Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and MikeInID
Member
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2010
- Messages
- 19
- Vehicle Year
- 1986
- Transmission
- Manual
OK so I know the title is pretty vague but I have a few different questions about an 86 ranger (2.3/tk5/2wd) I recently acquired. Now that finals are over I'll (hopefully) have enough time (and money!) to get all this sorted out.
I started another thread about the coolant system temperature creeping up to uncomfortable levels unless the heat is at least half on that has (so far) resulted in a new thermostat, water pump, fan clutch, radiator and assorted hoses, clamps etc. Radiator cap is new and I tried to bleed the system as best as I could by warming the truck up on an incline with the cap off, but the issue is still there. I just changed the plugs yesterday and didn't see any signs of burnt coolant and the coolant doesn't appear to be contaminated with oil. I changed the oil today after adding about 6oz of seafoam to the oil and driving for about 20-30 mins or so. It was runny, pitch black and had a chemical sheen to it, but almost exactly 5 pts came out of the engine when it was changed.
I know leaking compression into the cooling system via a blown headgasket would cause these symptoms, but obviously I'm trying to rule everything else out before jumping into a HG replacement. Am I missing something with pressurizing the cooling system that is causing an air pocket or could there be blockage of some sort in the block that would cause this? Also, could a vacuum leak at the intake manifold, a leaky injector seal or other problem cause an excessive lean condition leading to this kind of overheating issue? The is literally a pool of oil on the lower intake/fuel rail area that seems to be coming from the VC gasket and leaking all over that side and the entire bottom of the motor, so a new VC gasket, injector seals and intake gaskets are on the (ever-growing) list of stuff to fix!
Also, when the truck is warming up (after its been running about 30 seconds to a minute) it sputters for a bit (about 15 to 30 seconds) and runs pig rich. Unburned fuel can be seen and smelled coming from the exhaust pipe. When the idle evens out the faint brownish smoke clears up and all seems fine. Spark plugs that were taken out had lots of carbon on them save for the tips, which were ashy and light. I realize this is a lot, but a any ideas or suggestions that might help me get it running right? Thanks in advance.
I started another thread about the coolant system temperature creeping up to uncomfortable levels unless the heat is at least half on that has (so far) resulted in a new thermostat, water pump, fan clutch, radiator and assorted hoses, clamps etc. Radiator cap is new and I tried to bleed the system as best as I could by warming the truck up on an incline with the cap off, but the issue is still there. I just changed the plugs yesterday and didn't see any signs of burnt coolant and the coolant doesn't appear to be contaminated with oil. I changed the oil today after adding about 6oz of seafoam to the oil and driving for about 20-30 mins or so. It was runny, pitch black and had a chemical sheen to it, but almost exactly 5 pts came out of the engine when it was changed.
I know leaking compression into the cooling system via a blown headgasket would cause these symptoms, but obviously I'm trying to rule everything else out before jumping into a HG replacement. Am I missing something with pressurizing the cooling system that is causing an air pocket or could there be blockage of some sort in the block that would cause this? Also, could a vacuum leak at the intake manifold, a leaky injector seal or other problem cause an excessive lean condition leading to this kind of overheating issue? The is literally a pool of oil on the lower intake/fuel rail area that seems to be coming from the VC gasket and leaking all over that side and the entire bottom of the motor, so a new VC gasket, injector seals and intake gaskets are on the (ever-growing) list of stuff to fix!
Also, when the truck is warming up (after its been running about 30 seconds to a minute) it sputters for a bit (about 15 to 30 seconds) and runs pig rich. Unburned fuel can be seen and smelled coming from the exhaust pipe. When the idle evens out the faint brownish smoke clears up and all seems fine. Spark plugs that were taken out had lots of carbon on them save for the tips, which were ashy and light. I realize this is a lot, but a any ideas or suggestions that might help me get it running right? Thanks in advance.
