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Old 08-28-2011, 07:34 PM
ponderosa ponderosa is offline
'91 Ranger XLT 4x4 4.0L
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 2
Default Re: used "dex cool" coolant ... big problems!

I read that the Dex Cool contained a plasticizer that compromised regular gaskets as well as the plastic intake manifold on some models--hence my concern that all my coolant system gaskets were compromised. However, the Prestone dex-cool compatible coolant said it could be used in any vehicle with an aluminum radiator, which my 1991 Ranger has. Also, I looked and I do have the stock aluminum intake manifold (rather than a later plastic one).

Well, it's been a couple days, and I am not sure that my overheating issue was due to a head gasket or any other gasket issue. I flushed the orange Dex Cool coolant, and have been running straight water thinking I might have to drain the system to do repairs.

The oil was just changed and is clear and clean, so there doesn't seem to be any coolant getting into the oil. I can't tell if there is any oil in the coolant right now, but it is not dirty or bubbly like I have seen with other obvious head gasket ruptures. There didn't seem to be any oil up till it overheated (and I was checking the coolant every day or so). However, it looked like there was a very little bit of an oil sheen on the water running out of the radiator as I continually ran a hose in the open radiator to clear out the orange coolant... don't know what that means (could just be some oil on the ground from old oil leaks and changes).

When I drained the coolant, it was definitely a bit clumpy. And this was after I thoroughly flushed the system a month ago and added the orange dex-cool stuff. But I don't know if some of that residue might have been from the stop-leak addative I had put in the week before.

Is it possible that the orange "Dex Cool compatible" coolant and the Bar Leaks Liquid Copper stop-leak additive reacted with each other? (The overheating occured six days after I added the stuff, and I drove 60 miles during that time. No problems until the day it overheated rather suddenly.)

Since flushing and running with water only yesterday, I have idled and looked for issues for almost an hour, test drove around for 20 minutes, and driven 10 miles four times. I don't seem to have any water loss, no overheating and no pressure build up in the coolant system. I get up to operating temp, and it never goes above mid-normal, which is typical.

If it were a ruptured head gasket, I would think that pressure would still be getting pushed into the coolant system. Any thoughts there?

The only other things that I could mention that may or may not be related is that there was a belt squeel the day I overheated (and a couple days since) ... it sounded like it might have been the water pump or fan clutch, but it goes completely away when I just spit on the belt, so I think it is just the a belt squeel from all the water/coolant that has been oversprayed around the pullys. And the engine had a fouled plug a week before this... it was the front right cylinder... that was the same area where I noticed the very small coolant leak around the same time.

Any more thoughts?
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