Disapearing coolant - no leak, no white smoke?

[unllax]

[QUOTE='96explorereddiebauer]Thanks for the tips, guys!! Here's my situation. I'm at school right now and the only free time I have is weekends. And on weekends, there're not a lot of people who are willing to work on cars, if they do, they'd charge a little more than weekdays. Is there going to be a big problem if I continue to drive, even with the coolant in the oil and stuff? Will that cause a lot of damage to the engine? I don't think I will have any time to do anything until Christmas.[/QUOTE]

My truck was loosing coolent for about two years before I found it accumulating in my oil. Once I found it in the oil the engine was just about done. In the end I found it was cheaper for me to retire my explorer that fix it. Like you I am in school and it is real hard to work on your car when it's your only vehicle. I'm not telling you to sell your car but it may be easier to get rid of it now than fix it later.

Happy Exploring.

 

[Rockey]

Cam bearings will probably wipe out by then. They really don't take well to water in the oil (milkshake).

 

[lonestar]

Get a $20 Oil Analysis from "BlackStone Laboratory" to help determin your problem.

I had the same problem. I started noticing my coolant dissappear. Search for leaks, found none, no white smoke, no sweet smell. Hmm, head gasket??? Checked oil, looked ok, checked daily for any indication of water in the oil. OK, so I thought maybe small leak into cylinders, not enough to cause smoke. Started searching board, learned early 4.0 heads notorious for cracking. Loosing coolant more often, changed oil in order to help eliminate any chance of water contamination, color looked kinda funny in sunlight although no usual milky indication of water contamination. SO, I sent sample of oil to Blackstone, and they mailed me a full oil analysis report indicating antifreeze in oil and suggested often oil changes in order to reduce contamination wear.

With that infomation, I started looking into replacing heads. Replaced heads and gaskets and no more coolant loss. I'm going to send in a new oil sample to verify.

 

[robj]

I took a 96 ex to the shop for inspection yesterday.. The dealership said it need a knew clutch and that it was shot..
They also pointed out to me a small leak in the head gasket near the manifold. quoted me 1500 to repair both

The clutch is only a year old, its a manual 5 speed. The hydraulic reservoir was empty! ( would this cause it to be hard to put in gear ??).

I never had a problem with the truck over heating,no white smoke, no collant puddles. but yet there is a nice little leak and a puddle from my truck when it was at the dealership. Is there anything I can use to seal the leak ( superglue? lol)