mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

well, long story short, i lost the coolant hose running from the heather core to the lower outlet on the oil cooler on my 85 GSL. the hose literally blew out the bottom, splitting and dumping all of my coolant in a matter of seconds. i'm traveling at 70mph in rush hour traffic and notice the temp gauge rising VERY quickly. i then notice a cloud of white smoke coming from behind the car...i know something is not right and that i need to pull over. rush hour traffic. four lanes of it. i manage to get off an exit ramp and was driving for about 30 seconds or less after i noticed the engine temp rising. i drove for maybe 15 seconds with the needle near the hot mark and immediatly shut the engine down on an exit ramp. hours later after walking miles to a parts store and fabricating a heater hose, and having my father in law make the 40 minute drive with tools, i install the thing and add coolant. when the engine runs, the overflow bottle is bubbling like its boiling. this is with the overflow cap and hose on. if i remove the overflow cap with the engine running steam ports out of if the hose. i managed to drive the car closer to home without a problem. engine temps stayed fine, heat worked great and the engine ran like normal. i stopped and turned the car off to check everything and when i went to restat it, it was flooded..with coolant...my first thoughts are to losing a coolant seal or seals. what are the chances that i can rebuild this engine using the same housings? what possible damage could it have done to the housings? is it ususally the coolant seal that lets go before the housing in an overheating episode such as what i experienced?

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

Dave,

Minimum is going to being coolant seals.

The fact that it starting blowing out smoke in a short time concerns me.

I have lost a coolant hose before and the temp climbed up to the hot mark, then shut it down, let it cool off then repaired the issue with no damage to the engine.

I have a hunch that either your gauge was not operating properly and it was actually overheating for a longer period of time or the engine was getting close to letting go.

The only thing you can do at this point is pull her out and tear it down then see what damage has occurred.

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

the gauge was not working properly....and i knew it...the smoke i believe was from the coolant hitting the hot exhaust...when the engine is being cranked....steam comes ot of the exhaust as well as water droplets. at maximum am i looking at warped housings?

engine was in excellent shape before the incident. 110psi on each face and only 114K. was an automatic before i got my hands on it so it really was not overrevved.

i am thinking of using pineapple racing's viton coolant seals. that or i could get cooalnt seals and a gasket kit form mazda..

Jeezus

iTrader: (4)

You don't carry tools with you?

I am confused. I thought you were an RX-7 owner...



Thats good(ish) news that the engine is still good after that happened.

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

engine still runs like new...thats the good news

i usually carry tools with me..i was just overconfident in this car as it ran so well and got nearly 20mpg's.. i failed to carry my usual tool kit and parts and thus i was stuck walking 2 miles. i did get my RX-7 fix today as i drove my BB 88 TII tonight to my inlaws. i just cant stay out of the 7's.

7aull

iTrader: (2)

Well, at least you have a Fleet to choose from
I'd agree with the Sarge - clock's ticking on your 12A. Sooner you pull it and fix it, less damage likely to $$$ rotor housings. And I would certainly go for the pineapple water seals, considering the work involved. Money well spent. Until you run a gauge on the housings its going to be tough to know if heat got to them.

And if I may go into Generic Lecture mode for all reading this : everyone, unless you KNOW you have replaced the heater hoses in your 7, you can safely assume they are ticking time-bombs awaiting the opportunity to take out your rotor-motor. Always surprised at the number of owners who faithfully have changed the _rad_ hoses, only to leave the old heater hoses in place (present company excepted, mazdavee - just seemed like a good time to mention it).
Sorry for your grief-
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

7aull

iTrader: (2)

oop. Dr.
Meant I agree with the Dr.

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

yeah, i do have a lot of cars to choose from. i have been driving my 88 F-150 and my 88 TII as my fun runner. since the snow has fallen here, i will not drive any 7 on the roads while there is the least bit of a hint of salt.

i've got a lead on another 12A today that i'm going to check out. the engine is about 15mins away from where i live and its a great deal..if the mileage and condition are correct. i plan on yanking the bad 12A and dropping in the engine i buy today for the time being while i carefully rebuild the 12A that came out of the car. i just hate having a good car down. i plan on buying the atkins rebuiild dvd to help me along. i cannot do anything though until i finish my 85 GS that i'm doing an SE 13B swap on...

i guess i'm just hoping that the housings are not warped out of spec..i do not plan on giving up or failing. this car will see the road again.

boyee

iTrader: (3)

hmm the way I see it, timing is just right for you! Perfect time for you to learn and do your own rebuild! Hope all turns out well! Looking forward to your pictures and videos!

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

well, turns out the engine that i went to look at is locked up andhad coolant seal issues. the guy lied to me about its condition and i walked on him.

timing is not good, but not too bad either. this will give me a chance to expand my rx-7 knowledge and for that i am appreciative. my wallet however is not, lol.

7aull

iTrader: (2)

Atkins DVD seems useful (ask me again after I RE-assemble the engine!) - tho the choice of music is questionable - lots of good tips
Don't forget some great (!!) rebuild video tips on the Pineapple website to supplement this - plus some handy tools (like the coolant pressure tester after re-assembly) they have at very reasonable prices.
'luck-
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

i'll have to check more into pineapple's site and look for their dvd. atkins seems to be specific to the 13B but, the 12A is very similar and i beleive that the 12A only has one less tension bolt on the rear end plate. either way i'll give pineapple another gander