1993 Ford Ranger 4x4 Xlt

[BRUCE LAUGHMAN]

I Have A Problem With Antifreeze Leaking Somewhere!! I Took The Heads Off, Thinking It Was A Head Gasket Blowed, But No Such Luck. I Had Dye Put Into The Radiator . Took A Blue Light & Looked All Over The Underneath & On Top With A Ford Mechanic & A Radiator Repair Man, & Still Couldn't Find Any Leaks. I Start It Up In The Morning & As Soon As The Temperature Gauge Starts To Move I Smell Antifreeze Inside The Cab. I Replaced The Heater Core, & The Radiator, All Of The Hoses, & I Still Have Antifreeze Getting Away From Plastic Overflow Tank. Level Keeps Going Down. I Have A 4.0 L Engine In This Truck & I Also Had The Heads Checked For Cracks. Help!!!!!!!!

 

[Lt.Jim]

Do you have steam from your exhaust pipe on initial startup? If so it may be a leaky gasket allowing coolant into the engine.

 

[wood1]

Where you already pulled the heads I won't suggest the lower intake gaskets. Throw in a can of Bar's Stop Leak. I had that same antifreeze smell all the time. A mechanic buddy told me to use Bar's, and it worked amazingly well... he uses it in all of his machines as preventative maintenance as it is a water pump lubricant too.

Apparently GM, Ford and Dodge throw it in from factory...

Chris.

 

[BRUCE LAUGHMAN]

Yes, I Replaced All Of The Gaskets, Even The Intake Manifold Gasket & Added Bars Leak. It Did Slow It Down, Put It Still Uses About A Overflow Plastic Tank Full Of Antifreeze Every Week. I Drive 45 Miles One Way To Work Each Day. About The Steam Coming Out Of The Exhaust, There Is Some, Put Just Till It Gets Warmed Up & Then It Goes Away.

 

[Damit]

Antifreeze

Get yourself a sniffer or find someone who has one and do a check of the cooling system for a combustion leak. It is a tool that looks like a antifreeze tester but you put a solution in it and keep sucking the rad fumes from the filler neck if the solution turns to a different color it indicates either a head, gasket, block crack etc. Only proper way to check after (if it turns) is to have all components that it could be pressure tested by a head and block shop.

Good Luck