Hey Scotty I have a 99 ford ranger 4.0 L 6C with 86,500 miles on it. I was driving on the highway today and the truck wouldn’t go faster than 50 mph even giving it full throttle and the entire truck was shaking at a red light. The truck is from florida and im living in montana now where it was 0 degrees when i drove it today. I got it towed and the mechanic said it’s still leaking coolant and the headgaskets are blown. I just got the thermostat radiator and fuel pump replaced a month ago. Is there any point of rebuilding the engine or getting a new engine? Please help me bc I can’t afford a new motor
Head gaskets are always heartbreaking. They always seem to go out when you need a car the most, and fixing them is always a very expensive ordeal. But in your case, I have a few thoughts.
First, verify for yourself it’s the head gasket. It probably is. But you should confirm it. Scotty and other youtubers have good videos on that.
Second, replacing the head gasket on a 99 Ranger should be relatively inexpensive, and almost certainly less than the vehicle is worth (assuming it’s otherwise in good condition).
Third, very few DIYers are up for doing their own head gaskets, but you may be able to find a mechanic willing to do it as a side gig for cheap, or maybe get a buddy to help you.
A word of warning: head gasket failures commonly are a sign of something worse, like a cracked block, that truly would be a fatal event. So pay attention and make sure you don’t pay for a futile repair.
Unfortunately, the 4.0s have single overhead cams, which means quite a bit more money, usually. The 3.0 Vulcans are overhead valves, which are easier to replace, but it's still not for the faint of heart DIYer. At least you don't need to mess with engine timing, though, which is a plus.
Well that's not that many miles. If it does have a blown head gasket, see what local mechanics will charge to fix it. Or you could try to use damage. Of course that's a gamble though
damage what?
@gianninegron - Scotty uses voice-to-text which doesn't always work right. I assume he's talking about "sealer" products such as Bar's Leaks for head gaskets. They are a crap shoot, a temporary band-aid intended for vehicles that have the junkyard as the only other option.