You don't necessarily find the coolant mixed with the oil with a cracked head/bad gasket. I'm HOPING that's not my problem....nor your's for your sake!

 

nah it runs great now and no leaks. i overheated it several times that weekend. ran like crap for a few weeks then was fine. i doubt its a bad gasket or cracked head.

 

Yeah, yeah...you keep showing pictures of your nice truck, while I DREAM of making mine somewhat like your's. Thanks for the dose of depression! Heh.

 

I doubt it is head issue with mine. It leaked last winter as well. I can smell it burning on the engine. It went away this summer, and it is back. I would think that if it were head related it would have gotten worse or something would have happen in the last 20k miles.

 

Eh...in the summer, gasket material expands with the heat and moisture....in the winter, gasket material contracts and becomes more brittle. You MAY have a bad gasket SOMEWHERE in your engine bay. The best way to find the problem, is follow the stream of leaking coolant. You may have to go under the truck with a light....

 

All, I initially wanted to post an article about my poor gas mileage (@ 10-12 mpg pulling a 1500lb trailer). But after driving on a 200 mile trip, I decided to see if anything was wrong.. I pulled the plugs to see if they were fouled and the number 6 plug was wet with coolant. The other plugs were fine. I talked to a "real" mechanic and he thinks the head gasket is leaking. I typically only drive the truck about 50 miles per week, so I have not seen the coolant issues mentioned here. You may check your plugs to make sure you are not burning coolant. That may explain why you can't find puddles. I hope this was helpful. Please share what you find. Also, if you have any suggestions on how I can get better mileage, let me know. Thanks!

 

I would guess that coolant on your plug may have impacted your mileage. Get that sorted and see if you notice a difference. I know that I only get about 16-17 in the winter when I am not towing. So depending on the outside temp and winter gas situation it may not be that far off.

 

hello,
I had the same problem in my 99' 4.0. no visble signs of any kind, it turned out to be the lower intake gasket leaking at the rear and burning off the exaust. you coulld try tieghtening the intake in the proper order and foot pounds and see if that helps, if not have it replaced. The heater control vaulve can leak and drip on the exuast manifold and burn off leaving no sign of leaking also. I hope this helps.

mike

 

Hmmm...I brought this up to a mechanic buddy of mine...and he thinks that maybe the heater core might be leaking JUST enough to depleat the system, but not enough to show and signs....he's run into that a few times with newer rangers.

 

Along the same lines, see: https://www.ranger-forums.com/forum2...6&postcount=19

and the related PDF file.

 

is this in your '06 Ranger? If it is, then why haven't you taken it in under warranty work yet

 

Any of yall had yalls windsheild fog up on the inside on the passenger side? Could be a heater core...

 

Because...I lose my truck, even for a day, and I'm out my only mode of transportation. I HATE the dealership I bought my truck from. They're morons....For example: Bees nest in passenger-side mirror upon purchase...Owner's SON sprays entire mirror, door, window, and fender with....Brake Cleaner. Who the hell does that?! I'll confirm the problem myself when I have the time to.

 

Actually, my truck is a 99 XLT S-Cab, so the warranty is gone. It has about 95k miles on it. I typically only drive this truck once a week. I just drove it for the first time since my posting yesterday. It smoked like crazy. I got about 1/3 of a mile from my home and had to turn around. The exhaust smelled like anti-freeze. Not sure why the smell would be apparent now and not before. I've been quoted between $800-1600 for a fix. The mechanics assumes it is a head gasket and the parts and labor include checking the heads for warping and the valves for sealing. Any other thoughts? I'll check the torque on the manifold before taking it in. How can I check the heater control valve? Will it have evidence of leaking?

 

I just got a call from the shop (dealer). It was running rough 1st thing in the AM. They got a code that says its burning coolant, and suspects its a cracked head. They're looking and will call me back. He says $4,000 if it is. 10 yrs old, 145k mi, and it needs new ball joints (+$900). Hope yours isn't like that. I need a cheaper solution.

 

Wow, new ball joints shouldn't cost $900+

Time to start shopping around.

 

Check your thermostat housing for a leak, mine was doing that. I was told that it is a fairly common problem with the 4.0.

 

according to my teacher he has no idea what happens.. he's a die hard ford fan and was a tech for them for a while.. he said its a problem on the 3.0 and 4.0s

its not leaking, its not getting burt but its just going away...

PFM i guess