Chrysler 200 wrenching

[BJoe]

Dad and I finally got around to doing the rear brakes and pre-assembled shocks on my 2012 Chrysler 200 today, only had the brakes for 3 years and shocks for around 11 months


It has a decent amount of droop with the back of the car completely off the ground. We did this after seeing a number of DIY videos on YouTube where guys were replacing the shocks and only lifting 1 side at a time vs both and then having issues getting the shock assemblies off the car because of the rear sway bars on their cars were compressing the otherwise unloaded corners……


Here’s how it looked after we got the left rear off, not bad for a 9 year old, almost 117k mile Northern Illinois car, at least, though we both kinda went full on Lizzie Borden on what we’re the factory installed rear rotors as they were rusted to the hubs


Then while Dad was unbolting the shock from the lower arm, I was in the trunk and back seat area loosening the nuts holding the spring retainer ends to the unibody, which I strongly recommend power tools for…….. Let’s just say hand tools in the trunk and back seat area of a black on black car on a sunny and humid day while trying to hold the mouse fur trunk liner out of the way all while standing in odd positions on minimal fluids and no food is not optimal


Here’s the factory spring and shock assembly next to the Summit sourced KYB/Mickey Thompson (?!) assembly that went on that corner.


Here it is with everything in place and then with the wheel and tire back on it. The pads are the R1 Concepts pads and rotors I had asked about here in 2018 which were fairly straight forward to install, though they didn’t have the wear clips in the box and the backing plates for the pads had just enough flash and paint that they needed some clean up as did the clips that were on it from the last pad change in 2017…….I think.


We eventually got it back on all 4 and the back end seems to sit a bit high, but it did state that might happen in the included paperwork, plus the springs need to settle into the assemblies too……so I’ll need to find some speed bumps once we’re done with everything.

Since it will be a bit higher and firmer in the back, that should at least help with accelerating, cornering, and then when I have stuff in the trunk.


Now tomorrow, we’re planning on attacking the front brakes, but instead of just pads and rotors like in the back, it will be getting the Euro market front brakes, which is basically the SRT-4 Caliber front brakes that consisted of 13.4” rotors that were also used on some Journeys and may be on Dad’s Grand Caravan, the 2 piston calipers and matching pads that had been in R/T and Pursuit Chargers and and Magnums, as well as Challenger R/Ts and 300s and then eventually almost everything else that wasn’t FWD based too as well as brackets to fit those huge calipers to these steering blocks. Compared to stock, everything is huge, but should still fit within the factory 18” wheels for any of the Avengers, Sebrings, and 200s on this platform.


Here’s the wheel for the Avenger owned buy the guy I bought the brackets through compared to stock.

[BJoe]

Well, today didn’t work as planned……… I ended up running around getting the odds and ends together that came up at the last moment, like the anti-rattle/wear clips, copper washers for the banjo bolts, and 12mm flare nut wrench while Dad pulled the car apart on the right front corner so we could get the bigger parts on and as we were buttoning up the right front and getting things put together for the left front, I discovered that the dealership gave me 2 right front 2 piston LX car calipers, so right now the car has stock sized brakes in the back with fresh pads and rotors. the stock sized and very well used brake pads and rotors on the left front while the right front is about as close to having “cop brakes” (as said in the voice of Elwood Blues) as I can get with that platform

So, onto the pics!
Here’s a size comparison between the stock sized, if not factory installed parts vs the big brake parts. The pads and rotors are NAPA sourced and very well used (ie, it’s a good thing we started the upgrade!) while the caliper, bracket, and hose are all the factory pieces it left Sterling Heights with in January of 2012.


Here’s how it all looked once assembled but before the wheel and tire went back on.


And finally with the wheel and tire mounted up and at full droop vs the left front, which is still on the ground, for now, and with all the stock sized parts still in place.


Here’s a group of 4 pics showing them side by side including close ups on the calipers.


So, until I can get the left front caliper, the car is just going to be hanging around like this….


Luckily, I’m still working from home so it’s not like I need it for work and Dad and I will just share his Grand Caravan until it’s fully swapped over.

[BJoe]

Called the dealer no exchange and the the parts is backordered until mid Sept, so I went to Napa and picked up one of their remand until I can get another Mopar Reman on hand.

[BJoe]

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Dad finished the left front corner on the 200 is done and once I was off work, we got the front brakes bled then took it out for a couple hours. Once the brakes started to wear in, it stopped much better, though we had to be careful as it stops a lot quicker and nearly choked Dad with the seatbelt by accident at one point😳 *It also cornered better though it road a touch stiffer, was much more willing to rotate than before and didn’t wallow during directional changes like it had prior to that too. I think Dad is even more pleased with how it turned out than I am too!



