Re: Help! Troubleshooting extreme coolant leak. Water pump or head gasket?
The reason it "runs like a dream when warm", and presumably misses when cold, is because heat eventually drives off the moisture and the cyl(s) that miss now fire.
The early 90's OHV 4.0's were infamous for developing lower intake leaks (typically vacuum and subsequently, engine knock, sometimes slow coolant consumption) as noted; often times people were simply able to retorque the lower intake and cure the problem without replacement. Considering it takes about 30 minutes and is just a matter of your time, I would suggest trying this; don't be surprised if a couple bolts are finger tight. Also, there's one bolt in particular in back (maybe a few others) that is most easily tightened if you have a couple of swivels at your disposal.
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2004 Ranger FX4 Level II, 5R55E, Sonic Blue Pearl
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