'92 explorer blown head gasket?

First off I'm not a car guy but I can do anything with the right
instructions so bear with me. Ok this is a long story but I'll try and
cut it down. Back in this past May I bought a '92 4.0L Explorer with
roughly 108k miles on it. I needed something cheap that would be able
to tow around a pop-up camper for the summer. I had my mechanic take a
quick look at it to make sure it would be able to handle the job and he
said it should be fine. Well, it did tow the pop-up fine but after the
summer at about 112k it started to "knock" and stutter when I
accelerated, idled rough, lacked power, and got even poorer gas
mileage. No problem, sounded/looked like the plugs and wires needed to
be replaced. I did so (One plug was bridged with silt and the others
were fairly dirty as well) and the car sounded better, idled smooth, no
more knocking, and it seemed to have a little more power. I also
cleaned the MAF sensor with electronic cleaner since I read that could
cause some of the same symptoms and it was so easy to do. I also added
fuel injector cleaner to the gas. I disconnected the battery connection
to reset the computer settings and I thought I was done.
A day or 2 later I developed 2 exhaust leaks and some small
backfiring under the car when I accelerated. I didn't think much of it
thinking it was because of the cracked exhaust pipes. It was due for
inspection in a few months so I figured I'd deal with the slight
annoyance and have it fixed at inspection time. Also at the next time I
refueled I noticed I was only getting 12/mpg (was getting 15mpg with a
dead bridged plug) with almost all highway driving. I thought maybe it
had something to do with the fuel injector cleaner I added combined
with resetting the computer, but I double-checked all of the plugs and
wires to make sure everything was ok. It all looked ok and the car ran
fine. The RPMs were even lower at the same speeds than before the
plug/wire change. At the next gas fill-up I was only getting 11/mpg but
the car still ran normal. Maybe a week after that the car's RPMs would
sometimes shoot up to 2,000 when ever I'd put it in park, but drop back
down to normal (normal as far as I could tell for this thing since I've
had it anyway) in any other gear at about 500-750 rpm. This started to
worry me even more so I did some more rooting around the engine the
next night. I know basic car maintenance and am not a car guy so again,
bear with my descriptions here. I found that above the PCV valve there
is a thin black plastic tube/wire (2mm thick maybe) with a rubber
L-boot that was cracked in a few places and actually severed 6 inches
or so down the tube. It is the front facing one, not the one on the
back which is still connected and traceable. I can't actually seem to
find out what this is or does in my Haynes manual. I have no clue where
the other end was to even try and guess where it leads. When I changed
the plugs I had knocked this tube/wire a few times and made sure it was
connected fine, but can't be sure that I didn't break it then. The
sever wasn't noticeable until I actually pulled on the wire/tube.
Anyway, the next day after class I had planned on stopping by the auto
parts store, finding out what it was/did, and getting a new one. I was
hoping it was just a simple sensor wire and was causing all my
problems. The car still seemed to drive fine aside from the excess gas
consumption so I didn't see a problem taking it to class.
The next day on my way to class going down the turnpike I noticed
within a few minutes my gas had drained over 1/4 tank. I pulled over
thinking I had a gas leak. There was no gas smell and no leak or smoke.
I was closer to class than I was to home so I decided to just go for
class. After class on the way back the gas continued to drop fast.
Close to home I stopped to get gas. 9/mpg this time. It cost me $33.50
to go 175 miles highway driving. After that I headed to the auto parts
store but before I could get there the upper radiator hose burst on its
top while I was slowing down at a red-light. It was pretty cold outside
and the car didn't seem to actually be overheating. I still had plenty
of coolant left too, slightly above the line, and it wasn't boiling
over or anything. I waited for the engine to cool, cleaned the burst
hose, and added a multilayer duct-tape wrap to try and get me the few
miles to the auto parts store. Half way there I tried to climb a hill
and it burst again. This time I decide to just call my stepfather to
come get me and go get a hose. I do that, replace the hose, and
everything looks ok. The coolant is still at the same level, only
steamed coolant seems to have come out of the burst hose. The car
starts fine and I start down the road. At first it seemed fine, I was
taking it easy. Then when I get to another hill I go to press on the
gas and realize that I actually have the pedal to the floor. Going up
the hill I steadily lose power. Also there is a rattle that gets
increasingly louder. It sounded like a metal or plastic washer shaking
loose, coming from the driver's side area of the engine. The check
engine light comes on as well. I barely make it to the top of the hill
and the car dies as I pull to the shoulder. The battery is still fully
charged. I look under the hood and everything looks ok that I could
see. I go to start the car again and it starts a little rough but
smoothes out and idles. As soon as I would put it into drive though it
died again and kept doing that. $155 in various towing charges later (A
whole other story) I get a mechanic to agree to look at it. Today he
called me and gave me the verdict, but I'm not sure I can believe him.
He said it was a blown gasket. The thing is he said he wasn't going to
charge me anything and he couldn't do the work himself right now. He
said it only took him 5 minutes to take a look at it and that he was
too busy to tackle something that demanding. He couldn't even tell me
of anyone that could fix it (my mechanic was busy and this guy was the
third I had called). I had the car towed to his place, costing me
another $55 towing charge, because he said he could handle it. I gave
him the full symptom list ahead of time. From what I've read though, it
seems he really couldn't have tested the head gasket in only 5-10 mins.
Also, the car didn't over heat or leak coolant. I have a feeling he
just got in over his head and never even looked at my car.
Finally the point. Does anyone have any ideas what is wrong, what
that thin broken tube/hose/wire is, and if this guy is bull****ing me?
I never would have had it towed to his place if he would have let me
know he might not have been able to find the time to fix it. Could I
have screwed up when I changed the plugs and wires? The plugs were
Bosch Platinum 2s, supposedly no need to gap them. I know this was long
but I wanted to be as detailed as possible. Thanks a lot to anyone who
answers. I'm praying it's not a head gasket because I have very little
money to fix this.

