Hi guys. I have an '03 Caravan 3.3 litre with 140,000 miles. I have noticed on oil changes there is never more that 3 quarts of oil left in the engine. On the last change there was in fact only 2 quarts. we drive about 1400 highway miles a month and have been changing the oil every 3 months. never notice any blue smoke or smell oil burning. Any advice would be great as to why the high consumption. Thanks

 

The first thing I'd look at is if the PCV has been changed.

 

You didn't mention anything about oil spots on the ground, so I'll ask. It's very common for a van that old to get leaking from the oil pan and valve cover gaskets, and sometimes from other "less friendly" locations as well.

But far more important than where the oil is going is that you're not checking it between oil changes and keeping it topped up. Driving 2-3 quarts down for an extended amount of time will eventually kill the engine. Keep adding oil until you can get the loss figured out and fixed.

 

no oil drips on the ground except for a small trans leak. from underneath, the engine is dry so I'm baffled as to where the oil is going. I will check oil level more regularly. Also is there a way to determine if the PCV is bad without removing it? Thanks

 

IDK if there's a way to test the PCV without removing it, but it's inexpensive and easy to change out, so I think most folks aren't interested in testing it first.

The earlier gen 4 vans are not known to "use" oil like many of the later ones do. Are you certain it's tranny fluid leaking? Tranny leaks most commonly are from the solenoid, so if the leak is anywhere else it may very well be engine oil instead.

 

I'm certain it's a trans leak because it's at the pan gasket. everything above is bone dry.