Jump to content

Successful BIG BRAKE upgrade on 2011 Crew


FROGBOX

Recommended Posts

Thanks again Frogbox. You wouldn't happen to know the part numbers needed to do the rear big brake upgrade?

The parts for the rear upgrade is listed in post #30 in this thread. However, I do not suggest spending the $$$ on upgrading the rears to new parts. If you can't find the parts used, wait till you can. There will be more 2013's & 14's in the wrecking yards in the next few years. You can get everything from a wrecked Journey for around $150 and do the swap later.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

FrogBox

I ordered everything off of you parts list for the fronts and the part# for the front pads is the older smaller pads.

Old pads are code BRF Part# 68093323AB

New pads are code BRE Part# 68144163AE

Other than that everything else looks to be correct.

My apologies and thanks for letting us know. I had so many screens open from different parts web sites I must have copied the wrong one. The original post has been edited with the correct part numbers.

Thanks again.

One note, the BRE part number I found is 68159579AC, which is different from yours???

Edited by FROGBOX
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Ever since Frogbox started this topic, I've been thinking of doing this and - low and behold - today I did it! And since I have't seen a Canadian price list yet, I thought I'd post one for my fellow citizens:

Caliper (L) 68144161AA 1 $167.00 (includes $20 core charge)

Caliper ® 68144160AA 1 $167.00 (includes $20 core charge)

Carrier (bracket) 68159578AA 2 $51.75/ea

Dust shield (L) 04779907AA 1 $7.80

Dust shield ® 04779906AA 1 $7.80

Pin kit 68144165AA 2 $31.50/ea

All the above prices are from a Chrysler dealer in Ontario.

Pads and rotors exist from several manufacturers, OEM or after market. I chose Centric rotors @ $125/ea and Centric Posiquiet ceramic pads @ $89.95/set.

And just to add to the long list of people who recognized the quality of the original post, please let me say once again: Frogbox, you rock!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ouch. You paid dealership prices for the parts? If you haven't installed the parts yet, and the dealership will take the calipers & brackets back, there are much cheaper options.

First option is used calipers & brackets. Go to www.car-part.com

Coreys Auto wrecker in London has a set of front calipers & brackets for $60 per side. So for $120 instead of $435, you are halfway there. Then go to www.rockauto.com to order the pads & rotors. The same ones you bought (Centric) are $70 each rotor & $40 for the pads. Shipping is quite expensive, but still cheaper than buying local. The dust sheilds & pin kit you might as well keep as they are not that expensive.

The second option is all new/rebuilt parts from Rock Auto.

Centric calipers are $127 each (which includes a $82 core charge) and they include the brackets. So $127 per side instead of $219 from the dealer.

Edited by FROGBOX
Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Ouch" is right :-) but I've already purchased and installed them. I have tried some scrap yards in the Greater Toronto Area and they won't sell used calipers (I guess for liability reasons). I've researched other sources too, on the web and even walked into places like NAPA Auto Parts and they were unable to cross-reference the calipers and brackets. Anyway, after all it's only money and the bottom line is I'm very happy with the way they perform, so no regrets...

Oh, by the way, I need to mention something that was a first for me: the two slider-pins for the calipers are not identical; so for those who want to do this and they're not sure which goes where, the long one goes at the top and the small plastic sleeve that comes as part of the kit must be set on the small diameter recess at the end of the pin, prior to inserting it into the bracket.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I finally made an account on here today. 1 year ago i got tired of my brakes and bought drilled and slotted rotors and ceramic pads for all 4 corners of my wifes dj. Well they lasted about 6 months and then around 7 on the warpage came back and now were at a year and i cant stand it any longer. I am getting them warrntied and they uograded to the bigger rotors for me at no charge. Rockauto.com seems to have decent prices on the calipers. 52 bucks for fronts with bracket and hardware. Now its another 45 for core and im not to fond to junk stock ones just in case. So i plan on going to junk yard and seeing what i can find. At least just send them back a random pair lol. But i just wanted to say im upgrading the back ones as well so ill definatley give an update when im done. It will still be a while seeings how i have to order the parts and i work a lot but ill keep you guys updated. Like everyone else i want to thank frogbox for doing this. Now i can be the guinnea pig for the rears lol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great post frog box!

I did my fronts a month ago and wanted to do the upgrade but I had trouble sourcing the parts used from the wrecker so in the end I just ended up replacing the fronts with aftermarket better quality parts. I regret not doing the upgrade though as brake performance isn't much better and I'll probably be faced with warped rotors again in 12 months or so.....

Anyways I thought my brake problems were over for at least a while when this week I took a look at the rears and they're literally down to the metal! I have a 2011 R/T with 75k on it. I can't remember the last time I've replaced rear brakes on any vehicle. Poor design all around.

I now have an interesting problem. I wound in the rear brake pistons and replaced the rotors and pads but I now have a soft brake pedal. I bled the brakes but it's still there. Really spongy and I can brake right to the floor. I'm thinking that when I wound the pistons back in the brake fluid pushing back up through the master cylinder may have damaged it somehow?? Has anyone experienced this??

