2000 Ford Ranger 4.0 - Coolant in Oil

[MTLMARKYRANGER]

Hello Everyone, Looks like a great site for information. I am new to the Forum never had chance to post a message. At a recent oil change I noted coolant in the sump as I drained the oil. Engine runs fine, not blowing any smoke, no smell of coolant. I can't figure what the problem would be. Any ideas a greatly appreciated. It only has approx 50,000 miles on the engine....

 

[b_aldredeg]

welcome to the site sounds like a blown headgasket

 

[trhull]

Maybe a loose lower intake manifold? I've had that happen on big block chevy's to me before, but I'm not sure of the water passages on the 4.0L as I haven't tore it apart yet.

 

[Evan]

Maybe a loose lower intake manifold? I've had that happen on big block chevy's to me before, but I'm not sure of the water passages on the 4.0L as I haven't tore it apart yet.

Yes, it could be a loose lower intake manifold or bad manifold gasket.

 

[fordwheelinman]

If you can, pressure test the coolant system. This should give you an idea if there is currently a leak, or just some freak occurrence. Is it a OHV or SOHC? It could be either a loose manifold/blown manifold gasket, or worst case, a blown head gasket. Try doing a compression test, if you have a cylinder that is much out of range, or much different than the others, this would be an indication of a blown head gasket. Just a few things to check. FWM.

PS: if you are not confindent with your diagnostic abilities, it is always best to have a shop you feel good about check things out for you.