Hi. I purchased a 1993 Explorer 4x4 with 80,00 miles a short while aho and all seemed well. I recenlty replaced the alternator and the thermostat. Thermostat was replaced about 2 weeks ago and I flushed the entire cooling system a few days ago. For the past few days it's been having a bit of trouble starting(takes about 5 seconds to finally turn over). Well today it started acting up rather badly with the same problems turning over but it also has a strong odor of gas coming from the engine and the exhaust along with white smoke bellowing out(especially when I floor the pedal). Nothing seems a miss with the fluids(Oil seems fine and on color, Coolant is nice and green and at level and transy fluid seems fine also). Would a stuck thermostat cause this or is this a bit more problematic then that? I'm going to go pick up a code reader tomorrow but wanted to see if someone might have some insight. Thanks.
Edit: Oil level is a bit high and the dipstick had a strong odor of gas. Gas mixing with oil, how? Will adjust to proper level tomorrow.