Ford Ranger / B-Series :: 1993 3.0 - Head Gasket Failure / Blowing White Smoke And Using Coolant
Jan 1, 2014
Well I finally went and bought another Ranger. Pretty red 5spd 4WD long bed. I knew it didn't run when I got it (crazy leaky fuel line...stupid squirrels), and the owner was pretty sure it had a head gasket failure. He claimed it was blowing white smoke and using coolant. I hadn't been able to get it to run to verify that, but I can't see why he would lie about that.
I finally got the fuel line fixed today (FYI, don't waste your time or money buying those Dorman OEM connector patch kits at Advanced Auto). While we were cranking the truck, I noticed gas escaping the degas bottle the radiator was pressurized before the thermostat should be open. That to me says blown head gasket (crossing fingers it isn't a cracked head) for sure. I tried to get a picture of the dipstick, but in the light it definitely looks like peanut butter. I just wanted to make sure before the massive ordeal of pulling heads/top end work that will follow
Anyway, plan is to fix her up and get her back on the road! Some picture enjoyment .......
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I have a 91 Ranger V6 4WD with 150K that has been sitting for 7 years. The last time I drove it (7 years ago) to a mechanic, who diagnosed it with a bad head gasket - leaking coolant and coolant in the oil.
What am I looking at as far as a project: besides redoing the head gasket, what else will I most likely need to do given that its been sitting 7 years?
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I am working on my buddy's 1994 Ranger with a 2.3L I4 that has been going thru a large amount of engine coolant. The trucks has approximately 180,000 miles on it. When I had it parked on concrete I have not seen any signs of coolant on the concrete or any signs of coolant leaking. The next place I checked was inside the cab to see if there was any coolant from the heater core and there was not. The water pump has been replaced a couple of years back. I replaced the spark plugs today and did not see anything on the plugs that I would have thought were signs of coolant in the combustion chambers.
With that being said I have not worked on a vehicle with a leaking head gasket before. Would there be any visible signs on the sparks plugs? If so what would I be looking for? When standing in front of the vehicle with the engine running there is a slight smell of antifreeze being "vaporized". Are there any noted issues with this engine that would cause this? Are there any other things I should check? Could it be a leaking head gasket causing this? If so how can I check for that?
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Early 04 but 06 motor, Coolant filter, BPD EGR cooler, Head studs. I did use the search tool, overloaded with EGR cooler leaks and head gasket failure in the results.
Noticed ECT Spiking 217 (EOT 187)as went to post office,10 min run time from a cold start. Checked Degas a bit low, did my business and went home. Got home ECT 223 EOT(221) zero coolant in Degas and notice this mess. as well as puddling up under radiator.
I left the truck running and added some water to the degas hoping I could spot the leak, no love.
On our trucks do we have a weep hole for the water pump? I didn't notice any water or stains around it or the pulley. Nothing around the hoses either... yet.
Once it cools I am going to pull the fan shroud and look for a possible hole in radiator. Are there any other suspect areas?
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So just a few days ago my car started puffing out white smoke, not all the time, but every so often. I noticed last month, that when i am sitting still, my temperature gauge is slowly moving up, but when i would start moving, the gauge would go back down. I know my cooling fan is working, because when i would turn the car off, i can hear it going. My car has been drinking oil and coolant like crazy, it has hard starts sometimes, it never runs boiling hot, but it has gotten right above the middle line. Is this a "bad" head or a "blown" head? Its still driveable, i only need this car to last me through may and i am getting another one in june, so if the engine goes by then, i dont really care, the car has 253k miles on it, its ready to retire anytime now. How to make it last one more month? Does this sound like an engine head problem?
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I have a problem with my Stratus, its the 2005 V6 MotoR 2.7L 24 valves Chrysler LH (USA imported model)
The problem started months ago when a piece that connect several hoses and it have the temperature sensor (coolant air bleeder?) broke, we replaced it for a new one and also changed the thermostat, however the car still overheated (the heat level didnt ascend from half so the fans didn't went on) and the cooling water from the deposit was bubbling, behind the spot where the deposit is, white smoke/steam (?) was coming out and it was making a weird noise also.I changed the water deposit pressure cap, but it keeps doing the same.This happens just 15 min after I turn on the car so the mechanic disconected a piece from the fans, so the fans are always on. Still, after 45 minutes it start again.
The mechanic did a test in the deposit they said that the pressure was very high and it was probably a problem with the head gaskets, it can be that?