g the b wrote:

> store but before I could get there the upper radiator hose burst on its
> top while I was slowing down at a red-light. It was pretty cold outside
> and the car didn't seem to actually be overheating. I still had plenty
> of coolant left too, slightly above the line, and it wasn't boiling
> over or anything. I waited for the engine to cool, cleaned the burst
> hose, and added a multilayer duct-tape wrap to try and get me the few
> miles to the auto parts store. Half way there I tried to climb a hill
> and it burst again. This time I decide to just call my stepfather to
> come get me and go get a hose. I do that, replace the hose, and
> everything looks ok. The coolant is still at the same level, only
> steamed coolant seems to have come out of the burst hose. The car
> starts fine and I start down the road. At first it seemed fine, I was
> taking it easy. Then when I get to another hill I go to press on the
> gas and realize that I actually have the pedal to the floor. Going up
> the hill I steadily lose power. Also there is a rattle that gets
> increasingly louder. It sounded like a metal or plastic washer shaking
> loose, coming from the driver's side area of the engine. The check
> engine light comes on as well. I barely make it to the top of the hill
> and the car dies as I pull to the shoulder.


Sounds like at least a head gasket.
If your cooling system has a leak it will NOT suck the coolent from the
overflow tank, it will suck in air through the leak.
The engine was seriously overheated, if all that's wrong is a head gasket
you are very lucky.
--
Jack
Giving up the right to arms is a mistake a free people get to make only
once. I will not make that mistake.

Had you considered doing it yourself?

A manual on the '92 would give you all the instructions and a list of
the tools needed to do the job. It isn't the easiest job, but if you have a
garage, the tools, the time, the inclination, and half a wit you can do
it....following the instructions. It will save you money, give you
experience, and if you muck it up you have no one to blame but yourself, but
having a kid you know you have to budget, so you figure it. You pay someone
for their time to do it, or you make the time yourself. The way the
economics work, it runs about the same either way. If you aren't comfortable
doing it, definitely pay a mechanic, and be glad.

