Losing coolant?

[speedball3]

This last weekend, I noticed my '94 Ford Ranger 4.0L V6 was loosing coolant. Over driving ~100 miles, I added maybe 1.5 gallons of coolant total. Each time I fill it up, it seems to be topped off or full, but it still seems to end up being low on coolant. I tried burping it but coolant just spilled out of the radiator all onto the garage floor (stupid truck!). Guess it's full then?

On Saturday, I was running some errands w/the Ranger and noticed it would be puffing white smoke/water vapor, similar to the puffs you'd see in the morning when the cat is warming up... but this was well into the day and I had been driving the thing for quite some time. I also smelled burnt coolant after parking. The odd thing is, I just changed the oil and it looked jet black... none of the "milky" look that I've heard can happen when headgaskets give.

So, my question is... how much would the parts+labor be to fix this thing? Does the Ford 4.0L V6 have a tendency to warp/crack? What other problem(s) could it be?

 

[Big Jim M]

might be

This last weekend, I noticed my '94 Ford Ranger 4.0L V6 was loosing coolant. Over driving ~100 miles, I added maybe 1.5 gallons of coolant total. Each time I fill it up, it seems to be topped off or full, but it still seems to end up being low on coolant. I tried burping it but coolant just spilled out of the radiator all onto the garage floor (stupid truck!). Guess it's full then?

On Saturday, I was running some errands w/the Ranger and noticed it would be puffing white smoke/water vapor, similar to the puffs you'd see in the morning when the cat is warming up... but this was well into the day and I had been driving the thing for quite some time. I also smelled burnt coolant after parking. The odd thing is, I just changed the oil and it looked jet black... none of the "milky" look that I've heard can happen when headgaskets give.

So, my question is... how much would the parts+labor be to fix this thing? Does the Ford 4.0L V6 have a tendency to warp/crack? What other problem(s) could it be?

If your headgasket is ruint or you have a cracked head, the pressure of the combustion will cause the radiator to puke it's fluid out. AND it usually will do that within 2 or 3 miles of driving..

So I'm thinking you don't have that problem as you didn't talk about overheating and overflowing..

If you havn't really LOOKED from the bottom of the engine you really don't know WHERE the coolant is going.

My first guess is you have an EXTERNAL coolant leak and havn't bothered to investigate fully! You'll need a flashlight and a little time to crawl under the engine and observe the whole package!

Also yes it does usually purge some coolant before allowing the system to be completely filled. Just be hardheaded about it and continue filling even though a few purges happen as it warms and the trapped air is eleminated from the system..

Big Jim

 

[speedball3]

Well, Big Jim, that is definitely good news!! You are right, once I had enough coolant in the system, it didn't overheat or act up in any way... it was quite normal, except for the coolant would be low everytime I'd check. So I like the idea that it's not an internal leak! Any key spots to check out once I'm under the truck? Should I check when the truck is hot or cold? It isn't visibly leaking coolant onto the floor.... Is it worth it to pick up a rental pressure tester?

And good to know about the leaking coolant... bothersome, but still good to know. It's possible there's still a big air bubble in there from when I changed the water pump a couple months ago!

 

[4.0B2]

i'd pressure test it.. check the heater core area. mine leaked there slowly for a LONG time... it leaked into the heater core cover-- which drained it out the firewall so low i couldn't see it.. lucky me huh? i only found it one day b/c i kicked the cover and antifreeze landed on my foot..

 

[Big Jim M]

HA!

Well, Big Jim, that is definitely good news!! You are right, once I had enough coolant in the system, it didn't overheat or act up in any way... it was quite normal, except for the coolant would be low everytime I'd check. So I like the idea that it's not an internal leak! Any key spots to check out once I'm under the truck? Should I check when the truck is hot or cold? It isn't visibly leaking coolant onto the floor.... Is it worth it to pick up a rental pressure tester?

And good to know about the leaking coolant... bothersome, but still good to know. It's possible there's still a big air bubble in there from when I changed the water pump a couple months ago!

There is the problem!! You NEVER got it full of coolant after replacing the coolant pump..

I always park the vehicle in such a way that the radiator mouth is the highest place in the coolant system. Sometimes this means I must jack up the front end to facilitate a full coolant system!!

