4.0L OHV & SOHC V6 Tech General discussion of 4.0L OHV and SOHC V6 Ford Ranger engines.

fluid....exhaust.

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Old Feb 15, 2006
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From: the dalles, oregon
fluid....exhaust.

i haven't started my truck in about 4 days and i went out to let it run and warm up. after it got warm i reved it up a bit and shut her down. as i was walking around the back of my truck i noticed a fluid had sprayed out of my tip and it was quite noticeable. what was this? o i might have a blown head gasket if that causes the leakage?
 
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Old Feb 15, 2006
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My guess would be water also...
 
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Old Feb 15, 2006
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From: the dalles, oregon
can i fell the difference between cooland and water cause it's dark here
 
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Old Feb 15, 2006
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If it dont smell funny its water and totally normal.
 
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Old Feb 16, 2006
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I have the same exhaust as you, and see the same thing, particularly when its cold. I assume that the cool air, and hot exhaust cause condensation to form. The exhaust naturally blows the condensation out of the pipe.

I am no mechanic, so this is just a guess
 
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Old Feb 16, 2006
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Some cars are worse for ths than others. My ranger and My Caddy have this happen at every start up. My caddy, back before I had the exhaust replaced used to pour out rusty water which dried on the floor of the garage and left a huge rust spot. My Ranger usually leaves two trails of water all the way down the driveway in the morning. No big deal.

~HJ
 
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Old Feb 16, 2006
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Originally Posted by jerrod07
i haven't started my truck in about 4 days and i went out to let it run and warm up. after it got warm i reved it up a bit and shut her down. as i was walking around the back of my truck i noticed a fluid had sprayed out of my tip and it was quite noticeable. what was this? o i might have a blown head gasket if that causes the leakage?
Just normal condensation - H2O is one of the major products of hydrocarbon combustion.

The factory muffler can has a small drain hole in the bottom to allow the condensation to drain out a drop at a time. Aftermarket mufflers like yours usually lack a drain hole and can build up a lot of water inside.
 
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Old Feb 16, 2006
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Its normal, just condensation, unless its black or antifreeze, but i think were all 99.9999999% its just water

Rocky
 
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Old Feb 16, 2006
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rwenzing touched on it, i alwas thought that water was a by-product of the catalitic(sp?) converters doing their job....
 
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Old Feb 16, 2006
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Originally Posted by RedRanger02
rwenzing touched on it, i alwas thought that water was a by-product of the catalitic(sp?) converters doing their job....
The three main reactions in a catalytic converter:
CXHY+nO2->xCO2+mH2O
2CO+O2->2CO2
NOX->O2+N2

So yes, water is a product of hydrocarbon oxidation in a catalytic converter.

CXHY+(X+Y/4)O2->XCO2+(Y/2)H2O

Water is also a product of hydrocarbon combustion.

Your engine and catalytic converter are making water in addition to the water already in the air.
 

Last edited by fuze; Feb 16, 2006 at 02:25 PM.
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Old Feb 16, 2006
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Police cars are great for that. When they have been idling a long time, I've actually seen the exhause gurgle because the muffler is filling up with water. Rev it up and it's like a water cannon.
 
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Old Feb 16, 2006
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Originally Posted by RedRanger02
rwenzing touched on it, i alwas thought that water was a by-product of the catalitic(sp?) converters doing their job....
By far, the greatest amount of water vapor produced is due to combustion of hydrocarbon fuel in the engine. The very small percentage of unburned hydrocarbons that survive into the exhaust system are, for the most part, oxidized in the catalytic converter during stabilized stoichiometric operation.
 
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Old Feb 17, 2006
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damn Bob beat me to it, but yeah combustion of hyrdocarbons...its normal.
 
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Old Feb 17, 2006
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Originally Posted by D.
Condensation being forced out from the air moving through the pipes? Was it ' water ' or ' engine coolant ' ?


A chemical reaction occurs in the cats that causes condensation, and we have a lot of cats to allow condensation to build up. Your safe.
 
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Old Feb 17, 2006
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Originally Posted by karrbass4life
A chemical reaction occurs in the cats that causes condensation, and we have a lot of cats to allow condensation to build up. Your safe.
Almost all of the water in the exhaust is a result of the oxidization of the hydrocarbons present in the gasoline consumed. The vast majority of that water is from the burning of hydrocarbons within the engine's combustion chambers, not from the oxidation of the tiny percentage of remaining hydrocarbons that takes place in the catalytic converters.
 
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