"g the b" > wrote in message
oups.com...
| First off I'm not a car guy but I can do anything with the right
| instructions so bear with me. Ok this is a long story but I'll try and
| cut it down. Back in this past May I bought a '92 4.0L Explorer with
| roughly 108k miles on it. I needed something cheap that would be able
| to tow around a pop-up camper for the summer. I had my mechanic take a
| quick look at it to make sure it would be able to handle the job and he
| said it should be fine. Well, it did tow the pop-up fine but after the
| summer at about 112k it started to "knock" and stutter when I
| accelerated, idled rough, lacked power, and got even poorer gas
| mileage. No problem, sounded/looked like the plugs and wires needed to
| be replaced. I did so (One plug was bridged with silt and the others
| were fairly dirty as well) and the car sounded better, idled smooth, no
| more knocking, and it seemed to have a little more power. I also
| cleaned the MAF sensor with electronic cleaner since I read that could
| cause some of the same symptoms and it was so easy to do. I also added
| fuel injector cleaner to the gas. I disconnected the battery connection
| to reset the computer settings and I thought I was done.
| A day or 2 later I developed 2 exhaust leaks and some small
| backfiring under the car when I accelerated. I didn't think much of it
| thinking it was because of the cracked exhaust pipes. It was due for
| inspection in a few months so I figured I'd deal with the slight
| annoyance and have it fixed at inspection time. Also at the next time I
| refueled I noticed I was only getting 12/mpg (was getting 15mpg with a
| dead bridged plug) with almost all highway driving. I thought maybe it
| had something to do with the fuel injector cleaner I added combined
| with resetting the computer, but I double-checked all of the plugs and
| wires to make sure everything was ok. It all looked ok and the car ran
| fine. The RPMs were even lower at the same speeds than before the
| plug/wire change. At the next gas fill-up I was only getting 11/mpg but
| the car still ran normal. Maybe a week after that the car's RPMs would
| sometimes shoot up to 2,000 when ever I'd put it in park, but drop back
| down to normal (normal as far as I could tell for this thing since I've
| had it anyway) in any other gear at about 500-750 rpm. This started to
| worry me even more so I did some more rooting around the engine the
| next night. I know basic car maintenance and am not a car guy so again,
| bear with my descriptions here. I found that above the PCV valve there
| is a thin black plastic tube/wire (2mm thick maybe) with a rubber
| L-boot that was cracked in a few places and actually severed 6 inches
| or so down the tube. It is the front facing one, not the one on the
| back which is still connected and traceable. I can't actually seem to
| find out what this is or does in my Haynes manual. I have no clue where
| the other end was to even try and guess where it leads. When I changed
| the plugs I had knocked this tube/wire a few times and made sure it was
| connected fine, but can't be sure that I didn't break it then. The
| sever wasn't noticeable until I actually pulled on the wire/tube.
| Anyway, the next day after class I had planned on stopping by the auto
| parts store, finding out what it was/did, and getting a new one. I was
| hoping it was just a simple sensor wire and was causing all my
| problems. The car still seemed to drive fine aside from the excess gas
| consumption so I didn't see a problem taking it to class.
| The next day on my way to class going down the turnpike I noticed
| within a few minutes my gas had drained over 1/4 tank. I pulled over
| thinking I had a gas leak. There was no gas smell and no leak or smoke.
| I was closer to class than I was to home so I decided to just go for
| class. After class on the way back the gas continued to drop fast.
| Close to home I stopped to get gas. 9/mpg this time. It cost me $33.50
| to go 175 miles highway driving. After that I headed to the auto parts
| store but before I could get there the upper radiator hose burst on its
| top while I was slowing down at a red-light. It was pretty cold outside
| and the car didn't seem to actually be overheating. I still had plenty
| of coolant left too, slightly above the line, and it wasn't boiling
| over or anything. I waited for the engine to cool, cleaned the burst
| hose, and added a multilayer duct-tape wrap to try and get me the few
| miles to the auto parts store. Half way there I tried to climb a hill
| and it burst again. This time I decide to just call my stepfather to
| come get me and go get a hose. I do that, replace the hose, and
| everything looks ok. The coolant is still at the same level, only
| steamed coolant seems to have come out of the burst hose. The car
| starts fine and I start down the road. At first it seemed fine, I was
| taking it easy. Then when I get to another hill I go to press on the
| gas and realize that I actually have the pedal to the floor. Going up
| the hill I steadily lose power. Also there is a rattle that gets
| increasingly louder. It sounded like a metal or plastic washer shaking
| loose, coming from the driver's side area of the engine. The check
| engine light comes on as well. I barely make it to the top of the hill
| and the car dies as I pull to the shoulder. The battery is still fully
| charged. I look under the hood and everything looks ok that I could
| see. I go to start the car again and it starts a little rough but
| smoothes out and idles. As soon as I would put it into drive though it
| died again and kept doing that. $155 in various towing charges later (A
| whole other story) I get a mechanic to agree to look at it. Today he
| called me and gave me the verdict, but I'm not sure I can believe him.
| He said it was a blown gasket. The thing is he said he wasn't going to
| charge me anything and he couldn't do the work himself right now. He
| said it only took him 5 minutes to take a look at it and that he was
| too busy to tackle something that demanding. He couldn't even tell me
| of anyone that could fix it (my mechanic was busy and this guy was the
| third I had called). I had the car towed to his place, costing me
| another $55 towing charge, because he said he could handle it. I gave
| him the full symptom list ahead of time. From what I've read though, it
| seems he really couldn't have tested the head gasket in only 5-10 mins.
| Also, the car didn't over heat or leak coolant. I have a feeling he
| just got in over his head and never even looked at my car.
| Finally the point. Does anyone have any ideas what is wrong, what
| that thin broken tube/hose/wire is, and if this guy is bull****ing me?
| I never would have had it towed to his place if he would have let me
| know he might not have been able to find the time to fix it. Could I
| have screwed up when I changed the plugs and wires? The plugs were
| Bosch Platinum 2s, supposedly no need to gap them. I know this was long
| but I wanted to be as detailed as possible. Thanks a lot to anyone who
| answers. I'm praying it's not a head gasket because I have very little
| money to fix this.
|

