I have a 2000 ford ranger with the 4.0 V6 OHV engine. I just got the truck and i was checking the fluids, i realized the coolant was super low. there was nothing in the overflow tank and the radiator was low about a quart. there is also coolant all over the bottom of the truck. basically everything around the transmission. The front side of the engine is dry. I first noticed the coolant shooting out when i was trying to fill the radiator. i started the engine cold with the radiator cap off and started filling it when the coolant shot out everywhere. After filling the radiator with coolant i topped off the overflow to the cold fill line, the next day the over flow was empty but the radiator was still topped off. i filled the overflow to the cold fill line again and it has stayed around that level since. The fluid on the bottom of the truck also kind of looks like transmission fluid, but maybe it looks red from the rust. i just got one of those head gasket testers today where you put it on the radiator and the testing fluid changes color if there is exhaust in the coolant. i drained some of the coolant so it wouldn't go everywhere but it still did. i tried the test a few times because the tester kept over flowing with coolant. i could get it to work for a few minutes, i was even able to get the truck up to temp and do the test, but it still didn't last long. there was plenty of air going through the test liquid so hopefully it should have worked. the test fluid never changed color so i don't think there is exhaust in the coolant. i also tried some UV dye but that didn't help. So here is what i know so far, there is no white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe, most likely no exhaust in the coolant, lots of back pressure in the radiator hot or cold, the oil looks good, and there is some kind of fluid on the bottom of the truck.

 

How many miles are on your 2000?
Does, "lots of back pressure in the radiator hot or cold", mean the radiator holds pressure?

What does, " i drained some of the coolant so it wouldn't go everywhere but it still did.", mean?

"I first noticed the coolant shooting out when i was trying to fill the radiator. i started the engine cold with the radiator cap off and started filling it when the coolant shot out everywhere".
Shooting out from where?
Any coolant on the top of the engine?

 

it's got about 125,000 miles on it but i just bought it and the title is exempt so i don't know if it's 100% true.

the back pressure thing, the radiator it's self isn't leaking so yes it holds pressure. i used that UV dye, and i didn't see anything on or around the radiator.

i drained some of the coolant, because if i tried to do that head gasket test with the radiator completely full it would over flow the tester immediately and ruin it.

i was trying to fill the radiator with the engine running so the coolant would cycle and get all the air out so i could completely fill it. the coolant was shooting out of the radiator cap. the cap was off of course.

no coolant on top of the engine, except for when i had the cap off because the coolant shot out pretty far.

and one more thing, the coolant seemed to shoot out more when i turned the engine off. when i was doing the test i would try to watch for coolant going into the tester. when i saw it going into the tester i would try to turn of the engine as soon as i could but then the tester would completely fill with coolant and go everywhere.

 

Head gasket?

 

The head gasket could be bad.