Researching for my own, I found that it can also can be a problem with the water pump, and maybe it needs to be replaced
What should I do?Is there any test that I can do to know if the head gasket is the problem or if the water pump isn't working?I don't want to buy the head gasket and realize that the problem was the water pump, or the other way round
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2001 Oldsmobile Alero, 4cyl, purchased in March with around 150k miles.About a month and a half ago I topped off the coolant. 2-3 weeks ago I noticed the exhaust was intermittently throwing off white smoke. Not thick, opaque plumes or anything, but more like how your exhaust might look on a cold day. Being May though, I knew the temperature was not responsible.
This white smoke would occur intermittently and usually stop after driving for a a little bit. Since the white smoke was not constant and the coolant levels seemed to be okay I figured maybe it was something with the EVAP system or the fuel mixture. On a hunch and as a matter of maintenance I put in new Oxygen sensors a few days ago. The next day my coolant light went off again. Since then I've put radiator stop-leak in the coolant and some STP "gasket rejuvenator" in the oil.
My theory: if the head gasket is indeed cracked, it's a very small crack--small enough so that after the engine warms up a bit the gasket expands essentially sealing the crack. This would explain the intermittent nature of the white smoke and and slowness of coolant leak. Are there any other tell-tale signs I should look for with a bad gasket, if this indeed that case? I saw in the store some stuff similar to stop-leak specifically designed for sealing head gaskets that involved draining the radiator, dumping this stuff in and running the engine for a bit, draining it out, and letting the car sit for a day before putting new coolant in. If the head gasket is the issue would the combination of stop leak.
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I have read all I could find on replacing a blown head gasket and and after absorbing everything that TigerDan posted on here, I dove in and began. After disassembling all the topside junk I finally got the intake manifold loose and got down to the head. I began undoing the head bolts and found two broken bolts. The head won't budge so I am calling in a cherrypicker. I don't know what kind of mess I'll find when the head comes off. I assume the head will be warped or the block may be damaged.
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My 95 Ranger has been a good truck in the 6 years I've owned it. I had to pull the heads to replace a leaking head gasket and wound up having the heads rebuilt due to weak valve springs and worn valves. I replaced the gaskets, installed the heads, get it all back together.....won't start. Fuel pressure is good. Found that there is no spark. While putting the crankshaft position sensor connector back on I noticed it didn't look too good. I replaced the connector and that's all I did and no spark. Long story short, after a lot of research, the coil pack, cps and coolant temp sensor were replaced and still no spark.
Everything has the proper voltage to it. After a little more research I found a post with the same basic issue. His issue wound up being the ecm. So I removed the ecm....it's a used one from a salvage yard. I've owned the truck 6 years so I have no idea when the ecm was replaced. It showed up today and will get installed when I get home from work. I also ran across posts about the camshaft sunchronizer and they should be replaced at about 80K miles. Since the truck has 289K I'll replace it. Still no spark. I'm hoping it's the ecm.
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I have a 2000 Ranger, V6 4L, and I believe my head gasket is blown, my radiator fluid goes straight to the oil pan. It has probably been leaking for a while, I did not realize it was leaking internally, I had been adding coolant for a few months but thought it was my radiator leaking because it had a crack in the housing, so I had that changed, but then a few weeks after that It gave out. I drained, and flushed the engine twice, and just parked it. My question is, should I just have the head gasket changed, or does it need a new engine because it had been leaking for a while and not sure what kind of damage it has done internally.
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My 2006 6.0 is blowing white smoke/steam and Im losing coolant (not out the top). Pulled the EGR valve and its wet down there. All signs lead to EGR cooler? I've been reading a lot on this forum and Ill do the oil cooler at the same time. I seems VERY important to flush the coolant system before I tear into this. I am afraid of hydro locking the motor or ruining the head gasket or stretching the head studs if I run the truck. How can I do this without further damaging the engine? I am doing this myself. I'll have 3 solid days to finish this job because I have to tow my trailer in 5 days.
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My truck is a 2005 6.0 with no after mods and has 73000 miles on it. It began to blow white smoke out exhaust. I changed out the egr valve and cooler. After putting back together it then blew white smoke ran it to clear out. This worked however once it warmed up it began to blow thick white smoke at 20 mph and clears up by the time it reached 30mph and white smoke shoots out at rapid acceleration. As well there is coolant leaking out under the truck from somewhere in the motor about in the center. I am looking to work on this myself as I have heard of owners taking it to shops and paying a lot of money for the prob to not get fixed.
