gatorsfan121

so first the problem was one of the heater hoses snapped off the heater core connector. While diagnosing the problem i noticed there was amounts of rust throughout my cooling system, so i just went ahead and got both new heater core pipes and both radiator hoses, and a new thermostat. i was gonna clean and flush the system. After successfully putting all the new stuff on and the truck back together i filled the radiator up the just water to test it, and once i turn the engine over it runs shaky and ruff the water in the radiator bubbles instantly with the cap off, the white puffs of smoke coming out the exhaust, the engine oil is milky, and theres white smoke coming out of the engine oil filler tube.

03f15012

So.... You're wondering if that is a sign of a blown head gasket? It is, so you're on the right track. The early 4.2's (1997- 1998) were notorious for those as they weren't the best quality. So that does nothing more than to prove it.

gatorsfan121

thanks..... so what do you think my best option would be fix it or sell it

03f15012

Its on self preference. Though if its a nice truck and only needs that, I'd say go for it. Just know that if you do sell it, you won't be able to sell it for as much. Plus, you're gonna need another truck. So all in all, it might be better off to do that.

w0lvez

It could either warped or cracked the Cylinder Heads/Lower Intake Manifold.

Disable the fuel pump and coil pack. Try removing the spark plugs and crank the engine to determine which cylinder could be causing the bubbles

Robert Jeffries

I have 2001 XL 5 spd with 103000 miles. I just discovered milky oil on my fill cap. The oil on the dip stick looks normal. I've heard that these heads go bad around the 100k mark. Is this problem common among all 4.2L engines?

Thanks,

Granthol

The milky stuff on the fill cap but not in the crankcase oil is most likely due to condensation this time of year. Especially if you drive the truck on lots of short runs it doesn’t get hot enough, long enough to get it out of the system.