1st Generation Specific (1979-1985) 1979-1985 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections

Burning Coolant

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Old 08-01-04, 11:54 AM
  #1  
85 Mazda Rx7 GS

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Burning Coolant

Ok i have been getting low on Coolant fairly quickly and I am unable to find any leaks, atleast when Im not moving, When Im on the freeway I somtime smell coolant. I am pretty sure I am burning coolant because I cant tell where else it would go.

Now I dont really know that much about cars and even less about rotary engines. Someone told me that burning coolant could be potentionally a bad problem (seals bad in the engine)

What do you think i should do, take it to a shop and have them look at it? What do you think the problem might be?
Old 08-01-04, 12:09 PM
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If radiator is leaking it might not show up as a drip because the coolant burns off the hot radiator.

Did your engine ever overheat? Usually that's the prelude to seal failure, though it took a year to appear after one of my engines overheated.

1-with radiator full of coolant and engine cold, remove rad cap and start engine: inspect for bubbles coming out. If bubbling, bad internal water seal. That's bad, but there's a good temp fix. Do a search in this forum for "prestone" in the subject and user='bliffle' for a long thread about this.

2-let car sit for a day, and then while it's cold unscrew rad cap. There should be a healthy PFFTT. If not, there's a leak somewhere.

3-start car, and if it starts hard and emits a large white cloud of smoke, bad internal seal. cf. 1, above.

4-have your neighborhood mechanic do a cooling system pressure test. This is about all an ordinary mechanic can do for you. Maybe he'll find a leaking radiator, or, more likely, a leaking heater hose that runs under the oil cooler beehive and deteriorates from the oil dripping from the beehive.

B
Old 08-01-04, 12:48 PM
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Grey-Bruce Rotorhead

 
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Your description of smelling coolant while driving was exactly what I was experiencing a few weeks back. Check the weep hole under the water pump pulley. If the pump's seal has gone, then coolant will drip, or in my case, flow from this hole. It's an easy and cheap fix.
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