I looked into it and it is far too involved for me. I also don't have
the tools, or space to take up for so long. It may not even be the
head gasket. Are you saying that is what you think it is by my
description? I seriously don't even think he (the mechanic) looked at
the vehicle. He towed the vehicle himself and could have just been
looking to make a quick $55 knowing he had no time to work on it. My
normal mechanic is busy for at least 2 weeks, as are all the others I
had called. That is the other big issue is what do I do with the car.
Nobody has room to store it until they can get to it and I really don't
feel like spending another $110 towing it to my house, and then to a
garage when somebody finally has an opening. I'm trying my best to find
out what the problem is for sure before I take it to somebody else. If
I take it to another mechanic telling him it's a $1500 head gasket job,
even if it turns out just to be a broken sensor wire he's going to
replace the wire and do a $1500 head gasket job.

"jrchilds" > wrote in message
...
> g the b wrote:
>
> > store but before I could get there the upper radiator hose burst on its
> > top while I was slowing down at a red-light. It was pretty cold outside
> > and the car didn't seem to actually be overheating. I still had plenty
> > of coolant left too, slightly above the line, and it wasn't boiling
> > over or anything. I waited for the engine to cool, cleaned the burst
> > hose, and added a multilayer duct-tape wrap to try and get me the few
> > miles to the auto parts store. Half way there I tried to climb a hill
> > and it burst again. This time I decide to just call my stepfather to
> > come get me and go get a hose. I do that, replace the hose, and
> > everything looks ok. The coolant is still at the same level, only
> > steamed coolant seems to have come out of the burst hose. The car
> > starts fine and I start down the road. At first it seemed fine, I was
> > taking it easy. Then when I get to another hill I go to press on the
> > gas and realize that I actually have the pedal to the floor. Going up
> > the hill I steadily lose power. Also there is a rattle that gets
> > increasingly louder. It sounded like a metal or plastic washer shaking
> > loose, coming from the driver's side area of the engine. The check
> > engine light comes on as well. I barely make it to the top of the hill
> > and the car dies as I pull to the shoulder.
>
>
> Sounds like at least a head gasket.
> If your cooling system has a leak it will NOT suck the coolent from the
> overflow tank, it will suck in air through the leak.
> The engine was seriously overheated, if all that's wrong is a head gasket
> you are very lucky.