Thx

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ive expierenced something similar. And like you i had bled the brakes. I recomend having them pressure bled or vacuum bled. It solved my problem just when i thought something serious was wrong and hours of manually bleeding. Sorry to hear about your brakes. I to had biught upgraded oem parts with no luck. You need to just bite the bullet and do the real thing. Good luck

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I took it into my local budget brake and muffler. It turned out to be the master cylinder. I guess it didn't like the fluid pushback.

He also mentioned the problems he's seen with the journeys brakes. Definitely helping keep him in business!

When I do the larger disc upgrade I will do all four at once

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK...... Just wanted to throw this helpful website out there if anyone is interested in finding parts at a cheaper price.... www.car-part.com it seems to be worldwide just about... i just ordered all 4 corner calipers with hardware for $135 shipped to me. Now these are used parts from a salvage yard but the nice thing about it is they almost all ship so it doesnt really matter how far away you are also they are pretty much new anyway being 2013. I also did some more research.. The front calipers and rotors are the same as the caravans but the rear calipers are not interchangable. http://www.moparpartsoverstock.com this is the website i used to verify this information. Good luck to everyone. i can't wait to get this done. very excited. i actually look forward to work on my car. lol And to also go in trips in it again as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe a one off thing but when I turned back the rear calipers it also caused air to enter the abs system giving me a fault and the abs brakes would engage with medium braking. So I ended up bleeding that the abs system as well in the rear. The abs is electronic but tied into a vacuum line system which ended up producing the fault.

If ur brakes are severely worn I would recommend opening the bleed port to relieve excess pressure before resetting the calipers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

Hey guys.... I know this thread is a little old by now. but I just wanted to tell everyone that I didn't end up doing the big brake conversion on our journey as we ended up trading it in just a few weeks ago on a 2014 town and country. So with that said I have a COMPLETE big brake conversion for sale. Stock calipers off of a 2014 journey with brackets and hardware for all 4 corners and aftermarket drilled and slotted rotors with ceramic pads also for a 2014 journey. email me a fox_raycing@yahoo.com for more info.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

just did my big brake conversion on '11 R/T.

took about 4 hours only because I'm an idiot and didnt think things through but i did the entire job myself. I went through two sets of rotors up front and three in the back.

for those who are looking to change the rears, dont. Instead get the latest caliper/pad adapter for that generation of brakes and swap it in (keeping the same caliper) - they have been re-designed and my rears haven't warped like the last two times. They just need a quick grind to remove some grooves.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

Hello I have the 2010 journey.. I was doing this same thing before I seen your post.. I ordered new calipers/mounts rotors all new from rock auto.. it went together easy and well.. except I had a mushy pedal... no air in line.. since I have the 2010 I was wondering if anyone knows if the MC is different from the 2011/12 to the 2010... I don't have air in the system.. I since then reinstalled the OEM brakes .. nice firm pedal again.. thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Hello I have the 2010 journey.. I was doing this same thing before I seen your post.. I ordered new calipers/mounts rotors all new from rock auto.. it went together easy and well.. except I had a mushy pedal... no air in line.. since I have the 2010 I was wondering if anyone knows if the MC is different from the 2011/12 to the 2010... I don't have air in the system.. I since then reinstalled the OEM brakes .. nice firm pedal again.. thanks

I just did my upgrade on the front wheels of my '09 this past weekend. I got my calipers from a junkyard and put new factory rotors and new pads on. Bled the brakes until new fluid came out and I had great pedal immediately. Was a very easy upgrade and I worried about bleeding the anti-lock brakes for nothing......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very informative! Thanks for the info and details!! The Dodge Journey that the parts were taken off of, was it an SXT ? (or is the brake system the same across the spectrum)? Also, I'd like to match the rear brakes with the front. What would you recommend?

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The "big brakes" are the newer heavy duty brakes that are used on both the Journey and Grand Caravan/Town & Country platforms. For the model years which have them, they are standard across the entire trim line (at least starting in 2014). If you don't have 17" rims, you can't perform the upgrade (unless you go out and get the rims as well). Journey owners are not the only people doing this upgrade.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The ABS system would only need to be bled if you were working on the ABS components directly. Or you were particularly slow in attaching the new caliper to the brake line and allowed the now-open circuit to drain the master cylinder completely. Then you'd have a bigger problem (bench bleeding the master cylinder as well as an ABS bleed).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Just to throw it out there I still have a COMPLETE BIG BRAKE SYSTEM for sale. Includes all 4 calipers, brand new ceramic brake pads with brand new drilled and slotted rotors. Pads and Rotors are from brake labs ( https://www.brakelabs.com/shopping_cart/productdetails/brake-kits-4-drilled-and-slotted-kit). This set sells for $385 I also have 2 Brand new in the box SPC rear adjustable control arms ( http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sps-67015 ). Im open for offers on everything. Shipping is probably the most difficult part but if your close by maybe we could meet half way. Im located in central california. you can email me at fox_raycing@yahoo.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Frogbox, wish I had read your post 2 brake jobs ago. I was a parts manager at a very large Chrysler store and I was fanatical about comparing all of our rotors and pads to merge duplicate sizes thus reducing inventory. Our moto was chryler was not our friend.

You have found a great solution to problem that dealers should be offering. None of my pad and rotor combos ever exceeded 150.00 bucks and we sold a ton of brakes.

Most of my peers poo pooed this as to much work but they did not sell 12 milliom a year.

Thanks again to a retired guy who is now treated like every other smuck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...