So i recently purchased a 91 Ranger w/ 3.0 L v6 82k miles (only 5 digit, so probably 382k) for $400.
The truck runs and drives and has a decent interior.
The transmissions shifts amazingly well.
The body has some flex and wrinkles in the truck bed.

However...

The oil is very milky! Forget chocolate milk, MILK!

Without having done any diag other than checking the oil, I am thinking there is a bad head gasket. With the oil being that bad, I am afraid the bottom end may have bad contamination and potential bearing damage.
I am NOT driving the vehicle - it is parked awaiting repairs.

I guess I am looking for reassurance that jumping to a engine replacement instead of just fixing the head gasket is the best route.

 

It's been over heated, head gaskets just don't fail.
Over heating causes the head(s) to expand more then what the head gasket can allow.
This crushes the head gasket and when things cool down, the gasket leaks.

The heads may be warped and or cracked, plus a blocked up cooling system.
And as you said, bottom end damage too.

However...

Are you sure it's the head gaskets that are leaking _ lower intake manifold gaskets perhaps ?

Take the rad cap off and put a rubber glove over the opening.
Crank the engine, if the glove moves, then you have a head gasket problem.

Check the plugs too, do any of them look steam cleaned ?
What's the compression like ?

If this was my truck I would take it apart as far as the lower intake manifold to see if those gaskets have failed.
And if OK, I would keep going with the head gaskets _ nothing to loose really at this point.

 

Welcome to the forum

When oil is milky color it could be from condensation not blown head gasket or other gasket or seal, underside of oil filler cap with white residue is a sign of condensation issue

If dipstick oil is milky color and over filled then you do have coolant leaking into oil pan but as said above could be from gasket/seal problem unrelated to head gasket

Yes as Jeff said you can do the Glove Test, it will tell you instantly if head gasket, or crack head, is the issue

Remove rad cap
Remove overflow hose from rad and block that port; putty, gum, vacuum cap, ???

Place latex glove over rad cap opening and seal it with rubber band
Or use a balloon or even a condom on rad cap opening

Disconnect coil wire from distributor, you want a no start no spark

Crank engine over and watch glove
If glove starts to bounce/inflate then you do have a head gasket problem

If it just lays there then you DO NOT

Fast and FREE, 100% accurate, unlike chemical tests(block test)

If glove does bounce, then remove 1 spark plug at a time and crank engine again
When glove stops bouncing the last spark plug removed was from the leaking cylinder
Put spark plug back in to confirm


Condensation builds up inside an engine if it is driven on short trips, engine never gets hot enough to "burn off" the water.
Also if PCV system is blocked or not working as it should, moisture builds up


If head gasket test comes back as not the problem
Then drain the oil and remove oil filter
Get a cheap filter and cheapest oil you can find
Just add 3 or 4 quarts, you will NOT be running the engine, check dipstick level, showing on stick but below ADD mark is fine
Disconnect coil wire from distributor
I would remove all the spark plugs just to get faster cranking speed but up to you really

Crank engine over, repeatedly, you are pumping in clean oil and washing out the old
Drain oil again and add the oil and filter you like

Check and clean or replace PCV valve and hoses


If head gasket is bad then yes, just doing head gaskets might be a waste of money, you have the first year Rangers got the 3.0l, they used this same engine until 2008 in Rangers, and at over 300k miles would mean it is closer to end of life than beginning, lol.
You can read here on best matches for replacement 3.0l: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech..._0-build.shtml
You will just be using the block and heads from other engine, long block swap
You have to use your upper and lower intake, distributor and all bolt on accessories, i.e. P/S, A/C, Alternator
This will allow you to plug and play all wiring

 

Oh wow!!
Thanx for the very detailed responses!!

I never thought about the lower intake being the issue.
I will give the glove test a go and see what the results are.

The long block swap is what I had been leaning toward.

 

I requested some quotes for replacement engines.

I found a California company that has a used engine. Less than 60k miles. Tested for Compression and Oil Pressure. $750 Delivered to the house.

Has anyone heard of Engine World ( engineworld.com )??
Unless anyone has any negative incite about this company, I am inclinded to pull the trigger on this replacement engine...

 

why? what were the results of the glove test?

 

The glove test pointed to a bad head gasket.

Got the heads off and, bad gasket.

Took the heads down for machine work/rebuild. Massively Cracked Heads. The Machinist was surprised the engine even ran.

The shop was able to get me a new set of heads for $550. I am now waiting for the new heads to put the engine back together.

 

If you bought new heads and you sound like you're planning in using the original engine, why are you sniffing about for a used one ?