I agree. I'd try to cajole my mechanic into at least taking the time to give
it a pressure test so that I'd know for sure.
H

On 23 Dec 2004 17:29:16 -0800, "g the b" >
wrote:

>I looked into it and it is far too involved for me. I also don't have
>the tools, or space to take up for so long. It may not even be the
>head gasket. Are you saying that is what you think it is by my
>description? I seriously don't even think he (the mechanic) looked at
>the vehicle. He towed the vehicle himself and could have just been
>looking to make a quick $55 knowing he had no time to work on it. My
>normal mechanic is busy for at least 2 weeks, as are all the others I
>had called. That is the other big issue is what do I do with the car.
>Nobody has room to store it until they can get to it and I really don't
>feel like spending another $110 towing it to my house, and then to a
>garage when somebody finally has an opening. I'm trying my best to find
>out what the problem is for sure before I take it to somebody else. If
>I take it to another mechanic telling him it's a $1500 head gasket job,
>even if it turns out just to be a broken sensor wire he's going to
>replace the wire and do a $1500 head gasket job.

You have to trust someone.
*You* picked this mechanic who said he didn't have time to do the job.
If you don't trust him, why choose him to look at the truck?
Maybe you'd be better off buying the shop manual and doing this
yourself; at least you'd know who to blame if it goes wrong.

Not all mechanics are out to cheat you. Actually, very few are out to
cheat you, and they don't last long.
Why did the first mechanic (the one you took it to to check out before
you bought the truck) not notice an obviously bad radiator hose?

You'd better tow it somewhere; storage charges can get pretty steep.
Take it somewhere you trust, and don't tell them what he other
mechanics said; that way, you won't feel that they are just confirming
another mechanic's diagnosis, since they won';t know whatg he other
mechanics told you.
It does sound, though, like a blown head gasket from your desription.
If you're lucky, there wasn't other damage done, making more repairs
necessary.

--
Bill Funk
Change "g" to "a"

I only "picked" this guy because he was the only one not busy for at
least 2 weeks out of a list of 3 or 4 guys referred to me by my regular
mechanic. The vehicle broke down on a Saturday night. None of the
garages around here are open on Sundays so I had nowhere to tow it to
until Monday morning. Sunday night we had flurries and another tow
company decided that my car that was pulled off on the shoulder was a
road hazard and towed it to their lot. The mechanic the car is at now
said he did have the time to do the work. He said this after I told him
the same information I posted on here. I needed the car towed somewhere
quickly to be fixed and since he said he could do the repairs that is
the only reason why I had him tow it to his place.

I don't automatically think all mechanics are out to cheat me. Almost
all I've met have been honest guys. If you guys in this group can
figure out what it was by my description, he sure as hell should have
had an idea it might be a head gasket before hand when I told him the
story on the phone. It took him from Monday morning until Thursday
afternoon to look at it and he out right told me he only looked at it
for 5 minutes. It just seems a little odd is all.

I doubt there was anything wrong with the radiator hose before. It
lasted fine all summer pulling a large pop-up trailer up and down the
mountains of WV.

This guy is just a small garage so he isn't charging me storage. I
don't think he has the balls to try that move. He knows he said he
could work on it, all the other shops are busy, and X-mas is this
weekend. He said Monday or Tuesday would be fine to move it someplace
else.

That is the problem, all the places I could trust are busy. And I have
to tell them what could be wrong with it because I don't want to deal
with the same situation I'm in now. I can't keep paying a million
towing charges to places that can't fit in the work once they find out
what the problem actually is.

I really just wanted to try and find out if others thought it was ahead
gasket as well. Thanks to all that replied. I think all I can really do
is have it towed to my house and just wait until my regular mechanic
can fit me in. I trust him and I know he'll only charge me what I can
afford. I wouldn't mind attempting to do it myself except that if
something else were wrong I really wouldn't be qualified to know about
it. Also, I don't have the tools or space to try it. I think that I
had a dead cylinder and when I changed the plugs it activated the
cylinder blowing the gasket. Again, thanks to all that replied.