I have a 96 ranger 2.3l that had a coolant leak and now smokes whenever I start it. The smoke comes from a small hole at the end of a heater hose by the engine. Is this a sign of a blown head gasket or will this be an easy fix?

It's a small hole but a lot of white smoke comes out. I can upload a video of it smoking later if that helps

 

No, not a head gasket issue YET,..................but if engine ever overheats from loss of coolant it can become a head gasket issue

White smoke(steam) comes out the tail pipe when there is a head gasket issue, white smoke in engine bay is leaking coolant changing to steam on hot surfaces, or inside the cooling system if coolant is low

 

Cool not a head gasket problem yet. What can I do about the hole, can I push the hose over it?

 

Sure, you could try that

 

That metal pipe looks like its tapping out. That's a lot of rust. Can you replace that part? Almost looks like the thermostat housing on my 4.0. But yours has a sensor attached it seems. Not sure what it is. But for me thermostat housing pipe was a $20 part. Might be worth looking into a replacement. If its rusted through in that hole I'm guessing its structural integrity isn't that great.

 

Actually that's a smaller pipe. Heater return hose maybe? Looks like the ignition coil radio interference thingy is there on the front of your engine too?