We did it! 200,000 miles!

The Caravan hit 200,000 miles on the odometer today.

The Caravanettes were with me to witness the milestone.

What a glorious day.  I've been getting a lot of handshakes, high-fives, pats on the back, and even a few slaps on the butt (which I didn't care for).

Minivan Brochures

Here's a photo of my collection of minivan brochures:















Top row (left to right): 1991 Dodge Family Catalog, 1993 1/2 Plymouth Voyager Sport Wagon, Dodge Caravan Mopar Accessories
Middle row (L-R): Dodge Caravan - 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995
Bottom row (L-R): 1991 Plymouth Voyager, '92 Chrysler/Plymouth minivans (Voyager, Town & Country), '93 Chrysler/Plymouth minivans, '94 Chrysler/Plymouth minivans, 1995 Plymouth Voyager

Long Awaited Update

Maintenance log:

May 29: Fuel filter replaced

June 11: Starter rebuilt

Gas log:

May 29:  241.3 miles / 11.783 gallons = 20.48 mpg

July 8:  247.2 miles / 11.105 gallons = 22.26 mpg

August 24: 244.0 miles / 11.616 gallons = 21.01 mpg

Caravan odometer = 181,619 miles

Maintenance

This morning I was finally able to get around to doing an oil change and replacing the air filter.  I used a 17 mm socket wrench for the oil drain plug.

Oil:  Valvoline 5w-30 Full Synthetic
Oil Filter:  WIX #51085
Air Filter:  WIX #42133

Caravan odometer = 181,096 miles

March/April Gas

March 13:  244.2 miles / 13.449 gallons = 18.16 mpg

April 23:  262.1 miles / 14.177 gallons = 18.49 mpg

Caravan odometer = 180,967 miles

January Gas

January 24: 191.7 miles / 11.812 gallons = 16.23 mpg

The mpg was achieved with 87 octane (no ethanol).  I decided to fill up with 91 octane (no ethanol) for a winter treat for the caravan.  The gas cost $3.429 per gallon.

Caravan odometer = 180,455 miles

Backlog of Gas Mileage

August 9: 257.5 miles / 12.044 gallons = 21.38 mpg

October 7: 295.7 miles / 14.843 gallons = 19.92 mpg

November 13: 287.2 miles / 14.314 gallons = 20.06 mpg

December 18: 225.5 miles / 12.276 gallons = 18.37 mpg

Caravan odometer = 180,191 miles

July Gas

July 4: 285.9 miles / 13.866 gallons = 20.6 mpg

Caravan odometer = 179,176 miles

179K, 2012 T&C Review

Great news!  The caravan went over 179,000 miles a few days ago.

In minivan-related news, Eric Peters has reviewed the 2012 Chrysler Town & Country.  Read about it HERE.

Caravan odometer = 179,022 miles

April Gas

I filled up the caravan on Monday with 87 octane (no ethanol). I will no longer be using 91 octane because I didn't see an improvement in mileage.

April 23: 266.7 miles / 13.6 gallons = 19.6 mpg

Caravan odometer = 178,744 miles

Tire Pressure, part 2

Part 1 here. The owner of a tire store came into the liquor store where I work, and I struck up a conversation with him. I asked him if I should follow the tire sidewall (44 psi) or the driver's door (35 psi) recommendation. He said if I put in the max pressure, the tires will wear out in the center, so I should use 35 psi. It will be a smoother ride with better MPG, and the tires will last longer. The only time I should use max tire pressure is if I have a heavy cargo load, which I rarely do. I don't even have the middle and back seats in the van.

This is a different opinion from my mechanic (who also services tires) who said I should use the tire sidewall recommendation for longer tire life and better MPG. So now I have two knowledgeable people with different views on tire pressure.

Should I stick with 35 psi, inflate to 42-44 psi, or split the difference and go with 37-39 psi?

Gas and Tire Pressure

Another fill-up using 91 octane at a Sinclair station:

March 13:
261.8 miles / 14.032 gallons = 18.66 mpg

I don't know what to think about this stat. On one hand, it's pretty good mileage for winter. But on the other hand, it's been a mild winter, and it's 91 octane! 91 octane was $3.909 a gallon. If I don't start seeing 22+ mpg with 91 octane, I'm going back to 87 octane at a Cenex station.

