Just Venting I guess

[adv5500]

So a few days ago I feel the car shaking like it's misfiring, odd because I changed the plugs and wires a month ago. Bring it to autozone and the fuse that powers the OBDII port is blown, every replacement fuse blows too. great. I'll bring it to my dad tomorrow after work to check it out with him.
i drive to work the next morning on the turnpike and the misfires seem to be too much for the ranger to handle and the engine just gives out and leaves me stranded on the road. White steam or smoke pours out under the hood for a few seconds. I bring it to a garage and they say they dont think its the engine and shouldnt be a problem.
Well, they have it for a few days and say they couldnt get it to start and haven't even started diagnosing it. They say that it's heavy on oil and that it could be mixing with either the gasoline or the water. They say they hope it's mixing with the gas.
I've been driving a rental for much longer than I wanted to and have to come to decide if i need to replace my red ranger or fix whats wrong with it. But NO ONE knows what exactly is wrong with it. The thing ran great, I had to replace a few small things, like an alternator and a battery and a hose here or there, but good lord, things are just going down hill real fast with no explanation.

 

[Captain Ledd]

Well the missfireing and shaking can be from water (coolant) getting into the cylinders. A coolant leak can also leak into the oil. Also burning coolant will leave the whitish steam everywhere.

:'(

I think it's a coolant leak, but it may actually be a crack somewhere and not just a gasket.

That's weird on the short though. Perhaps that's also messing with it not wanting to run or run smoothly.

I'd be pretty annoyed with my shop if they had my car for a few days, fiddling with trying to get it to run and still hadn't "started diagnosing it yet".

Good luck man..

 

[adv5500]

my first guess was a head gasket problem, but it could be a cracked block, who knows...don't know if its worth the trouble to find out. the reason they are so slow to get around to it is that I'm paying mechanics prices due to some connections i have. as always if you pay less they sure wont put you on their top of priorities over people who are paying 100% more. I really hope its fixable, because I really want to stay with a pickup and more specifically a ranger, but if i need to get a new vehicle, i'm gonna have to get the first cheap thing that comes my way.

 

[DaNgErOus1998RaNgErOuS]

same thing happened to me....with the whole shaking and misfiring and smoke coming from under the hood. for me it was a fuel pump. try spraying some starting fluid into the intake and see if it will start. hope this helps!

 

[snake]

If it does turn out to be head gasket related just replace the engine and be done with it. www.car-part.com buy one from the junkyard with low miles and swap it in an afternoon...

 

[adv5500]

If it does turn out to be head gasket related just replace the engine and be done with it. www.car-part.com buy one from the junkyard with low miles and swap it in an afternoon...

They found tons of water mixing with the oil...replacing the engine with a rebuilt asap.

 

[Hopman]

Yep. Agreed.

By the time you get done screwing around tearing down the engine, you could've had a reman one swapped in.

Keep the old one to rebuild in your spare time. Heck, maybe even save the old block for a coffee table and the camshaft for the start of a new lamp.