I have a 1993 Dodge Caravan with 262,000 miles. It is a manual transmission that I love.
It has been using oil for about 8 years. I have tried to stop the leaks many times.
In the past few years it started needing a quart of oil every 500 miles. Now it needs a quart every 400 miles. The engine does not smoke.
However in the past year it has started getting really poor gas mileage. I replaced the catalytic converter, replaced the O2 sensor, replaced PCV valve and had the vacuum lines worked on.
The O2 sensor helped.
But now my car is really losing power. A compression check showed that the number 3 cylinder was 75. The other 3 cylinders were above 100.
I am thinking of adding Restore but I am afraid it could also really damage my engine even more than it is now. It seems I have to replace my car but I would like to at least a few months to find a replacement.
What are your thoughts on Restore and the risks of using it in my car. I have always used 10w- 30 oil in my car
It’d be like putting a bandaid on a horse with a broken leg.
Restore won’t help you. You need to go shopping for either a new vehicle or a new engine. Although I should point out that finding a good used motor for a '93 Caravan… well, you’d have better odds of winning the lottery. And I’m not sure I’d want to invest in a rebuilt motor for this vehicle.
262,000 miles, 75psi compression in one cylinder, then engine is gasping its last breath as we speak. Adding a can of Restore certainly can’t make it any worse.
I have looked into replacing the engine with a rebuilt Jasper but that would cost $4,400. My car has some rust and there is a big dent in the back where someone ran into me when I was parked.
Also now the sliding door won’t open. I think the lock is broken but it also is difficult to close because the bearing it slides on is worn
So everyone is advising me not to put that kind of money into my car
I just read your post about your car going another 134,000 miles after you replaced your timing chain. That sounded awesome. I prefer to keep my cars but at some point I know I have to give up!
I concur: used it on low-compression engine burning oil, good result. It will not get into “like new” state, but will keep it going in bearable state, which is what this car really needs.
Using this one you will get result on par or a little bit better than Restore, but on much more permanent basis. I used it in many old cars, always with great results, gaining 20-40 psi per cylinder and leveling it up. I know it sounds like a snake oil
