For the past few days I have been working on a 2000 ford ranger with the 3.0 motor. The symptoms have pointed to a blown head gasket. When I took the intake maniford off this is what I found in the valley.

 

ouch lol

how many miles?

 

reminds me of that explorer 4.0 w/ no oil changes for over 70k.

 

that's speed sludge, makes it go faster.

 

wow

 

Looks like a Scamsoil user with extended OCIs!!!

 

damn glad i just changed my oil today

 

I had a '73 Chevelle that was like that. I replaced the valve cover gaskets and used a spoon to scoop the sludge out.


I wonder if the Ranger owner was using a K&N filter and that was the dirt that made it by?

 

I hear quakerstate and pennzoil do that.

 

No it is carbon build up mixed with sludge. There were bigger chunks of carbon that we pulled out of the intake manifold. The guy rarley did oil changes ran cheap gas all the time and let the truck overheat and ran on it. There was also a cracked head on it as well. I just cant wait to pull the roller rockers out.

 

Thats why I change mine every 3K.

 

should run better now

 

I think the cracked head and running it while overheated probably had as much to do with the ugliness of those pictures as anything.

 

i bet you most trucks with high mileage are like that, including my 94 xl 3.0 with 167,000 miles on her.

 

Just changed the oil and rotated the tires for the second time yesterday at 7,200 miles.

:)

 

If the vulcan in your Ranger looks anything like that, then you better start looking for another motor.

 

i think you are wrong.....if you take care of an engine it will never look like that...

 

Ooops i just changed mine thank god

 

Ditto on the "Never" - routine maintenance, regular OCI's and quality oil make a world of difference. I pulled the heads on my 150K+ supercharged 3.0L and there was no ridge on the cylinder walls, and not a spec of sludge.



Incredibly sad picture (1.2MP), but you get the idea...