Help w/ head gasket, plz!

[Terkins]

The OHV isn’t a powerhouse by any stretch. You can’t ever smell coolant? I’m assuming you mean head gaskets and not intake gaskets. How many times have you added coolant? Where do you add it?

I accelerate gradually to conserve on gas; besides I'm "re-tired" (Michelin retreads) and in no hurry. The power issue isn't really a concern; I'm just skeptical having driven/crashed my 4-cyl. Ford Focus Labor Day weekend. I expect to assemble/tow a HF utility (4x8) trailer to move this Spring. I'm sure the Explorer will do fine (#1000 max. cap. on trailer).

I drove a work-vehicle with a known heater-core leak that constantly misted coolant in the cab. I drove with the windows open and a 12V fan blowing the mist out the passenger window. "No"--I don't smell any coolant in the dash area.

I meant "Intake manifold gaskets", not head gaskets, though now I've read reports that either can allow coolant losses. I add coolant to the caboose tub, this is where I'm monitoring the slow loss every week-or-two. At first I thought it was simply trapped air in the system post-flush being replaced by liquid...then it continued... The shiny radiator cap that came with the vehicle leaked on a Fall trip/ very hot day. I replaced it en route driving home and haven't seen the radiator level low since/nor the spillage from the cap dribbling down to below. Removing the radiator cap cold always has coolant immediately below it.

At 18-yrs.-old: I'm thinking I should just $pring for the UV dye/blacklight flashlight/MityVac pressure test kit and drive a week. Then check for UV dye leaks. Nothing to lose. Same cost as paying a local shop to do a pressure check. I might end up finding more than one leak/small leaks that take driving/cycling hot/cold to manifest.

 

[Terkins]

Intake gaskets are not hard to do, nor do they take a lot of time

Thanks; encouraging news if needed. I still need a crib with a driveway where it's "legally-allowed" to perform auto repairs. River-roadside repairs have precipitated numerous neighborhood-alert-type Stasi agents interrogating me regarding my service activities. It's "getting old" being treated like an illegal alien geezer who's only "business" is trying to $ave a dollar by doing self-repairs I can't afford to contract out.

 

[Mbrooks420]

I wasn’t suspecting a heater core leak with the smell. These occasionally leak at the heater control valve and the coolant burns off on the manifold and you never see any drips, but can usually smell it outside of the car. My 96 did this, but it probably wouldn’t loose as much coolant as you are.

 

[Terkins]

Agreed that the OHV 4.0 is not very powerful, especially when push 4,000 pound of brick-shaped truck around.

Question: Does your cooling system draw coolant from the reserve tank? Do you find it doesn't and when you remove the radiator cap is the coolant low? If it doesn't draw from the reserve tank you have a leak somewhere and the radiator is sucking air rather than drawing coolant. It might be your radiator.

There's a plastic pan under the radiator, which is held on with 4 10mm bolts. Not sure of its purpose (protection. air deflector?) I've found that this pan can hide radiator leaks because it catches the antifreeze and then will not let it hit the ground in your driveway unless the angle is right. The coolant is blow out while your driving and unnoticed. The most common place for the radiators to leak is from the plastic side tank gaskets.

Remove the plastic pan and look for green staining in the bottom of the pan and alone the bottom of the radiator. If you see any stains (or wetness) you'll need a new radiator.

Question: After running the engine, when you loosen the radiator cap to the first notch does it burp air into the reserve tank? If so, that's a sure sign that you have a cracked head or blown head gasket.

It does draw (coolant) from the reserve tank, but only AFTER I replaced the leaky radiator cap it came with.

I haven't removed the plastic pan under the radiator. Your suggestion may "pan out" (!!!pun) after I run the UV dye (I'll post after testing in a week-or-so.)

As I recall, all the old spark plugs were tan in color; electrodes badly worn-away!

I haven't noticed any air burping into the reserve when loosening the radiator cap; I'll have to try that tomorrow. Usually I just notice a few drops of coolant loss as I remove the cap; the coolant level is always touching the underside of the cap...seems "pressurized"? Is that good?

 

[96eb96]

Advance/Autozone/Pep/Orielys may rent a coolant system tester, free. Even locally locations vary, so you can ask around. I would try to locate the one piece intake manifold gasket, I heard it is a better choice. You can get the Ford one too still on ebay, not too much. It did last 18yrs afterall ...