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My buddy has a '98 B4000 4.0 4x4 Auto, and just recently he lost 4th gear for whatever reason. Which is strange, considering 5th gear still works, and OD requires direct (4th) to work.
So we're thinking its a valvebody problem, and apparently the gasket blowing out of the separator plate is a very common problem. So we decided we're going to drop the valvebody and inspect/replace the gasket.
Now I see that the they now bond the gaskets to the separator plate: What is the part number for this bonded plate?
I've also seen mentions of a TSB, and other mentions of an updated EPC solenoid. Looking for more info on this?
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About 3 months ago I noticed at times my Heat would blow out cool air. This would happen mostly when I was sitting idle or in traffic in a "stop n go" situation. I did some research and found out that my Coolant was on the low end. I bought the Pink Coolant from the Lexus dealer and filled up.
I checked the levels again a few days later and it was low again. So I topped off again and looked for any puddles underneath the car when sitting, I paid attention to any smells, and looked to see if I was blowing white smoke out of my exhaust. NOTHING! My indicator stays on the middle range and never runs cold or hot.
I topped off after seeing that it was low again and didn't have to put as much in there, but it definitely was low again. It's now been about 2 weeks and it's still at the same spot (near the low indicator) but it doesn't seem like it's getting any lower. I have done more research and I cannot find any issues with the 2008 LS460's having issues with head gaskets or coolant issues.
I recently had my bumper replaced at the Lexus dealer Auto Shop because of a pothole I ran over that dinged it (also bent my rim)....I know this might not have anything to do with it but I thought I would add this tid bit since I didn't notice the issue until I got it back from them! I'm just really at a loss
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I have a 2004 GMC Sierra 2500 Duramax diesel pickup. It has been blowing white smoke from the tail pipe and drinking coolant, 10 - 15 gallons since February. There are no obvious leaks of coolant under the truck. However, within the last 3 weeks it has on 4 occasions spewed coolant from the surge tank from the overflow vent. We have narrowed down the problem to either a headgasket leak or an injector leak.
We had it in to the dealership (big mistake) and they found nothing wrong. They think we either need to wait for something catastrophic to happen or do the head gasket and replace the heads. There is a technical service bulletin about the head gasket. There is anecdotal info from an article written by a master tech from GM about the injectors. We also know there is something about GM paying for the injectors and injector sleeves to be replaced if there is an issue like we have.
All the dealership is saying they did was drive around the truck and saw no coolant spewing forth and no smoke. They did see a lowering of coolant level in the surge tank. They also did another pressure test on the coolant system and found nothing. Outside temps and weather conditions have no effect on this situation unfortunately nor does the length of time it's driven. How much should a head gasket/head job cost? How much time should it take? Does it require removal of the cab? How much should an injector job cost? How much time should that take?
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I have 2000 V6 3.0 Ranger and it has sprung a small coolant leak from timing chain cover gasket. I think just few drips after driving a while since I don't see significant drop in coolant level (Took a month to notice level dropped in reservoir) and did not see an active leak while idling. No water in the oil.
The proper repair would be to replace the gasket, but for the age and condition of the truck, I don't think it is worth it. Searching for a cheaper solution, I found K-Seal and see lots of reviews with success. Will it damage the cooling system in anyway? I think it would be worth a try even if it doesn't fix the leak as long as it does not cause any harm.
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I have a 97 Ford Ranger / 2.3L / 4 cylinder (L4) / 5 speed manual / XL Supercab / 140k miles. I had been having some Check Engine issues and ran rough in town stop light to stop light. But was fine on the highway.
On several visits to the parts store, their OBD tester showed:
PO303 (Cyl 3 misfire detected)
PO141 Bank 1 Sensor 2 O2 Sensor (heater circuit malfunction)
PO171 Bank 1 Combustion Too Lean (the most recent new code to show up)
And the following would show up sometimes, but other times not:
PO 402 EGR Flow - Excessive Detected
P1409 EVR (I cant remember the exact error message for this)
Regards the PO141 code, O'Reilly's sold me a Bosch O2 Sensor (Bosch 15719) and the sales rep told me it was the sensor closer to the engine. And with the attached cable length on the sensor showed was indeed the sensor closest to the engine. But I've been advised the Sensor 2 is for the 'downstream' sensor, furthest away from the engine. And the other sensor, that I replaced is the upstream sensor. And the error continued.
Then back issues showed up and I had back surgery this past year and thus drove the vehicle sparingly. Never resolving the check engine issues. (My bad). Ran on the highway ran fairly well. But recently noticed longer acceleration times and unable to top 65 in 5th gear. I bought spark plugs and plug wires and had plans to change next week.
