1992 Ford Ranger 4.0L V6 Manual Anti Freeze Leak.

[EhToke]

Hi, I bought a small extended cab 2WD ford ranger for a truck to play with and well. Bought it cheap but not always best and with that said i have a few other questions on top of the Anti Freeze Leak.

Anti Freeze, Iv noticed Leaks heavy will completely empty 3 2L bottles of water
as i attempted to locate the leak myself within 5 minutes and did empty the hole RAD+Overflow of its AntiFreeze when it broke down and started to piss.
When i checked myself with Water and eye'n it i couldn't locate the leak it was hidden i took off a few upper parts a guard, as much of the air flow/cooling i could and couldn't see it any angle i tried. Its coming from the very front grill / driver side location. Its not the Rad or any hosing connected close to the Rad it more so comes from the engine and drips down the engine and near the truck axle on the drivers side of the engine. I at this point had a few theory's but ill let the forums speak too also the Repair shop said it was a 447$ Repair for what they think is the Water Pump.

Also another thing is when its on and randomly she idles loud and RPM's increase almost 1000 RPM's she doesnt stop til its shut down and restarted and even then it will either go normal or still idle high.

When shifting all the gears it almost jumps but not enough to spin tires just enough that every gear change is like im running a dump truck.

 

[bcw]

If you are good with mechanics I would just swap out the water pump yourself its not that hard. can you look up under the truck and see with a light where its comin from.

 

[EhToke]

I can do the work i bet without being stumped, just dont know the correct saying for everything under the hood. Wish i saved a few pictures but i didnt.
When i was looking under and on top i couldn't see the origin of the leak either from their its in a hidden spot that i cant see if . Iv tried to look for a ranger diagram of the engine to help me 'ID' what certain parts are to give you guys a hand on targeting the source. do you know of one and ill post a picture back where i think its coming from?

A photo of a engine that looks very similar to mine.
http://imganuncios.mitula.net/1992_ford_ranger_4x4_parts_5_payette_5160009448305577711.jpg

The leak is under the 4.0L EFI sheild. and by the airflowtube to the right is two spinning components? inches to the TOP - LEFT of those 2 spinning components is where i suspect the leak, what would be in that area?.
I wish i knew the damn names would make this soo much easier iv never spent much time un a 'hood' but i think id be alright to work/fix it myself if i had a diagram and what everythings named.
But yeah its impossible to look in their even after taking off the 4.0L shield, and the black airflows. I still have a bunch of engine parts in the way 'Mostly metal tubing'

 

[trail B2]

The water pump is behind the fan.This might be why it's hard to see if that's where it's coming from.You can order a water pump for $30 there's a $420 gap to work with.

 

[bcw]

its not hard really. you'd have to rent/borrow a pulley puller from your auto parts store. here's a link telling how the coolant system works and how to replace the water pump. http://www.howstuffinmycarworks.com/94_Ranger_Water_Pump_01.html

 

[EhToke]

Thanks guys, okay im assuming its the water pump. Ill do some research i have tomorrow off maybe ill get it done. Ill try to locate one in city here tomorrow a swell before i buy online.
thanks. Ill post back on any further questions.

Edit: Would my 4.0 5spd standard have a belt/chain ?

 

[hank857]

I had a simular leak that was hard to find, turns out that it was from where the manifold from the waterpump to the block connects. Gasket finally failed allowing coolant to flow from the front of the engine basically behind power steering pump and its attaching brackets. Look there carefully.

 

[EhToke]

Im worried i might be getting screw'd. So im asking how would you tell if its the actual pump or just a Seal from the pump to the engine. Im thinking maybe its the Seal is totally waterwashed out and its just water pump on metal engine now.
I didnt hear any binding/bearing wear, It seems to be doing its job. Cause its pumping the water just once it comes from the RAD to the Pump to the engine it leaks their?
Think my pump could be alive? Ill get a few pictures here in an hour from where i think iv traced the leak and ima prop do a real good look into it. ima go a bit deeper and remove parts.

 

[hank857]

on the bottom side of water pump is a weep hole. If seal is bad it will leak there. If looking for other leaks you will need to pressurize the system (use a tester so engine is not hot) and feel around the engine for seepage. Watch the pressure gauge on the tester to see if it is leaking down. Should be able to get a tester at autozone or orielly or other parts store for free use, just pay to take and get money returned when tool is returned. If going to change water pump you will need to 'rent/borrow' their tool to get the fan off the clutch to get the fan off the water pump.

need to add check carpet on passenger side to see if heater core is leaking, also check on firewall passenger side.

 

[enjr44]

Get a Haynes manual for your truck. It will tell you what you need to know about testing the cooling system and replacing the pump if it is bad.

 

[pocket-rocket]

The other plus to using a cooling system pressure tester like hank857 suggested is since the engine is off, as bad as your leak is you should be able to hear the it hiss. I ended up keeping my rental pressure tester because it was such a helpful diagnostic tool.

 

[CreepyCrawler]

check the head also. i had a leak on passenger side and couldnt find it . my truck was overheating though pretty decently and i tore the heads off and couldnt find anything. pressure tested the heads and did a DPT on them. found small crack on passenger side head towards the front.