 

[96eb96]

It does draw (coolant) from the reserve tank, but only AFTER I replaced the leaky radiator cap it came with.

I haven't removed the plastic pan under the radiator. Your suggestion may "pan out" (!!!pun) after I run the UV dye (I'll post after testing in a week-or-so.)

As I recall, all the old spark plugs were tan in color; electrodes badly worn-away!

I haven't noticed any air burping into the reserve when loosening the radiator cap; I'll have to try that tomorrow. Usually I just notice a few drops of coolant loss as I remove the cap; the coolant level is always touching the underside of the cap...seems "pressurized"? Is that good?

Drain some coolant from the radiator(maybe a few ounces with a tissue), start it up and see if it rises. That will check for any combustion leaks. There is also a glove test with a rubber band. If there is no air in the coolant system then it is an external leak.

 

[Terkins]

Drain some coolant from the radiator(maybe a few ounces with a tissue), start it up and see if it rises. That will check for any combustion leaks. There is also a glove test with a rubber band. If there is no air in the coolant system then it is an external leak.

Sorry, I'm not following your leads. If the water pump is working, won't the radiator coolant level rise regardless of combustion leaks? ...same with glove/rubber band "test"?

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

Terkins, check the coolant tank for a sooty residue, and look for small bubbles coming up in the tank with the engine warm and idleing. If no soot or bubbles, then your leak is external and not caused by a blown head gasket or cracked head. (Whoopee.) These engines are known for leaking from the timing cover gasket, so observe underneath in that area. Sometimes a gasket leak can be slowed down or stopped by simply re-torqueing the cover bolts. (Changing this gasket requires removal of the harmonic balancer and water pump.)

 

[Terkins]

Advance/Autozone/Pep/Orielys may rent a coolant system tester, free. Even locally locations vary, so you can ask around.

Good advice! Thanks! I'll check next week for a rental coolant pressure tester. "Start simple."

 

[Terkins]

Question: After running the engine, when you loosen the radiator cap to the first notch does it burp air into the reserve tank? If so, that's a sure sign that you have a cracked head or blown head gasket.

"Yes", it burps air into the reserve tank when loosening the radiator cap. Vehicle had sat all night + next day until next evening when I loosened the cap.

I bought the MItyVac test kit and followed the static and dynamic test proceedures. It "passed" the static test. The dynamic test seemed "OK" until the engine ran for a few minutes. Then the pressure gauge kept creeping upwards past design pressure (16 psi) toward 20 psi. I tried bleeding the pressure back down below 10 psi several times and it kept building back up into the 20 psi range so I turned the engine off and let it cool back down.

 

[lobo411]

Thanks; encouraging news if needed. I still need a crib with a driveway where it's "legally-allowed" to perform auto repairs. River-roadside repairs have precipitated numerous neighborhood-alert-type Stasi agents interrogating me regarding my service activities. It's "getting old" being treated like an illegal alien geezer who's only "business" is trying to $ave a dollar by doing self-repairs I can't afford to contract out.

I can understand why roadside repairs would be frowned on. Quite frankly, people are pigs. A certain percentage are just going to dump/abandon all kinds of used fluids/parts rather than do the responsible thing and transport them for proper disposal.

Imagine the damage that would be done by just a few lazy idiots whose idea of an "oil change" is to drop the drain plug, let the oil flow wherever, replace the plug, refill with new oil, and drive off.

 

[~X~]

Or you could take it to a shop that has a hydrocarbon sniffer, have them sniff the overflow tank. If the HC count is high it might indicate a blown head gasket. Just a thought.

 

[Terkins]

I can understand why roadside repairs would be frowned on. Quite frankly, people are pigs. A certain percentage are just going to dump/abandon all kinds of used fluids/parts rather than do the responsible thing and transport them for proper disposal.

Imagine the damage that would be done by just a few lazy idiots whose idea of an "oil change" is to drop the drain plug, let the oil flow wherever, replace the plug, refill with new oil, and drive off.

True, but the larger issue seems to be that the spot I chose is where many like to park, drink, and toss their empties into the bushes. I make a habit of recycling their empties when I find them.

One night after dark I was atop the engine struggling to finish a spark plug when a passerby stopped, rolled down their window, and asked if I needed help? As I was continuing to work--my sight obscured by dark/the hood overhead--I thought to myself "Why are they lingering so long after I've told them 'No, I'm fine...' " when I heard a car door slam closed and they drove off. Later, I found missing some parts/tools I'd had in a box for later repairs to the power steering lines. I guess I was being "punished" (by theft-prank) for taking their favorite, after-dark, drinking spot...

