Is the cooling system hard to work on, or do I suck at picking mechanics?
 

My little FB's been leaking fluids, and so far as I can tell it should be an easy fix... but I'm lazy, and unknowledgeable, so I took my seven to two local mechanics... and it still leaks.

My first run in was after letting the seven sit for 8 months while I worked out in Colorado (I live in Massachusetts) when I came back, there was a tiny little green stalagmite under the car, I took it for a spin, reved the engine with the hood up, and saw a fine green mist spray from the engine compartment. It was leaking out of a capped port where the heater core would normaly connect. I take it in for repairs and ask for new hoses, I don't remember if I got new hoses, but I think they just replaced the caps, which I now know should have been bridged.

I drove my seven around for 6 months or so as a daily driver. No problems. Whoops, of to work again, this time in Illinois. I'm out for 4 months, but this time I learned my lesson and ask a friend to drive the seven around to keep it moving (last time the brakes locked up too)... well that didn't work. I come home and there is no coolant in the seven (Me: Did you know there's no coolant in the RX-7? Friend: Oh, that's what the green puddle was! Me [thinking]: I KILL YOU!!) luckily he only drove it around the block, so there seemed to be no problems from over heating, it barely warmed up all the way. I take it in to a new mechanic (last mechanic was deemed incompitent when he mauled and mangled the exhaust system) and he says "Oh pin hole leak in the radiator, needs to be replaced, and your rad is blocked" Ok sure, we try that.

Now I'm off to Illinois for another 6 months or so, and I think to myself "I'm taking my seven up with me! If it's going to die, I want it to be while I'm driving it dmnit!" well I didn't have the time (or initiative) to change the oil myself, so I take it to jiffy lube. "Hey, you're coolant is low" BLARGH! I just replaced the rad 2 days ago! Fuck it!! and so I got me a gallon jug of water, and made the 1,100 mile trip to Illinios.

I checked the coolant level regularly and there was no problems, no drops, untill I left a rest stop and saw a fluro green river flowing from underneith my car... FAQ!!

I eventualy made it to Illinois and now I want to fix my seven and get it to fricking run right. I am a total noob and idiot. I've changed my oil out, changed my plugs, and not much more, what do I need to know to swap out hoses on my seven? What tools will I need? I'm pretty sure it's just the hoses because I can see the leak my green river came from. It's at the bottom return(?) of the radiator, where the little hose and the big hose run into it. I'm hoping if I replace the hoses that should fix my leak problems. I don't think it's anything as bad as a warped rotor housing or any other sort of internal coolant leak, and right now there's no way in hell I'm trusting another idiot mechanic with my seven, unless one of you guys can recomend a good guy with rotories in central Illinois (I'm in Decatur, a 45 minuete drive west of springfield)

If anyone can inform me of... well anything :P that'd be nice, but more specificaly, what could have gone wrong the other times, what I should watch for, how in gods name I'm supposed to find a competent mechanic, and most importantly for now, what skills I need to suddenly gain to swap all the hoses for new in my seven without creating air bubbles in the engine block (if that's even an issue... none of my automotive books ever metions rotary tech!

Thanks in advance!

Exactly where is the leak coming from? Just to be sure it's the hoses and not something else.

There's a 14mm plug in the middle of the engine, straight down from the dipstick. Drain the coolant from there.
You just need a screwdriver to loosen the hose clamps, then it's just pulling them off.

You should have asked for help when you were in MA,I could have helped you.The cooling system in these cars is very simple,and easy to work on.I would think any mechanic worth his salt could diagnose the problem,and fix it in litte more than a couple of hours if it was just a leaky radiator,or hose.If it is an engine trouble than those are harder to find,but still with a simple presurization unit that I have you can find the leak in minutes if it is exteranl of the engine.Where in MA do you live?

Not a bad idea to replace all of your hoses. They certainly don't last forever. That sounds like your only problem.
The reason I suggest replacing all of them, is it sounds like you are chasing your tail. You fix one thing, only to have another fail. Just do them all at once and be done with it.

Rotarys are most vulnerable in the cooling system because the engine has such low mass and produces much heat so it can quickly overheat. Take care of the cooling system by replacing all hoses (radiator and heater) before 100,000 miles. And make sure the clamps are tightened appropriately (replace those cheap wire clamps with real clamps). Eventually, each of the radiators on my 4 rotarys required replacement, but only one waterpump.

Also, synthetic oil withstands overheating much better than dyno oil.

The fittings on the rad can be fragile and can crack if they're under stress. Luckily that's an easy fix that any competent rad shop can accomplish. It's also pretty cheap.

Thanks for the responses
 

I know the major leak is comming from the connection between the radiator and a hose, so right now I'm not thinking about any internal leaks.

To replace the hoses, can I just snag some hoses of the proper diameter cut them to length, clamp them down, then just fill the reservoir with coolant and call it good?

I'm sorry to be so explicitly dumb, but I have no common sense, and I generaly learn best from breaking things... I'm hoping not to break my seven.

Oh, and Mazdax605, I'm on the south shore, Rockland to be Specific, where are you located?

Yep, thats it. I go to pep boys and did that, plus grabbed some new clamps that screw into place. Make sure you dont over tighten, as said before it could crack the rad fitting. But definately keep an eye out on it for a bit, after I did mine it dripped a little until I found out the hose wasnt COMPLETELY on, as in I was less than 1/8 of an inch until i was touching the rad.

The lower radiator hose and the heater hose are all custom bent hoses. Buy the correct ones. Heater hoses get pricey, but then so is an engine rebuild.

Thanks!
 

Ah, that may explain a bit. My lower radiator hose right now is deffinately not custom bent, looking at it before I thought it looked very convulted and close to kinking. Also of note my radiator is leaking from the lower radiator hose, that might explain what went wrong with the most recent work on the coolant system.

If I look through my Victoria British catalog (or is it Black Dragon Automotive now?) will I find some pre-bent hoses in there, or are there better places to look?