I have recently changed the thermostat and flushed the radiator. I checked the upper radiator hose going to the water pump and it is hot and has pressure. Also, I checked the heater hose going to the heater core and it was hot. The outgoing was cold.
My 99 Ford Explorer is overheating and blowing white smoke. Is the head gasket blown?
That is always possible. It's also possible the head is warped or cracked. All of these things can happen if you severely overheat your engine. Check your oil, and see if you are getting water in the oil - depending on the oil, it will get milky, or turn like vaseline. Whatever the case, unless you are really mechanically inclined, it's time to take it to the shop, and get ready to pay through the nose.
My 99 Ford Explorer is overheating and blowing white smoke. Is the head gasket blown?
you didn't indicate whether the overheating started before, or after you installed the thermostat. Make sure you didn't install the thermo upside down!
you probably did all this stuff after you overheated the vehicle im guessing. so yes, you have a head gasket, warped or cracked head, cracked block or something is wrong. the outgoing line from your heater core being cold while the other is hot, is because you prolly didnt have your heater on, so thats a moot point. the white smoke means your getting coolant in the combustion chamber. if the thing is running decent, it may just be a head gasket, but in order for it to start leaking into the chamber, the head would have had to be red hot. so i'd look for used heads somewhere. remember, your oil pressure is always higher than the coolant pressure, so the answer above about looking for oil in the coolant is correct, but doesnt mean something isnt cracked. good luck, it needs fixing quick!
Yes, sounds like a blown head gasket, if it's a 4.0 SOHC better look for a new engine, because of the timing chains, all 4 of them, it's very expensive to change out the heads..