Then I fill the system as far as it will go... I turn the heater to HOT and start the engine. As the coolant level falls in the radiator I keep putting coolant in the radiator mouth. Then when the engine gets up to temperature the thermostat opens and sometimes a big air bubble pushes some coolant out ahead of the bubble... I stand my ground and keep filling until the top radiator hose is hot to the touch. At this time the coolant level should be up in the mouth and steady with no further bubbles.. Then I put the cap on tight and I am done for a few years.

You gotta remember the heater to HOT, if this isn't done then there positivily is a bubble in the system.
Big JIm

 

[kkjb4x4.0]

1.5 gallons is a big burp,,I'd be looking elsewhere,maybe the head gasket,rad,and lower intake gaskets especialy if you get white smoke and can smell burnt coolant.

 

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

i vote lower intake gaskets if you haven't already thoroughly checked for external leaks.

is your coolant recovery tank overfull? if so the rad cap is bad.

you need to use a pressure tester for brst results, getting the engine hot and then letting it sit works too if you don't open the rad cap and the rad cap actually holds pressure

i've actually had a few vehicles with intermittent coolant leaks. i put clean cardboard underneath the vehicle while i went on with my day. came back and eyeballed where there were wet spots

 

[speedball3]

Would the lower intake manifold gasket cause an internal or external coolant leak? If internal leakage is possible, then it could be leaking there and could be confused for a bad headgasket. I did recently tighten down my valve cover bolts, they were pretty loose, so maybe I need to do the IM bolts too?

I brought the truck to a mechanic this morning and he said it was a bad headgasket. He quoted me about $1200 to fix (includes machining heads and other misc work). Yikes! Any success stories with those radiator stop leak bottles? I'm tempted to try that first since it doesn't seem like a huge leak (yet).

 

[speedball3]

i'd pressure test it.. check the heater core area. mine leaked there slowly for a LONG time... it leaked into the heater core cover-- which drained it out the firewall so low i couldn't see it.. lucky me huh? i only found it one day b/c i kicked the cover and antifreeze landed on my foot..

Which cover did you kick and where is it located? I think my foot is up to some kicking.

 

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

stop leak causes more problems than it fixes. its rare that it actually stops a leak.

intake gaskets could cause internal and/or external leaks. it can leak into the engine oil or be sucked into one of the cylinders.

a bad headgasket almost always causes sever overheating when it allows coolant into the cylinder

 

[4.0B2]

Which cover did you kick and where is it located? I think my foot is up to some kicking.

my dash is different... my heater core has a simple 4 bolt cover over it, that's the one i hit my foot on.

and yea, DO NOT USE STOP LEAK

 

[speedball3]

Brought the truck to a mechanic, who diagnosed it as a blown head gasket. $1150 to fix it. Yikes. Decided against using any sort of stop leak type shortcut, but I will probably end up selling the truck and moving on. Autotrader shows people trying to sell Rangers from $2000 on up, but it's nearly impossible to track if any of them actually sell. Thoughts?

 

[Big Jim M]

More!

Brought the truck to a mechanic, who diagnosed it as a blown head gasket. $1150 to fix it. Yikes. Decided against using any sort of stop leak type shortcut, but I will probably end up selling the truck and moving on. Autotrader shows people trying to sell Rangers from $2000 on up, but it's nearly impossible to track if any of them actually sell. Thoughts?

Tell us more about the truck.. How many miles? How are the tires? And most important Where in the hell is it?
Big JIm

 

[4.0B2]

a 94 w/ a 4.0.. == me love to have.. lol.
just drop it off here in mississippi and i'll love on her some by putting a new had gasket in it.

head gasket set is only like $130 or so. besides, i got a whole spare 4.0!! BRING IT ON!

 

[speedball3]

hahaha. Good to know it's a desirable truck. Maybe I won't sell it to Carmax and will try my hand at a private sale. And if I could drive it Mississippi, I probably wouldn't be trying to get rid of it.

Anyway, it's a 94 4.0L XLT, long bed, 5spd manual, 4wd, bed liner, tow hitch, 125k miles. Tires are good. Located in Southern California.