Coolant In My Oil...

[88fordRanger]

seafoam... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRAV5ln5cUc&NR=1

Thanks for all your help... It wasn't much, but it's what I asked for. I guess I'll just ask them what's better at the auto parts store.

 

[88fordRanger]

basically, you take the rounded end of a ball peen hammer, and hit the crack with it, it seals it back up, it's not perfect, it's not as strong as it was when it was new, but it fixes it for a while... that's why that end is on those hammers, instead of a claw end

Well that definitely seems do-able. I'll keep that in mind if I'm in the market for new heads... This may seem like a stupid question, but could I weld the crack if there is one? I have access to pretty much any kind of welder (or tool in general) that there is.

 

[--weezl--]

i have heard of people doing it, but i don't know for sure

 

[bilzy7]

seafoam just gets rid of "crap" buildup supposedly. i cant see how that would stop a leak. i think the main use would be to clean injectors? idk,, i used it it seemed to run better. but in the end the problem i have is still there draining my power, and your problem will still be there... and imagine it cleans gunk from around a crack and it leaks worse because its not obstructed anymore... im just going conspiracy here lol.

 

[RyanL]

Well that definitely seems do-able. I'll keep that in mind if I'm in the market for new heads... This may seem like a stupid question, but could I weld the crack if there is one? I have access to pretty much any kind of welder (or tool in general) that there is.

I doubt that would work. Keep in mind it probably is cracked by the valves too (if it is cracked). Head gasket replacement will cost a bit more than $10 like someone else mentioned because you're going to need new head bolts (the 2.9 has stretch bolts). It sounds like your head gasket is leaking or you have a crack in one of the heads and it's leaking into a cylinder - an easy check would be to remove your spark plugs and if one is pretty clean, you have coolant leaking into that cylinder (hot steam wipes away carbon). You should also see white smoke leaving the tailpipe. If you don't have any smoke/coolant smell from the exhaust or any clean looking spark plugs I would check into your timing chain cover since water passes from the block in two 1" holes through your timing chain cover to the water pump. It's a major job if you don't have experience and some tools to take it all apart. It's also best to remove your radiator and fan (reverse thread BTW) and you're going to need a gear or pulley puller to take the harmonic balancer off. You can get away with just using gasket maker on most things (the best bargain is if you buy the big tubes for like $10 which go inside a caulk gun which you might have to get from a real parts store - probably not autozone or anything). Screw a large wire nut on the end and it should stay good for a while. If you're going to take that all apart, you might as well get a new front seal because they're cheap (if it's not leaking yet, I'm sure it will eventually and those make a bloody mess under the hood). When and if you try to take the timing chain cover off, there is a few bolts which attach to the front of the oil pan (10mm heads) which need to come off first. You could try just tightening all of the bolts up like the one dude suggested too- I'm fairly sure that there are 8 bolts with a 12 or 13mm head for the timing chain cover which hold it onto the block (I mentioned this because some might be hard to see with the radiator and fan in place). If turns out to be a bad head and don't want to replace it, changing the oil constantly might help you along to the summer depending on how much you drive it. One thing that might help to get rid of most of the crap in the motor is adding a quart of ATF right before you change it (it helps to clean the motor a little bit). Also always change the oil when the oil is nice and hot. It will carry away more crap. I was in the exact same shoes as you 20 years ago. I was given a POS hand-me-down beater and it was one thing after another. The rear had problems, then the trans started slipping, then brake fluid started leaking from every possible place, and on and on. I babied that thing, but the parents swore up and down that I was abusing it doing burn outs or something. The only real good advise I can give you is forget about the motor swap. It sounds like you're young and will munch up all of your free time and money (which it sounds like you don't have much of either). The ranger will turn into a money pit for you unless you have all of your ducks in a row. For example, do you have all of the wiring needed and the wiring know-how? Do you have a rear end for it (don't think for a minute that the little factory one with 200K will hold up)? What about a transmission and clutch plus all the necessary components to go with it? What about the driveshaft? What about motor mounts and various other parts which you might need to fab up? What about cooling considerations? I hate to crush your dreams, but even if you think of everything, there is always going to be something else needed. I was your age once too and almost all of my buddies who tried to do similar things to their rides never completed them successfully or at all. Those sort of things are best left to guys with extra time on their hands and the tools/know how to do it right. I hate to sound preachy, but my advice is to either fix what you have or just get rid of it.

 

[RyanL]

Ever look into your Ranger more to see what was going on?

 

[88fordRanger]

Ever look into your Ranger more to see what was going on?

Sorry for the late reply...
Not really, I don't have time until summer. All I did was clean out the engine with seafoam right before changing the oil. Then I put Bar's Leaks and AlumaSeal in the coolant. Haven't lost any coolant from the radiator since then. Doing another cleaning and oil change today.

When summer comes, I'll most likely be doing a rebuild with the newer beefier heads from the junkyard that I'll be porting also. Since it has over 200k on it, I'll be rebuilding the bottom end too. So a complete rebuild...

 

[chilsam]

My 2 cents

Had same problem with my 2.9 put new heads on then it started burning oil awhile after finally got wise and put in a 4.0 got the wrecked donor for
$300 was totally worth the work it took Runs GREAT!

 

[justdandy]

great old school ideas but. on my 1993 2.9 what about the intake to the block? aren't there water passages there too?

 

[SenorNoob]

93 2.9? I thought the 2.9 ended with the body refresh for 93?