One possible reason for the lower-than-expected mileage would be the tire pressure on the new tires I recently purchased. I like to have my tires at 40-44 psi (max load on tire sidewall is 44 psi). The mechanic or technician might have set the tires at 35 psi, which is what the tire pressure placard on the driver's door recommends.

(5 minute break)

I just went outside and checked the tire pressure, and the tires were indeed set at 35 psi. Boy, the one time I go to a different mechanic...

Yes, the ride is a little smoother at 35 psi, but I'd rather have higher MPG and longer tire life (more even tire wear at 40-44 psi).

Caravan odometer = 178,422 miles

Boring Winter

Sorry for the lack of updates. I have been trying to limit my driving to save money. Nothing has gone awry or afoul or askew lately, so that's a plus.

Caravan odometer = 178,280 miles

Wintervention

The caravan should now be ready for winter. I bought 4 Firestone Touring P205/70R15 S95 tires (with mount, balance, and alignment), and installed a new 18" rear wiper.

I filled the gas tank with 91 octane (no ethanol) again.

January 23:
137.3 miles / 7.919 gallons = 17.3 mpg (Note: It has been a lot colder since my last fill-up.)

Caravan odometer = 178,160 miles

The Van is Back.

In my last post, blogger "have a nice day" pretty much described the repair work my mechanic performed better than I could have described, so read his comment.

Other information:

1. The oil pressure sender was replaced because it was leaking oil.

2. I have switched from Valvoline synthetic blend 5w-30 to Valvoline synthetic 5w-30. I have had problems finding the synthetic blend recently, so I thought now would be a good time to make the switch to full synthetic.

3. Lastly, I filled up with 91 octane (no ethanol) after getting the caravan back from the shop. I won't be doing this very often, but I thought it would be interesting to see any differences in performance compared to the 89 octane (10% ethanol) and 87 octane (no ethanol).

The following fill-up was achieved with 87 octane (no ethanol):

December 27:
277.9 miles / 13.935 gallons = 19.94 mpg

Bad News Update

According to my mechanic, the caravan has a blown head gasket. I looked around for pricing on replacing the motor, but it would be cheaper to do the repair work instead of buying a new engine block. Since the valve covers tend to go bad on the 3.0L caravans, I will be replacing those as well. Fortunately, I won't need to buy new cylinder heads; just get them milled.

Please excuse any possible terminology errors, for I am not car savvy enough to have in-depth engine discussions.

Bad News

Monday, November 21:

For the previous fortnight I was not getting warm air out of the vents. I presumed this to be a petty issue, since it wasn't cold enough outside to frost the windshield, and I'm capable of dressing properly for cold weather. I made an appointment with my mechanic, Vern, for the following week.

I didn't think it was a thermostat problem, since the temperature gauge was reading in the normal range, and it wouldn't be a radiator problem, because that was flushed recently. I figured it to be more annoying than problematic.

I was proven wrong! While driving on the highway at roughly 12:25 am (Tuesday, the 22nd), my caravan overheated and stalled at 50 mph. I was able to put the transmission in neutral and coast to a side street before having to call a tow truck.

I will have the diagnosis within the next few days.

Caravan odometer = 178,003 miles

Sea Foam and Gas

I added a pint of Sea Foam to the gas tank before filling up with 87 octane (no ethanol).

October 13:
300.7 miles / 14.322 gallons = 20.99 mpg

Caravan odometer = 177,832 miles

September Maintenance/Repair

The caravan's brakes have been bothering me for a while, so I decided to bring it to the shop for an inspection. I was going there anyway to get the radiator flushed and tires rotated. Unfortunately, it needed more work than just new brake pads. Here's a list of the work:

Radiator flush, tire rotation, front rotors, front brake calipers, front brake pads, rear wheel seals, rear wheel cylinders, rear shoes, turn rear drum brakes, and one pint of brake fluid.

Caravan Odometer = 177,709 miles

A Thank You Post

I'd like to thank everyone for making my blog the top 2 links when searching for "1993 Dodge Caravan SE Sport Wagon."


Thanks a lot, everyone.

Caravan odometer = 177,534 miles