Coolant overflowing

[grandpaford]

My 93 explorer is currently on the skids. It overheated driving home from work one day, died at the traffic light. I added water to the radiator; let it sit a few minutes, and it started back up. I made it home slowly. It sat in the driveway for a week and then I started it again, and water from the radiator overflowed out of the...well, coolant overflow component.

I brought a mechanic by the house on the referral of a coworker. (The mechanic is his buddy).

I was hoping it might be a stuck thermostat. I cranked the engine then he told me to turn it off immediately, that my heads are blown. I asked how he could tell right away, and he said something about the pistons are pushing the coolant back out of the engine as a result of blown heads, that's why it was coming back out the overflow and radiator. He said he would need to rebuild the engine and replace the heads. He didn't hook up a code reader; which makes me think I might be being taken for the proverbial ride, as it were.

Any thoughts? How do you know if the head is blown?

To continue. I found another thread that said bubbling coolant is the symptom for blown heads. I had liquid actually overflowing out of the coolant overfill tank. It was kind of brown, but I'm uncertain if that is from radiator rust, or oil. I'm wondering if this means the same thing?

I just went out and turned her over. Definitely bubbling in the coolant overfill tank right away. It looks like that brown color is oil too.

On that note, is anyone interested in buying my grandpa's last Ford? 93 4door explorer. I'm in Austin, Texas.

 

[KobeJ05]

My 93 explorer is currently on the skids. It overheated driving home from work one day, died at the traffic light. I added water to the radiator; let it sit a few minutes, and it started back up. I made it home slowly. It sat in the driveway for a week and then I started it again, and water from the radiator overflowed out of the...well, coolant overflow component.

I brought a mechanic by the house on the referral of a coworker. (The mechanic is his buddy).

I was hoping it might be a stuck thermostat. I cranked the engine then he told me to turn it off immediately, that my heads are blown. I asked how he could tell right away, and he said something about the pistons are pushing the coolant back out of the engine as a result of blown heads, that's why it was coming back out the overflow and radiator. He said he would need to rebuild the engine and replace the heads. He didn't hook up a code reader; which makes me think I might be being taken for the proverbial ride, as it were.

Any thoughts? How do you know if the head is blown?

To continue. I found another thread that said bubbling coolant is the symptom for blown heads. I had liquid actually overflowing out of the coolant overfill tank. It was kind of brown, but I'm uncertain if that is from radiator rust, or oil. I'm wondering if this means the same thing?

I just went out and turned her over. Definitely bubbling in the coolant overfill tank right away. It looks like that brown color is oil too.

On that note, is anyone interested in buying my grandpa's last Ford? 93 4door explorer. I'm in Austin, Texas.

do a compression test.

 

[92exp4x4]

Is there water in the oil? If so that is bad. These motors are bad about cracking heads when overheated. At very least i think your engine will need heads, but with water in the cylinders for that amout of time, I would start fresh with a total rebuild. You may have problems with rust in the internal parts of the motor, only a tear down will say completely. You may get lucky though, but i would start now to minimize internal damage from the moisture.

 

[grandpaford]

Thanks; I'm thinking it's time to retire the old explorer.

 

[explorerguy89]

i dunno if they are the same but i have a brand new set of heads for my 99' explorer sittin in my garage if u wanna buy em ill sell for 400 for both which is less them half wut i payed but i dun mind i can also (again if its same) include my old lower intake which i cleaned completely. just lemme no if you might want them cause ill be puttin on ebay soon.

 

[jschu]

Join Date: May 2015
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(Original Poster)
coolant overflowing from reservoir
I have coolant overflowing out of the overflow reservoir cap. I just bought this 1991 Explorer and seemed to be doing that already. I did a coolant flush, Blue Devil head gasket seal, and replaced the thermostat. The aftermarket gauge temp stays cold or reaches maybe 160 on occasion. I don't have any smoke or apparent overheating issues, at least nothing too obvious. There doesn't appear to be any oil leaks any where. I gather that I should replace the thermostat again. Thoughts?

Thank you.

 

[Bobmbx]

CHeck your oil. If it looks like chocolate milk you've blown a head gasket. Look at the dip stick and on the inside of your oil fill cap. If you've got a light colored slimy goo in the cap that means you're getting coolant into your oil. If the dipstick shows a light brown milk shake looking stuff, you're getting a lot of coolant in your oil.


I'd go get my money back.

 

[Anime]

The antifreeze/coolant reservoir usually overflows when the thermostat is stuck closed.

This happens when:

A)The thermostat is old and is failing, causing the motor to overheat
B)A coolant flush was performed and the proper air purge procedure was not performed after refilling the system, creating an air bubble at the thermostat, causing the coolant to not contact the thermostat and the motor to overheat

or

C)The thermostat is new and was installed without checking that it actually works, and it doesn't actually work
D)The thermostat is new and was installed backwards

If you installed a new thermostat and the antifreeze/coolant reservoir overflows, pull the old one to check that it isn't backwards, and if it isn't backwards, install a different new thermostat and see if that one works.


Cracked heads and blown head gaskets may cause coolant leaks, but they don't directly cause the reservoir to overflow. The engine overheating that caused the blown gasket or cracked heads likely caused the thermostat to close, and that causes the reservoir to overflow.

 

[Wolfie_85]

I had a blown head gasket in my Ex. I don't know about a total rebuild. More likely you just need new heads and a new head gasket. Have a compression test done, check your oil (if it looks creamy, like a milk shake, it's a head gasket), and check your coolant in the radiator. If it looks like mustard, it's the head gasket.

It could have something to do with the thermostat, too. But for some peace of mind, try this: Go to NAPA, get the hydrocarbon test kit that detects combustion gases in your coolant. It's a tube with a rubber fitting at one end and a squeeze-ball at the other. ONLY when the engine is cold and off, remove your radiator cap, let it warm up, and follow the intructions with the kit. It uses a fluid that changes color if combustion gases are present in the radiator. It costs about $30.

 

[vq5speed]

Join Date: May 2015
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(Original Poster)
coolant overflowing from reservoir
I have coolant overflowing out of the overflow reservoir cap. I just bought this 1991 Explorer and seemed to be doing that already. I did a coolant flush, Blue Devil head gasket seal, and replaced the thermostat. The aftermarket gauge temp stays cold or reaches maybe 160 on occasion. I don't have any smoke or apparent overheating issues, at least nothing too obvious. There doesn't appear to be any oil leaks any where. I gather that I should replace the thermostat again. Thoughts?

Thank you.

Could be you just filled the reservoir tank to high. The cold fill level is near the bottom.