1998 Dodge Caravan Se Brake Line Diagram

Hello from IM,

I'm a long time lurker, first time poster. This forum has helped me over the years with my '97 Caravan and '06 300 (Charger forum). I recently did a complete hardline replacement on the '97 Caravan with some help from the forum. Many of the forum posts are dated and missing links. Thought it was time to give something back. The following is my "How to" on restringing ALL the hard tubing on a '97 Grand Caravan.

My background
I am by no means a pro. I've been working on cars for 40+years (I have 6 in the stable), but I'm a EE working in Aerospace. My product line is fuel controls for Jet Aircraft. I am an auto enthusiast (SCCA/NHRA) and a tool nut. If I can do a job that justifies the purchase of a tool, I'm all in.

The Vehicle
1997 Dodge Grand Caravan SE (Sport) with 150K miles. Good drive train, body, and electrical. Lost 1 rear line (over the gas tank) as my daughter was backing down our steep driveway. She did not panic and stopped the van with the secondary system before hitting the main road.

Scary part - the secondary system blew while I was pulling the van into the garage (flex line rear of the ABS). Needed the emergency brake to prevent making my garage longer.

This really ticked me off. I'm "in charge" of the vehicles that my family drives and thought this one was in good shape. I absolutely missed this and put my daughter at risk - lesson learned. This could have been catastrophic if both systems has failed in traffic/on the highway.

Repair - Assessment
I've seen prices on the forum for brake tube lines ranging from $20 to $60. When I called local dealerships, the only lines available were to the Master Cylinder. Prices were $160 for the primary line and $130 for the secondary. I'd place the value of the van at around $1500. I figured 14 hours shop time to reline (bulk tubing) and cam up with $910 + parts. I couldn't do that. I also couldn't allow a vehicle with a good body (rust belt) to die. I've never lost a vehicle to a drive train/ mechanical problem. All of my vehicles have been lost to rust.

Repair Parts

The following parts are what I used to rebuild the brake system. The existing brake calipers, disks, drums were in good shape. I replaced the actual brake line tubing/hoses + the gas tank filter and filler.

I did use the Nickel-Copper line for the rebuild. It is at least 2x what carbon steel costs but is "hand formable". The tight bends did not worry me - I have tools for these bends and have worked with heavy AN4 and AV6 Stainless in the past at work. It was the gentle bends around the front transaxle that scared me. I have no tools for these - the NI-CU line made these easy to bend in place.

Pay close attention to the different line fittings used on the Caravan. There is a mixture of fittings to prevent mis-installation on the assembly line. I can't tell you how may times I bent a "perfect" line only to find that I had put the wrong fitting on the end.

Tools
This is my tool list for the job. Some can do with less, some require more.

My first time doing bubble flares (most of my experience is from 70's cars). Many people will tell you that you can use a double flare tool to make a bubble flare. I did not like the bubble flares made from the Autozone double flare tool. It could make "short" bubbles ( insufficient compression in my opinion), but when I tried to extend the bubble the short die nipple would produce a lopsided bubble (sorry, no picture).

The NAPA bubble flare tool has a much longer nipple on the flare die. It aligned itself properly to the tube and produced a nice even bubble flare each time.

With the amount of work that goes into bending/forming/flaring the front lines, I would not trust a double flare tool to make proper bubble flares. That's why I spent the $68 on the NAPA bubble flare kit - I had no leaks.

I did have an agenda - I wanted a pressure bleeder for the remainder of my fleet. I do like the Motive Products bleeder, and I was able to bleed the ABS/actuate/re-bleed without taking the van in to have a "scan tool" bleed performed.

The Job

I have rebuilt transmissions, engines, suspensions and restored bodies over the years. I have a love/hate relationship with body restoration. I love it when it's done.

This job rated right up there with the worst bodywork I have done.

The following photo's show a couple of the tight areas in the vehicle. These should scare you (they scared me). Do not start this job if you do not have the proper tools.

Most of the lines are no longer available from Dodge. The lines around the ABS and proportioning valve are tight. I do not believe you can use pre-flared lines with adapters in these areas (correct me if I'm wrong). Bottom line - you need to be comfortable with bending and flaring tubing.

Proportioning Valve - Left Wheel Well

Some tight bends, but doable - If this scares you, take to vehicle into a professional. This part is easy by comparison to the ABS module.

ABS Module

This should scare any "right minded" person out of their wits. Unfortunately, I'm not right minded. All of these lines need to be removed/installed in sequence - otherwise you don't have access. The front lines are an absolute B**** because they wind around the transaxle, wiring, and hoses. If this doesn't scare you, you are either stupid (like myself), or a PRO. My hat is off to mechanics that do this stuff for a living - you earn every penny and then some.

Step by Step Process

I) Preparation

• Get the vehicle off the ground. You need a good 20" of lift to get the tank and engine cradle flex plate off.

The Caravan does not have a lot of hard points for lifting. I jacked on the engine sub-frame behind the engine cradle (leave room for your Jack stands). I'm lucky that the Caravan is a Sport model with stiffer suspension. I can lift the entire side of the vehicle with this jack point.

My floor hack was able to lift to 24". I placed stands to lift the frame at 20". Jacking/supporting the frame allows the suspension to drop and makes the wheel cylinder, flex line access much easier. 20" was barely enough. If you have a good jack and good stands, push it higher. It will make your job easier.

• The rear lines run over the gas tank (abs to proportioning valve and proportioning valve to rear axle flex line). You have to pull the tank to gain access.

There are 2 evaporator lines that run to the filler neck. My filler neck was rusted and the plastic ferules/o-rings stuck to the filler when I removed them (the quick connects disassembled). The 3/8" connector is available at the auto stores. The larger (1/2"?) connector may be Dodge only. I "re-used" the parts - not the best.

Vehicle on stands - gas tank removed

• The front caliper lines run through the engine cradle. You have to pull the steel flex plate under the engine cradle to gain access. This is where you need a lot of lift on the vehicle. To get the right front caliper line out intact you have to rotate it down toward the ground. If the vehicle isn't high enough, you won't have enough room to rotate the line.

• Pull the existing lines. Be careful not to bend things (too much) you need to reproduce these. I did cut most of the lines at the wheel cylinder/caliper to allow me to get a socket on the tube fitting. Most of the fittings were scrap anyway and I didn't want to get the vise grips out.

II) Rear lines

I started at the back axle and worked forward.

• New axle flex line.

• Rear axle lines first, then the lines to the proportioning valve. Sorry, I do not have pictures of these.

III) To be continued

Posted by: josefadonathss.blogspot.com

Source: https://dodgeforum.com/forum/dodge-caravan/361480-1997-dodge-grand-caravan-brake-line-replacement-step-by-step.html