blown head gasket or cracked head, help.

[usmc1371]

1999 4.0 ranger 4x4 stock, 117K

So on my way home the temp gauge jumped to hot, pulled over noticed the coolent res was empty and I figured I had a leak in heater hose or such. Nursed it home, pulled dip stick and its super full IE coolent in crank case and as soon as I started it the upper rad hose suctioned it self flat. I thought head gasket but ford tech told me he would put his money on cracked head.

Is there any way to tell the dif befor I rip into this engine so I know if I need to find a new head not just a gasket? thanks for any help or links to post with the same question.

 

[adsm08]

Normally I would say head gasket, but the flat hose kinda makes me think the coolant system is exposed to vacuum. Might be a bad head. I don't know of any way to tell before you tear in.

 

[88gt]

well...if you have coolant in the oil, the gasket is most likely gone expecially after being hot. tear it apart and get the heads magnafluxed. if they come back ok...might be the block. but i think you have cracked heads at this point. sorry there is no better way to tell except tearing it apart but that is the nature of the beast.

 

[Toms01PSD]

Funny...the 4.0 I bought had 114k on it and both of the heads were cracked. It's an easy job to do, just time consuming.

 

[kcm1582]

Sounds like a cracked head, but like 88 said it could even be the block. Either way the only way to truly know what happened is to tear the block down and find the cracks.

 

[mattpresley]

Funny...the 4.0 I bought had 114k on it and both of the heads were cracked. It's an easy job to do, just time consuming.

sounds like he PO beat that poor truck(geting tired of having to hit t 20 times for it to work)

 

[usmc1371]

thanks for the input, I am a little nervous about ripping into a SOHC engine, I am used to jeep 4.0 wich is about as simple as an engine gets.

I was quoted apx 1000$ to replace the head gasket does this sound about right?