1988 2.9L runs but drinks lots of antifreeze

[dawabbit]

I just got this from my brother and he said it overheated and shut down on him. He told me it had a blown head gasket. Towed it home, checked the oil (no evidence of water in oil) put a battery in and it cranked right over. Radiator was dry as a bone. Filled it up with water and took it for a spin after it warmed up. No white smoke, no water in oil, didnt over heat at all. But, it is drinking water like crazy! Where is the water going? Did notice possible oil in the water and the oil cap has some gunk on it. Talked to my mechanic and he said one of the heads has a high pressure crack that can cause oil to go into cooling system. Any advice out there? should I look for a set of heads?

 

[Big Jim M]

Your water is leaking OUTSIDE of the engine. I have no doubt about it.. A small amount of coolant in the oil cap is normal from condensation in the engine. After a good 2 hour drive all the water should be evaporated from the condensation inside the engine.
FIND THE LEAK! Using dye or coolant makes the leak much easier to find. Using plain water is harder to see and also evaporates quickly.. Leaving no trace of where it was.
Big JIm

 

[Big Jim M]

Are you using a good radiator cap? If yes then the head gasket is good! A bad headgasket puts comperssion in the coolant and causes the radiator to PUKE it coolant out.. overheating as it does. Sounds like your headgasket is Ok.
Big Jim

 

[90B24wd]

Check your heater core under the dash, it might be leaking. I have 3 Bronco II's that all had leaking heater cores which caused over heating, thus causing the heads to crack!

 

[MichiganLarry]

Sounds like the mechanic was spot on. My son's 89 did the same thing. Very little sign of water in the oil but used coolant like crazy. We put on a new set of heads and gaskets. End of problem.