StubbornHat

<-- Video of leak
Hello, I've tried to cold start my RX7 (1983) this morning and it starting right up after two turns but I've come across a few issues and I'd like to see if anyone would know a cause or solution to any of them: There are not many but one I've come across is that when it is cold the rpm gauge does not tend to move and stays still and I'm not sure if that's a big deal. The BIGGEST problem I've had was when I reversed up my driveway, me and my friend noticed that the engine has leaked/has been leaking coolant and two little dribbles of oil or atleast what appears to be oil down below the driver side more towards the front. As well as this I was not getting a good oil pressure read after full choke until idle, when it was sitting idle and warm the oil pressure was sitting just at 30 instead of 60, but if I gave a little bit of gas it would jump back to 60 and be just fine.
Please, if anyone knows what my problems are let me know!
Thank you so much!

Toruki

In that first video, it seems to me that it idles really nicely.

Those strings might parts of deteriorating belts? I would check them...the water pump is belt driven and you don't want to lose that!

The oil leak looks like it could be from the beehive oil cooler o-rings. If there is oil down the side of your engine, spark plug side, below the oil filter pedestal then that's a big clue and it's a more common leak as the butyl rubber o-rings age. Here's my post on that, but there is plenty of info on here about fixing/diagnosing that.

https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generati...shers-1163160/

That coolant leak looks big enough to be obvious, maybe pressure test and look for drips. I don't go above 20 psi.

For both leaks, clean it up and then look for fresh weeping.

Edit: Oil pressure at 30 psi on idle and 60 psi on higher rpm seems just right to me.

LongDuck

What he said. What's all that white stuff on the ground?!? (*coming from a desert dweller...)

When it gets cold, the grease in your Tachometer becomes a solid more than a liquid and will stick in whatever position it's in until you get it warmed up. If its REALLY cold there, you may not even get enough heat in the cabin for that to happen. Rest assured, it doesn't affect performance, you just need to listen for RPM instead of reading a needle. Note that while it's in this condition, your rev buzzer will still work, but if it's that cold, you probably shouldn't be revving it to redline.

On the leaks, as noted above, the 1983 has a beehive oil cooler and the filter pedestal O-rings are the most likely culprit. Additionally, the lines which connect the beehive to the engine on that side could also be loose or leaking. See that the heater return line runs from the passenger side of the firewall to just below the beehive, and this is also a common place for the oil to drip onto the rubber line, deteriorating it. Give it a gentle squeeze and if it feels like Charmin, replace, as it's all swelled up and your weak point for a burst line.

Otherwise, the cold temps you have there may have expanded your coolant in the radiator to the point of overflow. You DO mix antifreeze with your coolant at the proper ratio, right???

Are you getting good heat in the cabin? Any wetness on the driver or passenger side footwell? The core could be leaking, but that puts the coolant inside the car, obviously. Stay warm!

YellowFB

One quick thing to check is for oil in the main pulley, mine had oil pooled inside the pulley from someone using the wrong sealing washer on the e-shaft bolt. You also might want to make sure all the oil pan bolts are tight.

For a coolant leak, shine a light/camera at the intake manifold where it bolts to the engine and check for dampness. When mine leaked coolant on the ground it was coming from the intake coolant passages till I snugged up the bolts.