Dodge 3.3L V6 Caravan - Burning Oil - WHY?

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Oh ..no ... I didn't mean to imply that your technique wasn't a viable one. Just reporting my experience.
 
i didn't think that you were implying anything, gary.we're just bouncing around ideas or passing along experiences, since all vehicles are different. that's the whole point of these boards.it's sad when posters have to walk on eggs, as it were,for fear of offending someone or being "insensitive". keep posting, man. your posts are intelligent, and informative.
 
My dad had a similar problem with an identical van recently.

I changed out the FRAM filter and the nasty 5W30 "bulk" oil from Chinamart and put on a Purolator Premium Plus filter and Chevron Supreme 10W30 (SM)

Problem free 1500 miles in. No missing oil.
Is it possible the thicker oil/better oil filter helped?? I dunno.
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My Dad reports the engine isnt noisy on cold starts anymore..(I attribute this to the better ADBV)


Give the thicker oil a shot at OCI time, mayve a HM oil might help too, but Ive never tried one.

Good luck and dont give up on it...
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Bob
 
Wal-Mart uses Valvoline, nothing wrong with that... I've had my oil changed there before on my old car and had no problems or anything. And the 10W30 isn't necessarily thicker than 5W30. Glad you got rid of the Fram though
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Didnt know Valvoline was the Bulk oil at Walmart. Thanks for the info.

Wasnt too happy with the labor there. Both the oil plug and filter were absolutely CRANKED on mega tight. Looks like they werent using the proper wrench for the plug either, as it was mangled badly.

I told my Dad, "no more walmart for oil changes", he told me to "use Pennzoil next time".
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Looks like I have a new vehicle to change oil on, time to stock up again....
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Bob
 
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btw is it the Mitsubishi motor? if it is, kiss those rings goodbye. if there is a company that sucks as bad or worse than chrystler its mitsubishi.. this is just my opinion. i have had jeeps, caravan, and the diamante.. all [censored] aside from the jeep motors




Yes, it is your opinion and it is incorrect. The main problem with the 3.0L Mitsu burning oil was that the earlier versions had very soft valve guides that wore quickly. This was addressed in the early to mid 1990's. Valve seals were also a problem. The bottom end of the engine is just about as bulletproof as you can get. I'm sure it would be appreciated if folks (not specifically addressing you at this point) would forget about their personal biases and help BennyL fix his oil problem. In your case, the bias didn't even apply to this engine.

http://www.allpar.com/mopar/3fix.html

Have you made any progress with the problem yet, BennyL?
 
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Whoa!
You cannot generalize from your experience with one known deficient product that imports are better than domestics.
We have owned mainly inports over the years, but our one US built purchase, a '97 Aerostar 3.0, has been as reliable and as durable as any Honda or Mercedes I have ever owned (we've had six Hondas and four Benzes). Your Chrysler minivan may be a POS, but you cannot therefore conclude that all domestic vehicles are the same.
 
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Whoa!
You cannot generalize from your experience with one known deficient product that imports are better than domestics.
We have owned mainly inports over the years, but our one US built purchase, a '97 Aerostar 3.0, has been as reliable and as durable as any Honda or Mercedes I have ever owned (we've had six Hondas and four Benzes). Your Chrysler minivan may be a POS, but you cannot therefore conclude that all domestic vehicles are the same.




I don't think you can even say all Chrysler minivans are junk. I've never owned a more reliable vehicle than my 1992, and my 1999 is not a bad car either. Note, the 1999 has the same engine that the poster is having issues with, and mine has never been opened to my knowledge. Every manufacturer is prone to a few bad cars- just ask my cousin, the former owner of a Scion xB.
 
I have a 2003 Town and Country (57K miles) with the same size engine. No engine problems yet. Dino oil and Wix/Purolator filters every 3K.

I had the transmission flushed at 50k and my gas mileage increased by 4 mpg.
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Know it doesn't make any sense but I checked it twice on a 350 mile trip.

Owner's manual recommends trans fluid changes at 100K---sorry, no way. My understanding (limited) of the typical trans problems were people putting Mercon/Dexron in the trans instead of the ATF 4. I asked the dealer doing the flush if he was going to use Dexron and he said he would if I wanted him to but that I would be back in about 200 miles.

I'm also going to install a magnefine trans filter--put one on my Avalon today---too easy
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it s/b smoking like crazy.

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hey guys, just checking back in about this.

since i last posted in this thread i purchased a new PCV valve for the van, and finally tracked down somebody to buy Auto-Rx off of in Canada.

i have not yet gotten the Auto-Rx or installed the PCV, but i will likely be doing both this week. so i'll post again later to let you know if any of that has helped.

i'm almost 100% positive it's not a leak, because at the rate that i'm losing oil, there would HAVE to be an oil puddle under the car... or at the very least, a trickle. but there's nothing. the engine is consuming oil. and at a very high rate.

any other ideas?


 
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