Yesterday as driving down the Interstate, was 90 miles into my trip, I noticed loss of power even in fourth gear. (note it was the hottest day of the year at 100F). It seemed I used more gas than usual for that distance. I stopped for gas on the Interstate and power seemed to improve. Then about 130 miles into my trip I hit some heavy stop and go traffic, and wasn't able to keep an idle and the engine died numerous times if/when I didn't give it gas at a dead stop. The heavy stop and go heavy traffic and the issues persisted for a half hour for more than five miles. Then when traffic opened up the truck seemed to have a bit more power in 4th gear again. And up to that time all my dash gauges were showing fine. Then a couple miles or so down the interstate, driving 65mph in the inside lane, the check engine light started flashing quickly. And at the same time a sudden loss of power, rough sounding engine with heavy white smoke coming under the hood. And looked back in rear view mirror, with nothing but heavy white smoke. Managed to cross three lanes in heavy traffic and was able the vehicle to the outside emergency lane, finally coming to a stop.
Looked under the hood and saw oil dripping everywhere but with all the oil everywhere I could not find a prime source. Looked like the oil came from the top end of the engine and dripped down. Measured the oil at the dipstick and it seemed like I was at least a quart plus down (I checked the oil before I left on the trip). And it didn't look like any water was in the oil. And my radiator overflow tank was at the proper level. So I figured I lost all that oil during that period of "white smoke".
So had my vehicle towed home. Today in daylight, I did some more inspection and removed the air intake system (hoses and canister) from the air filter to the throttle body. There was significant oil up to the canister piece that fits on the air filter canister (but no oil in the actual air filter), and significant oil inside all the hoses up to inside the throttle body (up to the butterfly which I could see),
When I disconnected these hoses I noticed the blow-by hose connected to the intake hose system was not connected to anything. And a tube opening on the valve cover was open without the a blow-by hose attached and, with no clamp. So I assume all that oil and came out of that blow-by tube on the valve cover, (white smoke created by hot oil hitting the engine).
So appears to me that its not a blown head gasket or worse, which I first feared.
I have the vehicle parked at home.
QUESTIONS: So what are the suggested steps to troubleshoot and repair? Besides reattaching everything and putting a clamp on the blow by hose? And installing new spark plugs and plug wires. I previously replaced plug wires around 60k, even though the manual recommended 100k mile replacement. (And a couple yeas back I had the dealer replace the PCV, which was recommended in the manual and included in the warranty. The timing of the initial check engine lights appeared shortly thereafter).
Is there suppose to be a large amount of oil in the air intake system after an incident like this and should I try to clean/flush out the hoses and the inline canister?
When I disconnected the inline canister from the hoses in the air intake system, unfortunately I failed to document the direction which the canister goes. It has outside markings "ADP with a forward arrow with some horizontal lines, and then at the other end upside down markings with a greater sign PP less than sign. Should the forward arrow point toward the throttle body or toward the air filter (I'm thinking in the direction of air flow, toward the throttle body). I've taken some photos of the engine with air intake hose system unattached, if that might work...
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I have a 1997 Mazda b4000 new plugs wires head gasket an I cleaned out the radiator. My question is the truck runs good but my heat quit workin what could it be all fuse look good. Also there is water coming out of my tailpipe with white smoke. Should I be concerned.
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1993 ranger, 3.0 V6 203,000 miles. As engine warms up coolant in blown into over flow and spills out. At that point system is low and truck runs hotter than norman, 3/4 way across gage. What would be causing overflow to overfill from engine. Could it be a bad rad. cap? Just replaced head gaskets at 200,000 miles. Truck runs good. No oil in water, no sign of visible leakes other than overflow tank overfilling and loosing coolant.
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I have a 87 ranger with a 2.9 and recently it started to act up when i start after its been sitting for a couple hours it has a rough rolling idle and will stall out and a lot of white smoke out the tail pipe and some times a tiny bit of black smoke when revved high....after a about 10 mins of feathering the gas it will even out and runs no problem.... oh and quite a bit of moister comes the tail pipe....and this issue just occurred over night every time before never had an issue like this...
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1988 4.0 - noticed fuel mileage going down and an occasional stumble for a while but now I am getting some black smoke more when I let off the throttle than when I going down the road if I rev the truck get all kind of black soot all over the floor otherwise runs fine idles fine the iac has been replaced air filter replaced check the fuel pressure regulator for any gas leaking into the vacuum line and its clean.
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