Need Help!!!!!!!!!

[power95]

I have a 99 Ranger that i drive everyday, it has 55,000 miles on a 4.OL V6 but every time i check the oil (about every 2 weeks) the coolant is low. There are no leaks that i can find. Also i run mobile 1 synthetic and after a couple hundred miles it is black and smells like gas. If u have any ideas please let me know.

[F-350MAN]

does your oil seem milky or do you notice blue smoke at all?

[mschn99]

is it a 4.0 single overhead cam, or a pushrod 4.0, as i believe both motors were offered in the ranger in 99 (i might be wrong...the pushrod may have been discontinued in 98, cant remember). anyways, is it running rough, is the check engine light ever on? occasionally you see a 4.0 with cracked heads (pushrod) or blown head gaskets(overhead cam). also, check the passanger floorboard for any moisture right up by the top of the carpet. this would indicate a heater core leaking, which is a pain because the whole dash would have to come out. if neither of those are leaking, let me know what motor it is, as i have common leaks for both, but they are different...oh....and check the side tanks on the radiator. i looked and saw you are in north dakota, and the radiators in the rangers and explorers are netorious for seeping out of the seam between the cores and the side tanks when the temp gets down. they seep at night and after it warms up in the morning, the seep goes away. anyway, let me know what motor it is and ill try to help more......Marc

[jwiger]

i had a '00 4dr XLT 4x4 with 4.0 SOHC loved that truck (year slinger it was the rental) it did have a leak once on the RH tank but to me it looked like some one squashed the end of the core with a jack, funny thing is i new about the rads on those things getting leaks so i inspeced it every time i was down there for an oil change then all of the sudden this happened, my only guess is my wife ( or maybe i) ran over somethign that bounced up and hit the rad. hard and set of a leak.

[power95]

it is 4.0L OVH with pushrods, when i start it when it is really cold it will run rough and loud (no block heater), if it idils for too long the check engine light will come on, it is a lot louder sence i bought it (december 2004), it was a lease vehicle from west virginia

[mschn99]

as far as your cold idle problem, and check engine light, first thing i would proably do would be to take your mas air flow sensor off. it is the sensor right after the air filter. take it out so you can see the very thin wires that are in the verticle 3/8" or so wide column that is in the dead center. lightly spray the wires with brake clean untill all the residue is off of the wires. the other thing you can clean is the IAC, idle air controll valve. it is on the intake, towards the drivers side of the intake if i remember right. it will have a semi-diamond like base, with a cylender about an inch wide and two and a half to three inches long attatched to that base, but at a 90 degree angle to the base. two bolts hold it on, and a two wire connecter should go to it. take it off and clean the inside thouroughly with brake clean. if the sensors are still good, and they are just gummed up mechanically, this MAY fix the cold idle problem. the leak will probably be a radiator side tank, or the more common one is the left front corner of the intake, although that is less common on yours as yours has a plasic intake. also, ceck the heater core as i previously said, and water pumps are pretty rare on them, but that would also be a place to check. the thermostat goes in at the right front corner of the intake, and i would check for any white residue there too. sometiems leaks are tough to find, and check your oil now that is is fresh and watch for ANY milky look to it. if it runs ok warm, than your heads are probably ok, and they usually overheat with cracked heads also, so while they are not ruled out, i would think more than likely they are ok. basically, it sounds like you have a mild leak that probably leaks more cold, so start parking over a piece of cardboard when possible and look for any traces of a few drips to help isolate where the leak may be. small leaks can be a bear to find.

[power95]

again i have to thank u marc, i cleaned those sensors last week or sometime around then, i have purposely been leaving it idil long and the check engine light don't come on, and it runs a lot better. i still cant find the leak, i think i will take it in next week

i think if anyone has a problem they should ask u

[mschn99]

thanks for the thank you's....but really, its just a matter of knowing the motors......i didnt tell you anything you couldnt have found on the net with some searching....but your welcome for the help.....