92 ranger 4.0 plugs whites on thread light brown in center, lose antifreeze slowly

[derbyshireg]

Hi people,

I have a 1992 ranger 4.0 plugs whites on thread light brown in center, lose antifreeze slowly...intake gasket? head gasket...no antifreeze in oil. the over flow bottle I refill about once every 1-2 weeks. no leaks in radiator or heater core or hoses.all changed. also get a ticking noise like a lifter comes and goes lately its been sticking around...thru in some stp and marvel mystery oil after the last few oil changes and it seem ti help...lifters push rods /rocker arms... mileage is debatable its either 146K or 246K... assume the later. New here and any help pionters suggestions would be much appreciated.

Glenn From V:rangergreen:

 

[Roadrunner777]

Were all the plugs in the same condition?

 

[derbyshireg]

Yes they were all white on the thread light brown on the insulator ...

 

[Roadrunner777]

That pretty much rules out a combustion chamber leak. Then again, and I thought about this a lot, I'm pretty sure you have ruled out an external leak, unless you are just running water right now, which you might not notice easily.

How may miles/hours do you drive in that 1-2 weeks?

If you really want to do a diagnostic, you need to pressurize your system with a rental tool and see where it is coming out. Good puzzle!

 

[derbyshireg]

My friend who use to work at ford dealership as a mechanic told white on the threads means its antifreeze (white on the thread rim of the plug) most likely from the intake gasket or head gasket....but on all of them? I agree I need to pressure test the cooling system. changed all the plugs and I will pull them in a week or two to see if they have the white again on the thread rim. I drive about 200 miles a week..last week I drove 500 mile though and the coolant lost from the fill line in the overflow bottle to almost the bottom of it about a quart I guess. I used Bars coolant sealer last year and it cured it but when I back flushed the system right before the winter because I was only getting warm not hot air when I ran the heater. Now I'm losing antifreeze again but no sighs of it being external. So its time to find the permanent fix no antifreeze in the oil so I hoping its no the head gasket and its the intake gasket and not a head problem crack or porosity in the cast iron. If the problem still there after I replace the intake gasket, I will look for some used heads and rebuild them seal valves lifters have them pressure tested and magnaflux for cracks and leaks. I'll let ya know what happens after I replace the intake gasket...while I'm in there I will replace the push rods and rockers. Thanks for responding and if you have any other suggestion let me know.