I have a 2008 Grand Caravan with 85,000 and it is mysteriously missing oil. 2 months ago i changed the grade of oil from 5w-20 to 10w-30 because it was missing some and my mechanic recommended i change the oil weight. So now it is once again missing oil and there is no leaks on ground or in coolant and there is no sign of oil in the exhaust. Please help.

 

I have the same problem even after getting the oil pan gasket and one of the crank seals replaced (don't remember offhand if it was the front or rear main). I was told by a dealership that it's "normal" for these engines to burn a quart of oil every 3,000 miles or so. I have also read something similar on this forum. I'm not sure if I want to accept that, as I have never had this type of problem with another car. I have never tried playing with the oil weight, as this is the first car I've had with hydraulic valve lifters and am not sure what impact going to a higher weight would have.

 

SXT - is it the 3.8L? If so yours is one of the years that seems to commonly have an oil burning problem. If there are indeed no leaks anywhere (and simply assuming this because there are no spots on the ground is not good enough) then it is quite possible you are burning the oil. If you are burning oil on a 3.8L then the only real solution is a new set of rings, quite an involved and expensive repair.

If you were to ask dodge they have some ridiculous limit for oil consumption, something like 1 quart per 500 or 800 miles, and they will tell you this is perfectly normal, but over the long term this is quite bad for the catalytic converter. 10W30 will probably get burned off more slowly, you could go even thicker like 5W40 to see if that helps reduce the oil consumption even more (plus most 5W40 oils are at least a group III synthetic, and are typically diesel oils that contain excellent detergent packages).

If you want to form your own opinion on what is "normal" - I have a 2005 Grand Caravan with the 3.3L engine. I currently run 12,000km oil change intervals and during this time the oil level on the dipstick drops less than 1/4 of the way from full to low. I believe this to be 250mL or less.

 

I have an '03 which doesn't use oil, however my reading about the later year vans agrees with what the other guys have already said. But one question on this. Did you just buy this vehicle used? If so, then I understand where you're coming from. If not, haven't you noticed this happening previously?
But regardless of that, it would be good to go beyond knowing that "some" oil is being lost. Carefully measure and record the exact loss by mileage. Then you will have a baseline and know if the amount of loss changes when switching to a different oil, and also (later on) if the loss is getting worse over time.

 

Same deal on my wife's 2008 GC SXT...Always low on oil soon after oil changes...Very little if any oil on the ground...My advice is to take it to a shop & have them put it up and shine a light..more than likely it will reveal the problem. Our van had all the main seals replaced to remedy the situation...later we had a crank and oil pan problem fixed...On the 2008 models I believe if you are the original buyer/lessee there is an unlimited powertrain warranty...You have to do the free mandatory 5 yr inspection at an authorized dealer to maintain that coverage...not sure if this applies to you or not.