Know that if the heads are that badly cracked, then it has been over heated severely.
That means that it was probably driven for quite some time until it was so hot that the fuel evaporates before it even gets to the head.
It burns so fast that you get bad knocking and pinging.
The engine will quit in a very short while.

It depends how long it's been driven with that milky oil.
What happens to the bottom end is that the coolant in the oil turns to steam in the main and rod bearings.
This washes the oil off, and you get metal on metal contact.
This becomes even worse with an engine that is running very hot because of the over heating problem.

So there may be some bottom end damage as well.

 

That post was from before I started tearing down the engine. Outside factors made getting a used engine no longer an option.

I did drive this vehicle before starting any work on it (across town to get it to a location to work on it). No knocks or pings. Tho, I do understand what heat and antifreeze can do to bearing grease and have taken that into consideration.

 

Will the head gasket trick work on a 94 xlt 4.0?

 

the glove test? yes it will work on any vehical with a radiator cap on the radiator.

 

+1 ^^^

No trick

A vehicle cooling system has no internal pressure when cold
Water pump really just circulates "water" there is no pressure added like a "pump" can do

So when you seal a cold cooling system and have some sort of "pressure gauge" added, pressure should not go up when you crank the engine over

Pressure gauge in this method is the Glove or Balloon but you could use an actual pressure gauge

Each cylinder in an engine should have 150+ PSI each time it completes its Compression Stroke
And that pressure should NEVER be transferred to cooling system, that is called a "blown head gasket" if it happens

The reason Shops don't use it is because it is a ripoff to charge for it, lol
They use a chemical and it is called Block Test, chemical reacts with exhaust gases and turns a different color, and they CAN charge for that test

 

Just,want to say thanks for glove trick, it's the #4 cylinder . Only have 500 in truck going to try some steel seal. Before deciding on new motor or tearing apart.

 

The Liquid Glass sealer does work, be sure to follow instructions

Brand doesn't really matter


These do not fix the leak, because as the head/block metal expands and contracts it breaks out the "temp seal" and it needs to reseal.
So until the leak is fixed with a new head gasket or replacement head you need to keep the sealer in the coolant so it can reseal itself.

If your coolant is old get new coolant and flush the cooling system first.
Then refill with new coolant and the "Head/block fix".
That way you won't have to replace it for awhile.

Be sure to Back Flush Heater core then reverse the heater hoses.
Reversing heater hoses at the core should be done each time you change coolant, every 2 years, it keeps core cleaner when you reverse the flow.

 

thanks for very detailed info !

i have 1987 2.9 with 149k miles ,

I just did a full coolant flush and refill and
replaced:

-radiator
-hoses
-thermostat & housing
-waterpump
-belts
-temperature sensor & sender

im getting excessive pressure build up and coolant wanting to escape from radiator cap.

I did the glove test as above and glove doesn’t move at all.

-no coolant in oil
-no residue under oil filler cap
-good oil pressure

im not sure what could be causing the pressure build up ?

upper rad hose gets very firm after warmed up, and heater hoses are extremely hot even with the heat turned off

thanks for any info and
advice

-Ben

 

After engine cools down, 4 hours or so, remove rad cap and coolant should be at the very top, no air at all in radiator
Any coolant that goes out to overflow tank should be sucked back in on cool down, that's how the system should work

Coolant expands when heated, like any liquid does, that's where the pressure in the radiator/cooling system comes from, when it gets above 14psi(rad cap rating) then rad cap is push open and coolant flows out to overflow tank until pressure is below 14psi
This higher pressure raises the boiling point of the coolant so is needed

When engine/cooling system cools down pressure drops to 0psi then if any coolant flowed over to overflow tank pressure will drop to -1psi, this pulls open the smaller center valve in rad cap and sucks coolant back in
This keeps cooling system "topped up" so there should never be air at top of radiator of cold engine, or something is wrong

If overflow tank is overflowing then there is an external/internal source of pressure, like a cylinder head gasket leak
If engine is just running hot then could be water pump blades are worn down(galvanic corrosion) or cooling system has blockages, in rad or heater core
You can pull off the heater hoses and flush out the heater core, in BOTH direction and see if flow is OK , heater hoses should be reversed at the firewall every 2 years when coolant is changed, this reverses flow and helps keep core cleaner

Heater hoses should always have flow thru the heater core, its the water pump by-pass, heat in the cab is controlled by a cable activated Blend Door, it diverts air around the heater core when COLD is selected or Thru the heater core when HOT is selected, or anywhere in between, lol

If overflow tank is overflowing then there is an external source of pressure, like a cylinder head gasket leak, this also prevents coolant from being SUCKED back in from overflow on cool down
If engine is just running hot then could be water pump blades are worn down(galvanic corrosion) or cooling system has blockages, in rad or heater core
You can pull off the heater hoses and flush out the heater core, in BOTH direction and see if flow is OK

After radiator is warmed up, 10-15minute drive
Shut off engine and pull fan shroud back
Run you hand across radiator fins should be evenly warm, no COLD spots, cold spot means BLOCKED passages,
If temp gauge goes up when stopped then goes back down when moving again that could mean fan clutch is bad, not locking up, after rad is warmed up, shut off engine and spin the fan blades, should be hard to spin, locked

 

EDIT:
Ron just posted as I was typing, but I will leave my post.

