2007 Dodge Caravan Drum In Hat Noise

That star wheel and shoes are the parking brake. They only need to be adjusted if the parking brake pedal goes too far to the floor.

There are a whole bunch of things professionals do during a brake job to prevent these noises from occurring. Most notably, did you apply a thin coat of high-temperature grease to the hub where the rotor sits on it? Did you remove the sharp edge on the leading and trailing edges of the new pads with a file or sandpaper? Did you use a torque wrench to carefully tighten the lug nuts equally? Failure to do so will cause the new rotors to warp from the heating and cooling cycles and the uneven clamping forces.

The caliper mounting bolts must be straight and free of rust. They must be lubricated too. There should also be a light coat of grease between the pad backing plates and the caliper contact points. This will reduce their tendency to squeal, but not a grinding noise.

One final point to be aware of is if you have custom wheels. With new pads, the caliper is moved outboard from the vehicle the farthest it will ever be. In rare cases, the caliper housing could contact the inside of the wheel. This will cause a grinding noise when the wheel flexes during cornering.

Caradiodoc

Should have mentioned your previous experience so I wouldn't insult you with trivial stuff.

I found you don't have to remove much of the sharp edges on the linings; just enough to remove the "finger nails on the blackboard" effect during the break-in period. I started just dragging them on the concrete floor a little to remove the edge. That prevents squeal when the brakes are applied, not a scraping sound.

Check for rust buildup on, or a bent backing plate, although, as I recall, I think they're quite thick and hard to bend. Look for debris in the groove of the drum that goes around the lip of the backing plate. Shiny spots will be a "witness mark" if that's the noise source.

If both wheels make the noise, suspect an issue with things like the rotors are just a little bigger in diameter or the linings are glued just a little off-center or are larger than the originals. Noises from these things will go away over time.

I don't think this applies, but I saw a fellow once install the parking brake strut rod upside down and it rubbed on the hub of the drum. That was on a drum brake, not what you have. I also once had a scraping problem after the caliper wasn't fully seated when I installed the mounting bolts. The wheel went on fine, but the caliper would rise up and hit the wheel when braking. Oops!

Also, don't overlook the fact that quality linings are rather hard and will make a scraping sound until they're warmed up. That's normal, and is one reason there's so much trouble with brake squeal these days.

If all else fails, I used a tool called a chassis ear. It is six microphones you can clip on various places, then listen with headphones while you drive the car. It's used at the Chrysler dealerships, and we had two at my community college. The new models have four wireless mics and two with wires. The older models had wires on all the mics. Matco has them available, and I'd bet so do Mac, Snapon, and Cornwell for around 100 bucks.

Let me know if you find something.

Caradiodoc