Drum or Disk on the back?

[coopns]

02 Dodge Caravan and I am replacing the front rotors and pads. The guy asked if I had drum or disks on the back and then he would tell me what to buy?

1 Does that sound right?
2.What do I have on the back? Would it be in the owners man?

Thanks.

 

[G-MAN]

You could have either. Easiest way to tell (if you have aluminum wheels) is just look though the opening in the back wheels and see whether it's discs or drums.

 

[mechtech]

If the rears look like the fronts, you have discs in back.
If the rears look way different, you have rear drums.

 

[slalom44]

I'm guessing that the guy is looking up your car to see what pads and rotors it takes, and it probably uses different front pand & rotors for different versions of the car. All Caravans used to have drum rear brakes, but I don't have a clue what they've had over the past several years.

Like G-Man said, look at your rear wheel. If you can't see through the spokes, crawl under your car and look right behind the wheel. If you see something that looks like a black or rusty round cover around 4 inches thick and over a foot in diameter, you have drum brakes. If you see what looks like a relatively shiny disc about 3/4" thick, you have rear disc brakes.

 

[TurboJim]

Not all rear disc or drum brakes have wear sensors. It's a good idea every now and again to remove the wheels and inspect the pads or linings for wear.

 

[Nick29]

I don't mean to flame by any means coopns, but if you don't know how to tell the difference between drums and discs, or what the difference is, you should probably do some more research before doing brakes by yourself. Maybe even have a shop do the brakes or have a knowledgeable friend walk you through the process a couple times.

It's not difficult, but it's a major safety issue if done wrong.

 

[coopns]

With a friend we did the front brakes on another rig, first time without too many bumps. I just hadn't see drum brakes before but that doesn't mean that I can't fix them. Also, as I noted, I don't need to fix the drum brakes, just indentify them.

PS. Nick29, prior to becoming a member here, I didn't know how to change the oil, I have now done breaks, oil, tranny, ps and brake fluid and several other minor repairs that have saved me over $1000 dollars - all with the support, advice and recommendations from members here which I truely appreciate. I can't thank people enough.

You mention "if you don't know how to tell the difference between drums and discs, or what the difference is, you should probably do some more research before doing brakes by yourself. "

That is why I come here, I get "coddled" , straightforward advice without feeling uncomfortable or asking really "bad" questions like the one I asked here.

I am not bitter, but every post here I am so happy with and everyone has been so positive with their responses.

 

[PRND3L]

Disc brake:

Drum brake:

 

[wantin150]

FWIW, discs are much easier to do than the rear drums. There are fewer parts to play with. If you choose to do this yourself on down the road, it isn't a bad idea to take a picture of the internals before you start swapping parts. IMO, the minimum you need will be the shoes (of course) and the complete set of springs (hardware kit).

Many times, as the shoes wear into the drums, it creates a "lip" and the drum is very difficult to remove. A rubber mallet helps but it is easiest if you can get to the adjuster hole in the back and back the shoes off the drums.