Ron may replay too, but for now...
It's acting like there's no flow.
Is the thermostat in right _ the bulb should be on the block side ?
If so, check the thermostat for proper operation by testing on the stove, fill a pot with COLD water and make the thermostat is totally immersed.
Turn the stove on high, it should be fully open just before the water reaches a full boil.

Could also be an air lock on the underside of the thermostat, but as most thermostat's have a bleed valve, this should not be a problem.
However if it was installed up side down, the air would get trapped.

Another thing that may cause this is if the hoses have been connected wrong.
Given the fact that all that was done at once, there may this possibility.

 

hi Ron thank you for the reply and detailed information .

- my fan clutch is working properly
- I’ve installed a new water pump so that is ruled out
- my overflow reservoir is not dropping back down so coolant is not getting sucked back into system as you mentioned.
- truck is not overheating, temp staying right around 190-200

 

hi Jeff thank you for your response and information,

when you said hoses could have been Hooked up wrong, were you referring to the heater hoses ?

the spring side of the thermostat is in the block is that correct ? Also the little pinhole on thermostat is the bleed valve ?

I will remove and test on the stove , just need to find a pot...haha

one thing I did not do when flushing coolant and heater core is remove the engine block coolant bolt, should I have done this ?

thanks again

Ben

 

Pull off the Overflow hose at radiator end, blow into it, should bubble up into overflow tank with no leaks in this hose

Coolant is sucked back in from bottom of the overflow tank and there isn't that much pressure pulling it back into radiator so ANY debris in the bottom of the overflow tank will block the return of coolant to radiator
You can drain the tank by pulling the hose off its clips and lowering it down, then use water and a bottle brush to clean the inside of the tank if its dirty.

Other issue is a leak any where in the cooling system, is much easier to suck in air as engine is cooling down that to suck in coolant from the overflow tank, air weights ALOT less than coolant, lol

And then there is the radiator cap, its center valve may be bad, they can be tested, but make sure "they" can test BOTH valves in the cap

 

thanks Ron , I pulled off hose and it bubbles no problem, no leaks

I cleaned out overflow reservoir when doing the coolant flush so no particles blocking passage,

I replaced radiator cap as well when replacing radiator etc,

any other ideas ? thanks for your time

ben

 

Just looked at my truck, the hoses can not be put in another direction to cause what you're experiencing.
Yes, the spring points towards the block and the bleed valve will take car of any air.

If you can't think of any thing else, test the thermostat.

Removing that plug on the engine block is nearly impossible and I don't think flushing the block would help anyway.
A silted up block would cause gradual over heating under load, but not the problem you're having.

EDIT:
Just re-read your posts again, and if it's not over heating, the thermostat is probably OK.
I would suspect a faulty rad cap as Ron said, it's not opening to allow the hot coolant to flow into the overflow tank.
It may also be the wrong cap ???
Not all rad caps are designed to open to let coolant flow under pressure into a tank.
On older vehicles with no over flow tank, the caps simply vent out to the atmosphere.

 

hi I just replaced the radiator cap when I installed new radiator.
j removed the thermostat and tested in boiling water , opens up fine .

when I removed the thermostat tons of coolant came out , I had already loosened radiator petcock and drained.

could the thermostat be getting stuck in block and not opening ?

thanks for your time

Ben

 

also the coolant has no problem going into overflow , in fact it really wants to go there haha

 

You most likely had a "air dam" in the heads so coolant couldn't drain out of heads and block completely from lower radiator hose into radiator

Like if you put a straw in a glass of water and then put your finger on the top of the straw, you can lift out the straw and water stays in the straw, your finger has created an "air dam" so water can't run out of the straw

If you pull both heater hoses off at the firewall and THEN drain via radiator that will eliminate the "air dam" effect
You should also refill system from radiator with BOTH heater hoses off, that will allow the air OUT of head and block as coolant comes in
When coolant starts to come out of the heater hoses the air is gone, re-attach the hoses