Hello, I'm new to forums, but just bought a 1989 Ford Ranger 2.9 V6 yesterday. The previous owner claimed it had a new used engine installed and had a receipt, which it appears it does.

However, the truck smells like coolant. The lower radiator hose was leaking, and I fixed that issue, but still the same problem.

I did a compression check and all cylinders came back normal around 150. The oil on the dipstick looks normal, the oil cap looks normal, no white smoke coming from the exhaust, and no bubbles in the radiator.

I did find steam on the oil cap, which worries me. Could it just be a small head gasket leak? Are these engines prone to leaking in certain spots? Should I do a block test?

Thank you.

Both heads on my 91 ranger cracked one in 6 spots around the center cyl on one side a 3 spots center cyl on the other side

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Is the heater core leaking possibly? Where is the coolant smell most prominent? Are you losing coolant?

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1995 Ranger XLT 3.0L OBDII
Trans: A4LD (E) 2WD
Rear: 7.5 / 3.45 NL LHD
Tires:GY P235 75/R15 (orig 225 70/R14)
Long Bed, 20 Gal Tank
Up to 229,900 miles

Do some more tests. I was given an 89 ranger 2.9l and both the heads were cracked. Replacing the heads on a 2.9 is pretty simple.

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