blown headgasket or cracked heads?

[cappin90]

so for the last 15-20k miles my 4.0 ranger has been blowing white smoke out of the exhaust until its warm and been burning through coolant like its going out of style. I'm fairly sure its a cracked head or blown head gasket but is there anyway i can find out for sure without tearing into my motor?

 

[cr_the_machinist]

From my expearience all you can really do is do a pressure test but that will not tell you what internal problem you have. The only way you can find out for sure is to just tear it down.

Before you do that, check out the lower intake manifold gaskets. That can leak and make your engine burn coolant. My 4.0 went through both of its heads. These engine crack heads more than they blow head gaskets. Sorry for the bad news but prepare for the worst.

If your going to tear it down, check that manifold gasket first.

 

[mkpecor]

you my friend have a cracked head, my truck is the same way. just took the heads off to day. the water is goin out the tail pipe.

 

[cappin90]

well that sucks, hopefully it lasts for a little while longer..

 

[cr_the_machinist]

I'd get that thing fixed as soon as possible. Make sure your not mixing up a milkshake as your going if your going to put it off.

 

[98blownranger]

well the 98tm heads are the strongest and what you have so it could be a gasket, most head problems are pre98. pull the heads and look at them. a pressure test will not tell you if it is the gasket or the head.

 

[cappin90]

aight thanks for the info guys

 

[mkpecor]

im not sayin drive your rig, but i drove mine alil over a year , i just kept adding water and kept a close eye on the oil, if you find water in your oil DONT drive it, your bearings will go to shit fast. i had no other choice.

 

[cappin90]

well so far the oil has been fine, and Ive kept it topped off with antifreeze, it just needs to last another five weeks cause i get my school loan then and i can start tearing into it...

 

[LEVE]

so for the last 15-20k miles my 4.0 ranger has been blowing white smoke out of the exhaust until its warm

You may have two issues. If the white exhaust dissipated after the engine warms up, you may be seeing condensation in the exhaust system being heated and expelled.

The use of coolant is another matter.

IMHO, I'd put my hand down and cover the exhaust pipe while the engine is warmed up and running. Let the back pressure build up, a bit, and then remove your hand. If there's coolant being blown out the exhaust you should be able to smell the coolant on the palm of your hand. Also, there's the taste test... touch the tip of your tongue to your palm. Do you taste the coolant?

At many auto repair shops there's chemical tests you can buy for less than $20 that will test for presence of oil in the coolant.

Are there bubbles in the coolant? If so, the head gasket may be blown and pressurizing the cooling system, but not enough to blow out the overflow.

Are there any weeping freeze plugs on the block?

Is there evidence of a water pump failure such as rust around the weep hole, or a ticking noise in the pump? Have you loosened the belts and wiggled the fan to see if the pump shaft is worn and wobbly?

Have you looked at the heater hoses to see if they are weeping at the bib connections. Are the hoses checked, or cracked, and maybe leaking under pressure?

Have you checked the radiator hoses for the same as above? If the engine only expels coolant when the engine is warm and the system is pressurized, then it is likely burned off when you park. Evidence of where it's leaking has been lost.

When it's dark out... lift the hood when the engine is running and warm. Shine a light between the back of the radiator and the engine. If there are pinholes in the radiator you may see a faint cloud of coolant being expelled toward the fan. The light will reflect off the fine mist. By the time it hits the fan it's dissapated so fast and boiled off by the engine heat that normally you would never know it was there.

Have you tried any of the Stop-Leak products such as Barrs? When I use Barrs, I pre-dissolve it in hot water and then add it to the coolant.

Those are some of the things you can do now.

 

[mlunsford]

I have the same truck, themostat stuck one day. I started getting fouled plugs after about 1K miles. Both heads were cracked in the forward most cylinder

 

[cappin90]

You may have two issues. If the white exhaust dissipated after the engine warms up, you may be seeing condensation in the exhaust system being heated and expelled.

The use of coolant is another matter.

IMHO, I'd put my hand down and cover the exhaust pipe while the engine is warmed up and running. Let the back pressure build up, a bit, and then remove your hand. If there's coolant being blown out the exhaust you should be able to smell the coolant on the palm of your hand. Also, there's the taste test... touch the tip of your tongue to your palm. Do you taste the coolant?

At many auto repair shops there's chemical tests you can buy for less than $20 that will test for presence of oil in the coolant.

Are there bubbles in the coolant? If so, the head gasket may be blown and pressurizing the cooling system, but not enough to blow out the overflow.

Are there any weeping freeze plugs on the block?

Is there evidence of a water pump failure such as rust around the weep hole, or a ticking noise in the pump? Have you loosened the belts and wiggled the fan to see if the pump shaft is worn and wobbly?

Have you looked at the heater hoses to see if they are weeping at the bib connections. Are the hoses checked, or cracked, and maybe leaking under pressure?

Have you checked the radiator hoses for the same as above? If the engine only expels coolant when the engine is warm and the system is pressurized, then it is likely burned off when you park. Evidence of where it's leaking has been lost.

When it's dark out... lift the hood when the engine is running and warm. Shine a light between the back of the radiator and the engine. If there are pinholes in the radiator you may see a faint cloud of coolant being expelled toward the fan. The light will reflect off the fine mist. By the time it hits the fan it's dissapated so fast and boiled off by the engine heat that normally you would never know it was there.

Have you tried any of the Stop-Leak products such as Barrs? When I use Barrs, I pre-dissolve it in hot water and then add it to the coolant.

Those are some of the things you can do now.

ok i did the hand check and yep antifreeze... also i have replaced belts/hoses about 15k miles ago so i dont think thats it, also i have checked everything inside the engine compartment and haven't been able to find any leaks or anything.
Now more bad news... it its idling rough and low 600-800 rpm's and has zero power till after 2500 rpm's or so my truck has been sidelined till i can get it checked out
now even MORE bad news, my backup, my grandpas old 93 ford F-250 4x4 has a 460 and it decided it didnt like me and decided to rip its exhaust manifold halfway off the block.... after one day of driving it....im having such an awesome week....