Blown Head Gasket?

[mjzilinski]

Hey guys, I have been trying to figure this out for a while now and thought since this forum is all about explorers you might know. My explorer began smoking, and there was gas in the oil so I figured that it was the fuel pressure regulator, changed that and now it still smokes. When I start it it smokes really white and rich smelling smoke, then once warm it stops smoking as much but smells more like oil. The gas still smells like gas a little bit also. If it is the head gasket is there a sure fire way to diagnose it? Or could it still be something besides that(initially i thought it was either the 02 sensor or the catalytic converter since it was running rich when the fuel pressure regulator went out). Also it runs rough and has lost alot of its power. Also could it be a cracked head? I've heard 91-93's are notorious for that.
Thank you,
Mike Zilinski

 

[ExplorerDMB]

gas in the oil is never good. I would suspect something wrong internally. To check for the head gasket problem is to do a leakdown test and possibly a compression check. Sounds like a new engine is in store for you.

-Drew

 

[mjzilinski]

Where do you guys think I should get my replacement parts? I've also been reading that 91's get cracked/warped heads alot of the time, where would be a good place to pick up a set of newer ones. This vehicle is my winter car, but I realy like it and dont want to get rid of it.
Also as an update, I'm going to borrow a scanner tomorrow and pull the check engine code, and run a compression test. I'm not going to be angry if it is a blown head gasket though, 169,000 miles is not too bad.

 

[mjzilinski]

I pulled the codes on my explorer 41 and 42 which are lean and rich. Then it also said that there was a problem with the coolant temp gauge. So I'm thinking maybe the coolant gauge says its too cold.