4.0L loosing coolant but cant find leak

[skoal777]

Hi. i have a 1997 ranger xlt with the 4.0l and i have been loosing coolant for a while the only problem is that i cant find the leak or where it is going. i will list the things i have done in the best order i can. i replace both heads, rad, thermostat, upper and lower intake gaskets both rad hoses about 4 or 5 years ago. i replace the water pump this year when i had it torn apart. my passenger floor is dry and my over flow is always full. the hose is not clogged if i pull it off the rad and lower it coolant runs everywhere. this is where im stumped. this week on the way to work i saw my temp gauge go really high almost to the hot mark than go back down. than as i would frive it would be all over the place. i dont have any sweet smell coming out the exhaust, no leaks on the ground, no loss of performance, no steam coming out of the hood, but the last couple of times i drove it to work i need to add about a half a gallon of coolant. any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[black_demon69]

do a glove test

i suspect you have a blown head gasket..


glove test as follows with a cold engine.

1 get a rubber glove and remove radiator cap
2 put glove over cap and seal
3 disable spark
4 turn engine over if glove dances you have compression entering cooling system. if it doesn't dance you have another problem so look else where.

 

[skoal777]

ok i will try that. but if i had a blow head gasket where would the coolant be going. as i said i dont have any sweet smell out of the exhaust, and no oil in coolant and no coolant in the oil? thats why im confused.

 

[Big Jim M]

Park the vehicle on CONCRETE and let it run! If it leaks there will eventually be coolant on the concrete.
When looking for a coolant leak I always start looking from lying on my back under the vehicle. Gravity always pulls the coolant to the bottom of the engine bay, and it is easier to find looking up than from the top.
Big Jim

 

[enjr44]

If your temp gauge is wandering around my bet is a head or intake manifold gasket that is leaking and coolant is being pushed out of the system or sucked into the engine and burned.

The gauge does not measure the temperature of air very well, so when there is air or steam at the top of the engine it will start the up, then down, then up,then down, etc. dance. My daughter's 91 did this until the head gasket really went south and blew the engine. And there was always coolant in the overflow tank.

Do the glove test, it is easy and quick (make sure you plug the over flow tube, too). But, the best way to test it is to get yourself one of those 40 buck testers that test for exhaust/hydrocarbons in the coolant by changing color.

 

[skoal777]

ok so I refilled it top to bottom and drove it home and all the coolant was pushed out of the rad and in to the expansion tank and all over the ground. so I'm guessing the head gasket. plus I'm starting to get a bad miss. so does that sound like a head gasket? is this a common problem with these motors?

 

[chris1972]

yes

 

[black_demon69]

yes

+1

 

[enjr44]

Double - Triple Yes. Or, big crack in a head. And when you get the heads off and have had them checked by a machine shop, put it back together by the book, new head bolts, etc.

May start a war; but, I don't trust anything but FelPro gaskets.

 

[black_demon69]

Double - Triple Yes. Or, big crack in a head. And when you get the heads off and have had them checked by a machine shop, put it back together by the book, new head bolts, etc.

May start a war; but, I don't trust anything but FelPro gaskets.

+ 1 what he says felpro or oe would be my choice

 

[97RangerXLT]

Agree with the Felpro and oe statement. Get the oe lower intake gasket. It is one piece and only costs a few more dollars than the felpro 3 piece unit.

AJ

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[SenorNoob]

There is a Fel-Pro one-piece. You have to ask for a gasket for a '95 Ranger 4.0 though. It's the ONLY vehicle on the application list.

Edit: 'Cause I'm so nice.
MS94682-1

That's the part number. That -1 is important...

 

[skoal777]

ok thank you everybody. so i took the heads off thursday and found that #4 and #6 piston was steam cleaned. so the heads are at AMS ( our local machine shop) and are getting pressure tested, planed, and vacuum tested to make sure the valves still have a good seat. i bought a new fel-pro gasket set and new head bolts along with a new thermostat ( i was always told that it is cheap insurance to make sure it works correctly). but i was looking at replacing the rocker arms and push rods to get rid of the annoying top end noise. i have seen a lot of right ups about the delta cam set up what do you guys think of it? is it worth it?

 

[enjr44]

Top end noise is usually rockers, rocker shafts, push rods or lifters or cam. Lifters cost a lot and I don't know how to test them. I have cleaned them in thinner and then pumped them up in new oil. Inspect the rockers, rocker shafts and push rods for wear and make a decision.

As far as putting a lot in the top end, I guess it depends on how many miles you have on the bottom end and how many more you intend to put on the truck.

One time, I put a completely rebuilt head on a four cylinder with a lot of miles on it. That new head was so tight that it started sucking oil past the rings and pushing blow-by oil into the air cleaner. I really screwed up that engine.

 

[skoal777]

ok i have 205,000 on it but i dont know the history of the truck do the bottom end could have been rebuilt at one point. there isnt much wear in the cylinders and dont get any blow by. i plan on keeping this truck for a while cause where i live your lucky to have a truck with very little rust