 

[Terkins]

Or you could take it to a shop that has a hydrocarbon sniffer, have them sniff the overflow tank. If the HC count is high it might indicate a blown head gasket. Just a thought.

$57.00 to test head gaskets at Firestone. The Lisle test kit is less on Amazon; anyone have "success" using it?

I'm confused: Will K-Seal stop some head gasket leaks but not others? The Firestone rep. said putting another engine in is the cheapest fix for my 2000 if the head gasket(s) are toast. Apparently there are different types of head gasket problems. I don't have white smoke; my engine doesn't overheat; there's no coolant in my oil; there's no oil in my coolant; I think the acceleration is "normal" for the age of the engine; it idles fine; it starts fine; no strange noises (except a faint, repeating "sqeak" (sounds like a mouse!) atop the engine while it's idling/hood is raised?

It turns out the "leakage" is a lie. The coolant reservoir level fluctuates based on the temperature and whether-or-not I've used the heater. It's hard to read precisely unless I use a strong flashlight at night. So "forget" the high consumption I'd reported earlier. Still, testing the system with the new pressure gauge attached to the radiator causes the pressure to rise repeatedly into the 20 psi range while running from cold for only a few minutes. I've bled the pressure fearing the gauge would top-out/burst only to have the pressure build up again into the 20's. If the cap bleeds pressure off at 16 psi (tested separately; verified working) it must be "bleeding" the excess pressure while running itself, yet I don't see any leakage around the cap? I'm mystified where the excess pressure is going? Why isn't the cap constantly bleeding off the pressure?

 

[roscoe 0202]

when the pressure bleeds off with the cap on it goes to the overflow bottle.
roscoe

 

[96eb96]

$57.00 to test head gaskets at Firestone. The Lisle test kit is less on Amazon; anyone have "success" using it?

I'm confused: Will K-Seal stop some head gasket leaks but not others? The Firestone rep. said putting another engine in is the cheapest fix for my 2000 if the head gasket(s) are toast. Apparently there are different types of head gasket problems. I don't have white smoke; my engine doesn't overheat; there's no coolant in my oil; there's no oil in my coolant; I think the acceleration is "normal" for the age of the engine; it idles fine; it starts fine; no strange noises (except a faint, repeating "sqeak" (sounds like a mouse!) atop the engine while it's idling/hood is raised?

It turns out the "leakage" is a lie. The coolant reservoir level fluctuates based on the temperature and whether-or-not I've used the heater. It's hard to read precisely unless I use a strong flashlight at night. So "forget" the high consumption I'd reported earlier. Still, testing the system with the new pressure gauge attached to the radiator causes the pressure to rise repeatedly into the 20 psi range while running from cold for only a few minutes. I've bled the pressure fearing the gauge would top-out/burst only to have the pressure build up again into the 20's. If the cap bleeds pressure off at 16 psi (tested separately; verified working) it must be "bleeding" the excess pressure while running itself, yet I don't see any leakage around the cap? I'm mystified where the excess pressure is going? Why isn't the cap constantly bleeding off the pressure?

Mouse noise could be camshaft position sensor (it is like a distributor in the back of the engine). Best to get a Ford one.

One symptom could be movement of your temperature gauge. It don't have to overheat, just move in the low-normal range. That is because of hot air being forced into the coolant.

Well, putting in an engine will sure give the Firestone guy a nice commission. First of all, terrible advice because the OHV bottom end is practically indestructible. There is a cash for clunkers YT video with the engine running for a whole minute with a rod out the bottom and all the fluid draining out. It is probably one of the easiest engines to swap heads on. Next would be a OHV ride on mower in my opinion. The head has to be carefully inspected for cracks, probably best to buy a new one, they are inexpensive. It is unlikely the head gasket is bad unless it was overheated. The heads can crack.

I would definitely try K-seal before taking that route, you have nothing to lose. I suggest getting a cheap OBD adapter (BAFX) and forscan and paying attention to cylinder misfire counts. You can ride around for years and just a small amount of coolant goes in, maybe make 50 misfires, seal up, no check engine light. The computer counts each one. You also should change that spark plug. You may have to run the engine without a plug in the misfiring cylinder for 1/2 hr. Don't take any action until you are sure you have misfires.