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Now that it stops and turns better, I’ve got a few engine bits that need to do on it too

[BJoe]

Shot this pic today, car definitely stops and corners better, even feels quicker, which is unusual as we only did brakes and read shocks/springs.

[BJoe]

Dad and I got some more work done on the 200 Sunday, only ran into issues with having to wait for Amazon to next day some o-ring grease since none of the 4 parts houses in the town had any and a small problem with one of band clamps that came with the RPM Motorsports intake tube I bought for the car.


we started by taking the car apart so we could replace the stock, early Pentastar lower intake with the updated Pentastar Up Grade, or P.U.G. piece that is supposed to flow much better than the original design, pics of which will come up later in this post.




The above is what came off and was replaced with the below



and here is why I was putting it on, there's a good sized hump that runs top to bottom in each runner in parallel with the fuel injectors for each port, but for no apparent reason that I can think of when at least 95% of that plastic is just a restrictive waste of plastic, while the P.U.G. just has a little bump where the injectors actually enter into the runners down near the ports in the heads.



Since I've run almost nothing but E85 in it since it was nearly new, Dad wanted to see how the intake valves looked after over 9 years and nearly 120k and he was not disappointed either.



Once we got the grease in, we lubed up ALL of the o-rings associated with the manifold and dropped it on, and I greased up the MSD coil packs with die electric grease and installed those while we were waiting too. Didn't need ton worry about the oil cooler or plugs since the dealership took care of those last September, took it in for the cooler and had them do the plugs while they had it.




Once we had the upper back on and connected, I started to install the intake tube in place of the stock corrugated tubing and resonators that go between the airbox and TB, but ran into a few problems.




To start, the silicon coupler popped off the throttle body and dropped down to the exhaust y-pipe and crossmember meet, so I had to jack it up and pull a tire to get under the car and grab it off those together, then put that back together, get it back on the ground and then couldn't get the included T-clamp to open enough to get it and the coupler both over the flange on the TB, so I have the stock parts back on until I can get a slightly larger T-clamp.


I did start the car without the intake are temp sensor plugged in and that tripped the check engine light and I haven't driven it enough to get it to turn back off, yet and the headlight on that corner decided to die too, so I have those on order since, like the o-ring grease, I can't find those locally right now either


Now while I was under the car trying to get that coupler out of the crossmember, I did see something that made me very happy, a very clean, solid belly!


For a nearly decade old nearly 120k mile car that has spent it's entire life in northern Illinois, I was happy to see so little rust under it


After we got it back together, I took it out to grab dinner for Dad and myself and by the time I got back home with the food, it had relearned what was needed for this intake and is starting to drive a whole lot different, and almost more like Dad's 2020 Grand Caravan with the most recent version of this drivetrain, which makes me think that he already has this lower intake in it already too. Power seems to come on quicker than before and spins the bigger, stickier Z-Rated BFG's I have on it now almost as easily as it did the T-Rated Goodyear hockey pucks it left Sterling Heights with! About the only options I have left for the engine at this point is a ported TB, cat back exhaust, and tune, though other than exhaust when the factory one gives up, I'm not sure if I'd even bother with a tune or a TB.

Beside those, the only other performance options I'd have left to look at on the car as a whole would be BC Racing coil overs, wider wheels and tires, then sway bars and links, which I have thought about just one of the thicker Avenger R/T and 200S rear bars or if the front crossmember has to come down in the future, look at a Dodge Journey SE V6 front and R/T and GT rear bars since those would be thicker still and since they share the platform, should be a direct swap. Whiteline Performance has the links and urethane bushings that fit these and a number of other cars as well and could be an option in the future too.

[BJoe]

Got the intake tube installed today, had to get a different hose clamp at the local Advanced Auto even that little change was noticeable, almost makes me want to try bigger throttle body, injectors, exhaust, and maybe a tune at some point!

Here it is installed before I put the engine cover on it.



And after the cover was put back on, which nicely hides all but a few inches of that tube, which is fine for me.



I do need to replace the driver side windshield squirter and want to change out the rear plate bolts and pads as well as front plate bolts, but it was low-mid 90’s today and with what little work I did, it hit me harder than when I was younger……granted, I’m now middle aged, obese, and was wearing dark clothes, so it was bound to happen, but still.

[BJoe]

Well, these brakes and tires just paid for themselves tonight! Dad and went to get dinner after I finished with work and we had a deer run in front up us on the drive home.
We got stopped about 3 feet from her and it felt like the front suspension was on the stops and Dad is thinking that the right rear may have started coming off the road!