DeepEmissions
Active Member
- Joined
- September 6, 2011
- Messages
- 72
- Reaction score
- 1
- City, State
- Okeechobee, FL
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1998 Ford Explorer XLT
Okay, so after browsing the forums trying to locate my engine type, year, and particular issue, I couldn't really find anything that could give me a good, clear, answer.
I've owned this 1998 Ford Ex XLT 4.0 SOHC for a little over 2 years, and it has shown its age to me in many different ways, those are off topic, let's get to the point.
For several months now, I've smelled a coolant odor coming from my truck. The first time was when I parked my truck to go to work, like anyone who lives in sunny south Florida, you immediately check where the leak is. Nothing... double checked the gauge cluster, temp normal, perfectly normal. So, after a full days work, I come back out, open my radiator cap and Coolant Reservoir and didn't see a whole lotta anything in either.
Filled reservoir with some 50/50 a fellow employee had lying in his truck, and added a little tap water to radiator (30 miles to the closest thing that looks like it could sell more 50/50.)
Drove back home and kept an eye on the temp gauge, perfect the whole way.
50/50 1.5 full bottles filled radiator and reservoir back to full. Made sure I parked in a good clean concrete pad, not the first leak.
Since then, always low, and always smells like coolant. I've stopped even adding 50/50 at this point because it was getting too expensive, and it was my only means of transportation until I had my bike back to road ready.
Tax return season is upon us, and I plan to do as much as humanly possible to the drive train of this truck to make sure it keeps truckin' down the road. But tonight, really has me concerned, this is the first time I've ever been able to hold my hand on the Rad Cap for as long as I wanted. Probably around 105 degrees F on the cap. Maybe it's so low the fluid isn't heating up the cap? I will check the levels tomorrow, I have this thing about opening a cap where the engines been running for 3 hours...
This is what we find on the top of the thermostat housing, this could be just a bad thermostat gasket.
But really, there's not much else to see, I am seeing some oil collecting under and on the side of the engine and trans. Possible front main seal, have to dig deeper.
I also have a bad idle, usually get the L and R bank too lean code. I chalk that up to a possible good scrubbing of the intake manifold and parts would fix that up nicely. The bad idle is random.
Any thoughts?
Sorry there's not many Pics, maybe if I can get underneath it in the morning, I'll snap a few more, Leave suggestions of rather easy pics to take, remember I still have to use this to get to work in the morning. So, pics of the bottom side of my intake manifold are off limits, lol.
I've owned this 1998 Ford Ex XLT 4.0 SOHC for a little over 2 years, and it has shown its age to me in many different ways, those are off topic, let's get to the point.
For several months now, I've smelled a coolant odor coming from my truck. The first time was when I parked my truck to go to work, like anyone who lives in sunny south Florida, you immediately check where the leak is. Nothing... double checked the gauge cluster, temp normal, perfectly normal. So, after a full days work, I come back out, open my radiator cap and Coolant Reservoir and didn't see a whole lotta anything in either.
Filled reservoir with some 50/50 a fellow employee had lying in his truck, and added a little tap water to radiator (30 miles to the closest thing that looks like it could sell more 50/50.)
Drove back home and kept an eye on the temp gauge, perfect the whole way.
50/50 1.5 full bottles filled radiator and reservoir back to full. Made sure I parked in a good clean concrete pad, not the first leak.
Since then, always low, and always smells like coolant. I've stopped even adding 50/50 at this point because it was getting too expensive, and it was my only means of transportation until I had my bike back to road ready.
Tax return season is upon us, and I plan to do as much as humanly possible to the drive train of this truck to make sure it keeps truckin' down the road. But tonight, really has me concerned, this is the first time I've ever been able to hold my hand on the Rad Cap for as long as I wanted. Probably around 105 degrees F on the cap. Maybe it's so low the fluid isn't heating up the cap? I will check the levels tomorrow, I have this thing about opening a cap where the engines been running for 3 hours...
This is what we find on the top of the thermostat housing, this could be just a bad thermostat gasket.
But really, there's not much else to see, I am seeing some oil collecting under and on the side of the engine and trans. Possible front main seal, have to dig deeper.
I also have a bad idle, usually get the L and R bank too lean code. I chalk that up to a possible good scrubbing of the intake manifold and parts would fix that up nicely. The bad idle is random.
Any thoughts?
Sorry there's not many Pics, maybe if I can get underneath it in the morning, I'll snap a few more, Leave suggestions of rather easy pics to take, remember I still have to use this to get to work in the morning. So, pics of the bottom side of my intake manifold are off limits, lol.
