head gasket?

[Mumbler57028]

Ok so i have a 1999 ford explorer eddie Bauer, 4.0L v6 sohc. Temp spikes to red just before the thermostat opens, then drops back down to just over operating Temp. I replaced thermostat and still does it. Also when i take off the radiator cap and bring it to temp it burps air when tstat opens and there after bubbles consistently come from radiator. Ive burped it three times to no avail. Still small bubbles, that smell like exhaust.... Not a good sign. Anything other than head gaskets that could cause this? If not anyone know of a good descriptive walk through with lots of pictures, for head gasket replacement?

 

[shadowless127]

Something doesn't seem right. Have you checked your water pump? Almost seems like it's not pumping the right amount. Air bubbles could be from a leak at or near the waterpump where air is getting in.

 

[Mumbler57028]

what's the best way to check the water pump? there wasn't much circulation visible from the open radiator cap when I checked it before. but I figured the radiator was a little clogged up so I flush the system and never checked it again after that. I figured the water pump couldn't draw Air because of being a pressurized system. but makes sense if it wasn't pumping strong Enough. is there a way to test the water pump sufficiently other than a pressure tester?

 

[Mumbler57028]

I'm a bit of a shade tree mechanic and I'm very mechanically inclined so I think I can tackle this pretty well. sounds fun to me buahah!!

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

.......Still small bubbles, that smell like exhaust......

This is a key symptom. That's what mine did with a failed
headgasket. It could be either a bad headgasket or a
cracked head, and there's no way to tell which one until
you actually pull the head off.

You might be able to determine which head it is by pulling
the plugs and seeing if one plug looks different than the
others. That'll be the cylinder that's leaking exhaust gas
into the coolant (and coolant into the cylinder).

 

[field]

Do any of the head gasket repair chemicals provide a working seal?