Originally Posted By: Mark72
It's the 3.3L. Seems to have plenty of power for what we need it for. Been happy with the 3.3 we have in our 2000 Dodge Caravan.
As far as the trans fluid..I don't know when it was last changed. all the fluids including the coolant look brand new. I have the carfacts sheet with the dealer info on it. I may give them a call to see when it was last serviced. OIl looks new too. My mech advised to stay with 5w20 as it has an oil pressure system that pushes the oil through and needs to get through certain passages within the engine.(not his exact words) but said it needs that thinner oil.
OH, the brake fluid looks old. My mechanic when he looked it over recommended I have it flushed. How necessary is it to flush brake fluid??? It's something I've NEVER done in any of my cars and never once had an issue.
By all means call the dealer, I've found they are happy to give the vehicle maintenance history in the hopes that you'll pick up with them where the previous owner left off.
Here's a page with more than you ever wanted to know about the 3.3L:
http://www.allpar.com/mopar/33.html
By all means, when your brake fluid gets dark, it means it is oxidized, have it flushed (also called a brake bleed). A typical manufacturer suggested DOT3 maintenance cycle is either 3 years or every 30, 33 or 36K miles.
IMHO as engine compartments get more and more cramped, brake fluid gets exposed to more heat then in the old days. Some have the master cylinder right up near the exhaust manifold. Minivans are often the worst offendors. So it makes sense to change it more often now.
As my engines get older I like to use at least a semi-synthetic oil, and most 5w-20's are synthetics.