I don't like drum brakes...Follow

... so I thought I was in luck when I learned the Town and Country I was driving had disc brakes in the back when I went to replace them today.

I was wrong. Turns out they are both disc and drum brakes. I was wondering how the Emergency/Parking brake activated the calipers, when the cable went behind the rotor. Then I tried to take the rotor off. Took me about 15 minutes, some penetrating oil, a propane torch, a hammer, and a pry bar. I found out how the parking brake worked... there is a set of drum brakes tied to the cable behind the rotor! And it's a pain in the *** to get the rotor off. What was supposed to be a quick job took about 30-40 minutes longer because of the drum brakes underneath the rotors.

Then I decided to check the air in my tires, and the cap was stuck on my rear passenger side valve. Grabbed a wrench to gently loosen it, and it popped off, and the inside of the valve stem came off with it. About 20 seconds later the tire was completely flat. Took it off and brought it to the local tire shop for a quick fix, and it turns out there is a TPMS sensor inside the valve, and to properly replace it is a 58 dollar piece of equipment. I declined the sensor (it didn't work properly anyway), and told them to just put a standard 2 dollar valve in it. They had me sign a waiver. What should have been a 15 minute fix ended up being an hour wait due to them being busy, then them having to find out if the stem could be replaced out of the sensor (cannot on that particular one) and whether or not I wanted the proper sensor or a basic valve.

That and my dad's garage was full so I had to work out in the wet/cold driveway.

It's actually a Chrysler. Edit: I see you fixed it while I was posting

Now the only thing I really need to fix is a leak somewhere in the power steering. I filled it up sometime two weeks ago and noticed today it's down near the low level again. I haven't looked for the leak, but I've been told the rack and pinion has a tendency to leak in this vehicle... it's a little beyond my comfort level of changing and it's a bit pricey to get done (and according to others doesn't really stop the leaking).

Edited, Mar 12th 2011 8:01pm by TirithRR

I am utterly clueless when it comes to repairing my car. I believe I have drum brakes on the back and rotors on the front, but other than that, I wouldn't even know where to begin.

On the upside, I'm one of those ridiculously careful brakers, so my brakes only need serious work every 4-5 years. My mechanic says he's never seen someone go so long without needing SOMETHING done to the brakes, but he hasn't had to work on them since I started using him when I got the car.

ITT: Chryslers suck.