Figure I'd come to the forum and ask the masses before i went to the dealership. Got an 08 Grand Caravan almost a month ago (used from a dealership). My concern is with the gas consumption and the amount of kilometers i get out of a tank of gas. I live in winnipeg, so i'll convert for my american brothers. For the first 1/4 tank, i can get about 200 km (120 miles or so) and for the second and third 1/4 i only get about 100 km (60 miles) each. I'm kinda concerned right now and i'm just wondering if there is anything that i can do about it in my garage or should i call the dealership and take it down there. I still have the warranty on it so i wouldn't see any money come out of my pockets. Thanks in advance.

 

The first thing you need to know is that the gas gause is meant to be an indicator and is not linear. You need to use the amount of distance you drive vs the amount of gas you burn to have any accuracy.

For instance, the guage in my 97 3.8L Grand Caravan ES non AWD stays at full for about the first 6-7 gallons. (20 gal tank) Then it moves slow until about 1/2 amd it has about 5 gallons left. The remaining 1/2 tank goes pretty fast. But I get about 15 MPG in the city (35-45 MPH)

Take the distance driven and divide it by the amount of gas burned and you will get your actual milage.

 

I've had two Dakotas and a Town & Country. All three had fuel gauges that worked as you've observed. The lower the fuel level, the faster the gauge drops. I think it is a Chrysler thing.