93 Ranger Timing / Radiatior fluid

Hi,

If you are really losing coolant and it isn't leaking on the ground or being burned in cylinder it is going into your oil. Check it and see if its foamy after you run it.

Steve, I am surprised it took this long to ping. The 3.0 is a great motor, but it does have pinging issues (the newer ones still have it). Burn the premium. As far as the anti-freeze, check where the radiator tank meets the tubes. Often the o-ring that seals the tanks fails and anti-freeze seeps. It could burn off before you see it, also on the '93 Ranger, there is a cross member that runs right under the radiator where it can collect and get blown off while you are driving.

I forgot to mention the fact that my coolant level does NOT go down in the plastic resivoir...I must remove the radiatior cap in the morning (cold )before starting the truck to notice the fluid is low. Don't know if this is important or not. Thanks, Steve

Not important in finding the leak, however, you should replace the cap as it seems to not be working properly. How much are you adding every week? Are you topping it off hot? You should be. You could be seeing an air pocket that simply needs to be filled. When the AF expands as it heats up, it has to go somewhere, if it can't go into the overflow, it will find someplace....

I added about 1 gal of AF during a 2,000 mile journey. I checked the radiator first thing in the morning after the truck was sitting overnight and added until the radiatior was full. Your suggestion about the cap sounds like the first thing I should try.....simple and low cost. Thanks, Steve

Wow, that's quite a bit! That's half. I had the seems leaking on my 93 4.0. Never saw a drop on the ground, but the pan under the radiator had some surface rust on it...

You want to attend to this ASAP if you are losing that much. A pressure test is a good place to start. If that doesn't identify a leak, many shops can put dye in the AF and then check it with a black light. The 3.0 is a tough motor and I have seen many go over 300,000 miles. Hate to lose it over a coolant leak.

I failed to mention that I did run a pressure test, no visible leaks. The damn coolant must be going somewhere, I will check the crossmember and other parts under the engine later today. Also, I will pick up a new cap for the radiatior. Usually when an engine looses that much coolant it either blows white smoke from the exhaust, leaves a puddle in the garage floor or winds up in the oil. I am not much of a mechanic, but this sure has me baffeled. Glad to hear that some 3.0's go for 300,000 miles. I always change oil at