Help fixing my ford ranger

[RSanchez134]

It’s my sisters ranger and to be honest I am a novice to these terms. It is a 1998 ford ranger 3.0 auto, and at the moment it is sitting. Her husband is trying to fix it but to no avail. Here are I guess what they did and some lingering symptoms and thoughts.

They replaced the radiator and the water pump and changed the oil and coolant.
The truck does not start well
Other opinions on whats going on is that the motor has holes? Or the head gasket is cracked.
I believe they used some sort of head gasket cover up the crack but that did not work.
At the moment somehow water or the coolant is leaking with the oil in the motor so it is not starting.

Is there a way to fix it without breaking the bank too much ?

 

[RobbieD]

Hello, and welcome to TRS.

I'm sorry, but this doesn't sound good.

I hope that others weigh in on thoughts or advice, that have later model trucks with the 3.0, like yours.

 

[RonD]

Welcome to TRS

If coolant is leaking into the oil pan then yes the head gasket is bad, and you really don't want the engine to start
Coolant/oil mix will ruin the engine after engine warms up

I assume the engine was overheating so the radiator and water pump were changed
The overheating was caused by the bad head gasket so these changes didn't help

Block sealer or head gasket fix can be used but not when coolant is leaking into the oil, that can't fixed with an additive

So the heads need to come off, also the front timing chain cover
The heads can be tested and cleaned or you can get new/rebuilt heads which is faster
Mobile mechanics can do this type of work at your location, don't need a shop to do head gaskets
Mechanic can also diagnose it first, before jumping in
We can only go on what you posted which is way different that actually seeing the situation

In any case call around and get some prices to see if its something you want to do
If not then list it For Sale as "mechanics special" and get what you can for it

 

[superj]

welcome!

water and oil mixing can be head gasket or cracked heads. it can be expensive if you are not doing the repairs yourself.

the truck will be hard to start with the issues because you most likely have low compression in the cylinders