What do these mean, can't be good - head gasket? | Page 2 | Ford Explorer Forums
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What do these mean, can't be good - head gasket?

Brake pads running hot smell?

On another note. I have not heard of the transmission cooler core in the rads corroding but a rupture is possible. Also the in/out fittings to the tank need to be tight enough to seal as per a Spectra Youtube video I saw on swapping the input connections. its all that keep the two fluid separate at the tank interface.

It it sounding like its not going to be a bad issue as initially thought. Any fluid leak usually generates its unique burning smell. Sniff sniff, nope can tell from here. LOL
 



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Actually, I might have a stuck or sticking caliper on the passenger side front ...LoL!!! Switched to Havoline Full Synthetic DS 5/30 on the advise of tripptec

Received the compression test back today. Here are the numbers:
1) 168
2)170
3)175
4)168
5)165
6)170
Ran test twice.
The new water pump installed a few months ago has metal impellers causing contact within the block, It must be generating the aluminum flakes in the coolant.. I also think putting Redline water-wetter in the coolant was a mistake. I've heard of people generating blobs in their Coolant reservoir caused by waterwetter.
Ordering valve cover gaskets - kit. Spark plugs looks new. No discoloration. I orderered Felpro for the intake manifold gaskets. Should have blackstone labs in a few days. I have oil on the threads of the spark plugs. But no oil on the electrode.
Blackstone will be interesting.

Do I have an upper and lower intake manifold gasket? I can't tell if there is an upper and lower gasket.
 






It shouldn't touch the block (pump impellers) what brand? Compression looks fairly even with a few variations. Max delta is 10 psi but 170 is likely a real average if I did the math.

You certainly doing a lot of work on it their!! You don't have a profile at the bottom of the posts. I had to go way up to see you have 4.0 V6, you have more room to work on it.
 






I will update my description tomorrow. Originally I had a heigh pitch squeak and knocking. It took me about a month to diagnose due to work demands. Water pump. Took me a few weeks to fund the upgrades. When I removed thd watwepump I could clearly see the pump shaft had shifter 1/4" the back - block. When I ran my hank over the area it was covered in aluminum. I also sound a chaffed plug wire on the passenger side due to being sandwiched between a metal support off a cooling line and the alternator. I'm positive this caused the miss.

I was advised watter wetter by rednine can cause glitter like appearance within the rad and reservoir tank and what appears like oil globs when cooL

Today I flushed the cooline system say " Swapped in Havoline Ds10/30 due to heat. (In the oil)Coming up on my free tranny flush after 120 days of the rebuild. I'm patiently waiting for Backstone to send my their PDF via email before I do anything major. Oil smelled burn - Wong grade, wrong temp, long high speed,up and down long grades - coming out of Vegas.

With all the oil I found on the threads, I'm going to pull the valve covers and grommets to see if I can stop the oil on the threads. I just fixed the shifter. Now it aligns perfectly.

Yup, stuck front passenger caliper causing burn smell. An hour on th bench and I put that one bank on the X. Slight grab but nothing like before. Never would have looked if tripplec hadn't said anything. Thank you. Those third row seats sore come in handy!!!!

Fortunately we made it to Vegas, RedRack, Valley of fire, and south rim of Grand Canyon. I was pretty happy. Averaged 22 mph even stopping to watch the F22's doing maneaovers in the middle of Mojaje Tryied to I use a Jedi Minc trick to ding more hisreht

2008 Ford X Eddie B. AW4x4 130k on odo. V6. 5r55s( four months old) All New except seats and steering wheel and motor. New trans. Rigged a tranny cooler fan w thermostat. Change oil every 2,500 miles (yes, excessive).
 






The water pump touching the block is often caused by an aftermarket gasket. Not sure if the 4.0 uses just silicone or the gasket, but on other motors, if you use some cheap gasket that is not thick enough, it will recess the pump too deep. The OEM gaskets are thicker, there is very small tolerance behind the pump.

Am I making sense ?
 






I used the felpro gasket. I was under the impresiom it was a good gasket.
 






FelPro is a good brand, but can't tell if it's thinner or not. It's either a bad design on the aftermarket pump, or you would need to use 2 gaskets.
 






Would I use rtv between the two gaskes? Those gaskets have two sides to them. One flat one with a fubberizied raised section.
 






I do not think it would hurt. I would "dry - fit" the pump first without gaskets and see if you feel any resistance trying to spin the shaft, and see the gap behind the pump. Try a different pump or go to another part store and ask for one to compare ?
 






Good Idea. I think I have a lot of work in front of me. I have to replace my valve cover gaskets, diagnose a bad injector, and while I'm at it switch the intake gaskets Me neighbor keeps trying to sell me his Tahoe. I said I enjoy the misery and supporting Enterprise, lol!!!
 






I wonder if " Gates" has a known problem - not to say anything bad against them. Many have had success with then.
 






Different pump is in order. Any referrals?
 






As you're in the USA I gather you'd have options via RockAuto !! Also info on the parts posted their.
 






I'll run with that. Thanks. Yes, low and behold my front passenger caliper was grabbing 60% more than the driver's side. Good catch. I'll check it in a week to see if I have to replace it
 






In my personal vehicle the rust can build up on the cast iron under the stainless plates pushing it tighter. Hanging up the pad guides. Also the stainless is very poor since it rusts a lot!!!. The pins guides can also start seizing in any vehicle so the caliper won't float in out. Caliper grease on all the contact points as well as the pins (protected by the rubber bellows) as moisture gets in and rusts them.
 






Calipers are about eight months old. I used the wrong type of grease and too much of it on the sliders. I replaced the sliders and used minimal but enough sythethic grease to get the pins sliding. So far today, there has been no hang up and no drag. Raised the vehicle and the wheel spins. I consider this a success.
 






I drained the coolant and ran the engine for a a minute. It had a horrible scrapping sound - metal on metal. I think we should go for the two gaskets and a different type of pump..
 






Thank you. I may look at a Motorcraft unit. Thanks for your advice. You have a nice looking engine sitting there. Is it installed?
Next week I expect a commission check to arrive. I have to hold off on repairs until the bank releases funds.
So far, I'm planning on changing the valve covers, installing a new temp gauge for the trans, rotate and balance the tires.
Today, I installed new heater hoses, flushed the cooling system, new plugs and wires, and installed a new fuel filter. I also rebuilt my right front caliper. It was sticking.

I still think my engine is toast. It has the death rattle. Starting to save my duckets for that expense. Looks like I'm going to be running to work on my KTM until this baby is fixed and running.

Watter wetter was the main culprit of the oil globs. I read that in a few magazines. and online.
 






OK- I know I can be a little dense at times - just ask my wife.
But I'm really confused on why you are looking for a new engine? You've been all over the place on this thread - wrong oil - water wetter- caliper dragging - etc. You've solved some problems, have good compression, had the truck run strong on a trip, had a good oil report......
I'm lost - why exactly are you still convinced that you have a bad engine?
 



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That's my problem exactly. Waterwetter causes blobs - didn't know that. Wrong oil causing loud ticking - no idea wrong oil could cause that. Massive amounts of aluminum in radiator - no idea of cause - but pretty sure it's the pump. I was just waiting for a bad oil report before ordering an engine.

No longer convinced it's the engine. All that turns out to be a bad water pump, wrong oil, and a sticking caliper. It sure is cheaper talking about it vs just tossing parts at it.

At the risk of being annoying, I saved a ton of money and learned a lot. Genuinely thank you for the replies.
 






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