR http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/P...009169/c-10109
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#8
06-06-2005, 03:42 PM
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Along with the leaf spring problem, you could also have bad shocks. I know you said you replaced them last year buti had some replaced on my car a couple years ago and they were bad within a week, good thing for warranties. Also when you purchased the shocks, did you go for the cheapest ones you could find or did you splurge for the heavy duty? The basic ones are fine for normal use but seem to be almost useless when you put the suspension to the test. do you want to know your load limit ot axle limit? To get an idea of your vans limit look at the GCWR on the identification sticker on the drivers door.
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#9
06-06-2005, 07:03 PM
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Re: Rear suspension sinks!!!
Well the mistery might be solved..., it seems I'll have to take a trip to the junkyard and hope there's a good set of leaf springs lying around for my '95 van...
It seems the previous owner of owr Grand Caravan removed all leafs but one, the longest one. What for? I have no clue, maybe to soften the ride since all he used the van for was for cruising around by himself with his monster stereo system blasting all around town... what a fool! Man, about how much would a used leaf pack come to at the yard, does anyone know?
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#10
06-07-2005, 12:13 AM
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Re: Rear suspension sinks!!!
Oh My God, I'm so confused...
I went to car-part.com looking for a local salvage yard that would stock the leaf springs and gues what... I put up the search, entered all the info about my '95 Grand Caravan and the next step comes up with this options, FWD, 112" WB, w/o ABS FWD, 112" WB, w/ABS FWD, 119" WB, w/o ABS; 3 leafs + 1 helper FWD, 119" WB, w/ABS, 3 leafs + 1 helper FWD, 119" WB, w/o ABS; single leaf FWD, 119" WB, w/ABS, single leaf AWD As you can see apparently there is a model that fits the options mine have (Front Wheel Drive, 119" Wheel Base with AntiLock Brake and Single Leaf Rear Suspension) I really need help with this one... Is there Anybody out there with a 1995 Dodge Grand Caravan that could crawl under and verify for me plz! If this is the case, I might just go to the local autoparts store and get a set of helper springs
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#11
06-07-2005, 07:37 PM
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Re: Rear suspension sinks!!!
right.. i forgot about that too... if your springs are bad, then you'll have to replace the rear shocks too since they won't last long with bad springs. it's better to get a new or used leaf spring rather then getting the helper set. shocks will cost about $100 a pair, the leaf springs if you buy the new, they come in sets with the leaf spring and, the u bolts, and the other bolts and bushings. they'll cost about $240 for 2 sets.
if you don't want a new set, go to a junk yard, or a used auto parts store and they should have used springs. not sure what they'll charge for a used spring. go to the parts store. they can check and tell you which one you need for that car.
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