well my buddy's ranger was over heating so he looks and theirs no antifreeze, so he puts a full 4l jug in and gos to start it to see where the leak is .. then says maybe i sould check the oil ..... then bam!!! antifreeze was one with the oil and all milky and poop ..

so we think it is a head gasket so we take every thing apart and it looks like it might not be the head gasket. so we have to things to ask you guys ... wtf would a bad head gasket look like ? because this one looks ok? and has this happen to any one befor with there ranger?


the motor is a ohv 4l

 

You can't always look at a head gasket and tell it's bad but look for carbon buildup or stains around the mating surfaces and on the gasket itself. If you see anything that looks like a little 'flair out' it might be a sign of a breech. While you are at it, check the spark plugs and see if any have calcium deposits or are unusually clean compared to the others. If water is getting in there, it will clean the carbon off of the plug and can help make it easier to spot which cylinder is leaking.

It could also be a cracked head too.

 

^^ well said.

If you can't tell right off hand if it's a gasket issue or a head issue, just bring the head into a machine shop. They'll be able to tell you if the head is cracked, warped, or any other imperfections on it. Usually you'll be able to tell where the gasket failed and where the coolant was getting in.
My old Dodge Shadow used to eat head gaskets for breakfast. The mighty 2.2L was just to powerfull \i guess (sarcasm). LOL

 

ditto

 

Also check the cylinder walls for cracks

 

Just because there isn't a visual crack in the gasket doesn't mean it wasn't busted. Usually you can tell by looking at the gasket in areas where it's darker/blackish than other areas. Also, look in between the intake a exhaust valves, the heads could possibly be cracked in between them.