'91 explorer coolant leak

[triphopp]

thanks for reading,

my '91 explorer xl started overheating while on the road 2 days ago, i stopped and discovered i was dangerously low on coolant. i added 2 gallons of water and noticed it was dripping a fairly steady stream of coolant underneath in the middle of the car but was able to drive it back home fine. i find it stops leaking at some point but doesn't go empty but am afraid to drive it for fear of more damage.

upon inspection, i'm unable to pinpoint the source of the leak due to the location. it's dripping down between my oil filter and whatever that large metal casing is in the middle. if i look down between the engine and the firewall i can see some coolant on the top of that large casing but can see no more than that due to the available viewing angles.

any ideas what i'm looking at here? so far from what i read it could be a plug, gasket, or my heater core (bad!). i'm hoping to repair it myself if possible, though i can take it somewhere if needed.

thanks for any help you all can give!

-triphopp

[bambambam]

Is it a 4.0? Leaking right the beside the oil filter could very well be the head gasket.

[triphopp]

yes, it's a 4.0L, and upon the closest inspection i can get, it's leaking somewhere on top of the transmission or above it between the firewall and the engine, then rolling down the side and dripping off next to the filter. i'll try using a mirror to further pinpoint the source.

[bambambam]

Maybe you will get lucky and it will just be the heater hose. Its hard to track down those leaks sometimes, I was able to find mine before by putting the truck up on ramps and sliding underneath with a strong flashlight.

[triphopp]

it was the head gasket.