2003 v6 4.0 ranger. Been losing coolant for a week or so now having to top it up every other day. I believe it is my drivers side head gasket, I know a head gasket itself is cheap it’s the labour that’s expensive so I will most definitely not be paying a shop to do it I’ll have to figure it out myself. I do have another motor the same year with lower km so I’m asking is the head gasket easy enough to replace or would my time be better spent dropping my other motor in? My current motor in it is at 304000km the spare motor is at 190000km.
Anyone with some advice from experience doing these would be much appreciated thanks.

 

Though I haven’t done a compression test but my oil is clean nothing is getting in there, no white smoke coming under the hood or through the pipe, mileage gone down slightly and just feels less peppy a little less get up and go when giving it gas so I just assumed head gasket because I can’t see any leaks on the motor/rad/underneath. I’m stumped.

 

Welcome to the forum

Not likely to be a head gasket on the 4.0l SOHC engine, can be, just not as likely as it was on the 4.0l OHV(1990-2000 Rangers)
You would have to pull the engine to replace head gaskets, because of the rear timing chain, so engine swap since you have one already


From your description is doesn't read like head gasket either, blown head gaskets pump AIR into the cooling system, which causes cooling system to push coolant OUT, and into the overflow tank filling it up to the top and then bubbling
Also it would overheat within a few minutes of driving, because of the air and fast coolant loss to overflow tank


The common coolant leak spot on the 4.0l SOHC engine is the thermostat housing, it cracks, and coolant leaks out on to the lower intake and evaporates so no real coolant dripping down to the ground

Have a look here: https://howtoreplacefordthermostathousing.com/

Scroll forward a few pages to see where it is and what thermostat housing looks like
Then maybe eyeball your engine to see if this may be where coolant is going

If it seems to be leaking its not a hard repair, and I think you can get Metal housings now, so no more cracks but plastic ones do last a long while, so users choice