Chrysler Repair: 08 T&C Brake rear caliper; front brake grinding sound, rear caliper, warning lights

Question
QUESTION: Hi Kevin

Have a 2008 T & C 3.3 L
Had the left frt and right rear calipers hanging up,had a warranty.Took to dealer,they replaced and said i needed front and rear pads and rotors.
That was couple months ago.
today i replaced the front pads and rotors,no problems,went well.

When i went to do the rears,the rr caliper was no problem,dialed right in,replaced pads and the rotor.Only thing i noticed at this wheel was when i put in the lower caliper mounting bracket bolt,it was contacting the rotor...couldn't see any reason for this,i had to put a washer on the bolt to correct this,but wondering why .....both the same length and original...

Now for the main concern,left rear caliper was hard to turn piston back in,went but went tight. Replaced the pads and rotor.
Went to pump the pedal up and the piston didn't come out all the way like it should. The other side and the fronts came out normal and bump up against the back of the pad,this one did not,stayed approx 1/16 in away.
no matter what i tried it wouldn't ....i even pumped the parking brake to no avail
If i hold the brake pedal down,the wheel does lock up,let it up and it frees up nicely....so i took it for a road test,making several stops ,applying the brakes several times...then i rechecked....all the rotors get hot hot to the touch but the left rear barely gets warm,seems to me its not working as well as the others...


Van stops ok,no warning lights,no smoke,no locked up wheels...

Is this a faulty caliper?

Funny,dealer can only change the one thats bad under warranty but if i call and play stupid consumer and ask how much for one,they tell me they'll only replace them in pairs..which i understand fully.

note:..yes parking brake works fine.
Yes, i used a tool to dial it in,not a c clamp
the original pads appeared to have more lining that the other side,like they haven't been used much.....other side was worn due to hanging caliper..i get that...

Thanks in advance for any advise

Joe

ANSWER: Hi Joe,
I would wonder if the rubber hose to the caliper from the metal brake line might have some internal lumen flaking/breakdown which is causing the brake fluid to not pass through it easily. Usually when that happens it causes the brake to drag when you release the pedal, but possibly it could be instead plugged up in the other direction. Other than that I would wonder if the caliper pistons are dragging, but replacing the hose might be the least expensive and easiest thing to try. Of course, bleed the caliper after replacing the hose.  Let me know how this gets resolved, please.
Sorry for the delay in answering your question but I just found it in the 'pool' to which it had been referred by Kevin.
Please 'rate' my answer (see below).
Thanks,
Roland

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Roland

Just wanted to update you on this and also ask a follow up to it.

First,i replaced the left rear caliper and bled the brakes,took care of it.
Piston now comes out as it should and brakes apply like they should.
Thank you .

Question on these brakes.

There is a distinct grind noise that comes from the front drivers side when braking. It sounds just like they do when the pads are worn metal to metal and grinding into the rotors. Pads and rotors are new and look fine and stop fine.
Noise isn't consistent,sometimes its there every application and other times its maybe 5 out of ten applications.Sometimes not there for 2-3 days and then there every time.
You'd swear it needs pads and rotors if you took it for a test drive but it doesn't.
It has Auto zone parts on it.It was doing this before the brakes were replaced tho.
I know there is a TSB on pads and rotors,not sure if this would apply.
Sometimes when it grinds ,there is also a rubber sound as well.

Have you heard of this?
Someone suggested it could be stabilizer bar bushings too.

Thanks for always being so helpful
Very much appreciated

Joe

Answer
Hi Joe,
Thanks for the update. On the front braking noise, I checked at aboutauto.com and didn't find a TSB regarding the front braking system. However for '08 and '09 there is TSB regarding grinding noinses from the front wheel bearings. I wonder whether the additional forces resulting from applying the brake may be revealing an underlying problem with the front wheel bearings. The 'fix' in the TSB is to replace the bearings. So you might consider doing that next.
Please 'rate' my answer (see below).
Thanks,
Roland