Questions and Answers

Caravan Gas Tank Q. Hi! I have a 1995 Dodge Caravan, 4 cylinder, automatic, with a rebuilt engine and 260,000 original miles. It is a disabled conversion with the lowered floor. It has power steering, cruise control, and A/C. The dealer said it would get 20 to 30 mpg, and has a tank of 20 gallons. Yet I can only get 17 gallons in it, and it only goes 243 miles before it's out of gas.

I'm no mathematician, but this doesn't add up right. Is there something I'm doing wrong, or anything I can have a mechanic check?

Thanks,
Marc

A. 243 miles on 17 gallons is a little more than 14 miles to the gallon. That four cylinder should be able to do better than that. Gas tanks will never use all the gas that's in the tank. There is always a gallon or two left on the bottom so any water or debris will not be sucked into the fuel system, so I don't think a 17 gallon fill is too unreasonable.

The low milage may be simple due to some engine specs in need of adjustment. If the new engine was just installed, the milage will increase as the engine breaks in. The best thing to do is to have the EFI system scanned and see what needs to be adjusted. It may be as something as simple as a bad O2 sensor or coolant temp sensor.

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