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

Extremely noob questions

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Old Oct 13, 2015 | 11:42 PM
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Extremely noob questions

Well I won't sugarcoat it, Im young and I'm fairly new to car maintenance and definitely to rotary engines. This is the second car I've owned, the first of which I never got to really use due to the Army.

Forgive me if I'm doing this wrong but I'm on mobile on an outdated app for this forum.

For ease and clarity I'm going to post each picture in a reply with my questions... Call me out if thats the wrong thing to do.

Also, disclaimer: I haven't driven this car since I got it a week ago and I drove it a short distance to get it home.
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Old Oct 13, 2015 | 11:43 PM
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This is what I suspect to be the coolant fill tank, would I be correct in that assumption? Also I do add coolant to the radiator where that metal cap is located correct? Is there a difference in what types of coolant I put in each? The car has a jug of 50/50 prediluted
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Last edited by Mugen Woe; Oct 13, 2015 at 11:47 PM.
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Old Oct 13, 2015 | 11:44 PM
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The last owner put this on what I suspect to be the oil reservoir, is this correct?


Thank you for your patience with what I can only assume seems to be a completely kindergarten question
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Last edited by Mugen Woe; Oct 13, 2015 at 11:46 PM.
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Old Oct 14, 2015 | 12:00 AM
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Originally Posted by Mugen Woe
This is what I suspect to be the coolant fill tank, would I be correct in that assumption? Also I do add coolant to the radiator where that metal cap is located correct? Is there a difference in what types of coolant I put in each? The car has a jug of 50/50 prediluted
the white bottle is your coolant overflow bottle.
yea when topping up coolant fill it from the radiator cap then fill the overflow bottle.
always use the SAME type of coolant in both.

try to stay away from premixed coolant
buy the right coolant concentrate in your area and mix it with dimineralized water.
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Old Oct 14, 2015 | 12:05 AM
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Originally Posted by Mugen Woe
The last owner put this on what I suspect to be the oil reservoir, is this correct?


Thank you for your patience with what I can only assume seems to be a completely kindergarten question
yep that's your oil filler cap, wich goes to the sump of the motor.
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Old Oct 14, 2015 | 12:10 AM
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Originally Posted by sandy_RE
the white bottle is your coolant overflow bottle. yea when topping up coolant fill it from the radiator cap then fill the overflow bottle. always use the SAME type of coolant in both. try to stay away from premixed coolant buy the right coolant concentrate in your area and mix it with dimineralized water.
What is the tank connected to the radiator with the caution sticker? I have one clear tank with blue liquid and the other with a yellowish one
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Old Oct 14, 2015 | 12:11 AM
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Originally Posted by sandy_RE
yep that's your oil filler cap, wich goes to the sump of the motor.
cool! I noticed there's no dipstick how can I tell if the oil is good?

By good I mean I have enough
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Old Oct 14, 2015 | 12:24 AM
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sorry the white bottle in the first pic is your wiper blade water bottle.
the bottle with the hose running off the radiator to it is your coolant overflow bottle.

and with the oil. the dipstick should be underneath the filler cap.
without a dipstick it would be hard to tell. but if the cars been sitting for a while I would just change it anyway.
find someone wrecking the same car/motor as yours or call up some shops and see if you can buy the dipstick.
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Old Oct 14, 2015 | 01:10 AM
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Originally Posted by sandy_RE
sorry the white bottle in the first pic is your wiper blade water bottle. the bottle with the hose running off the radiator to it is your coolant overflow bottle. and with the oil. the dipstick should be underneath the filler cap. without a dipstick it would be hard to tell. but if the cars been sitting for a while I would just change it anyway. find someone wrecking the same car/motor as yours or call up some shops and see if you can buy the dipstick.
Oh wow, the wiper fluid tank... I feel dumb.
Sorry to bombard you with questions, but how do I know when the coolant is full? And how should I add the coolant and water?
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Old Oct 14, 2015 | 02:17 AM
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to fill everything properly youd have to get the motor up to temperature with the heater on so you can fill/bleed the system properly.

otherwise youll know its full when you cant poor anymore coolant into the radiator.
you might have air pockets so bleed them out before driving and keep an eye on the temp guage/coolant once its driving as you might have to top it up.

what I did was use a big clean bucket
the coolant concentrate I chose came in a 2.5 Litre bottle and the demineralized water came in a 5 Litre bottle.
I did a 50/50 mix so it took 2 bottles of coolant concentrate to 1 bottle of the demineralized water
filled with a funnel and bled the system and what ever was left over I kept for topping up.


but make sure to flush everything before filling with new coolant as some coolants react with eachother.
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Old Oct 14, 2015 | 10:28 AM
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Hey, uhhh, I mentioned this before... but, I live in Phoenix, too.

If you want a hands-on tour of your engine compartment, send me a PM. These guys are steering you straight,
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Old Oct 14, 2015 | 10:54 AM
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if you need a dipstick PM me and I will send you free one if you pay the postage. I have a bunch hanging around.

Check your coolant level at the radiator when the engine is cold, say like first thing I the AM, if its low, top it off at the radiator and add to the "cold" level on the overflow bottle.

NEVER remove the rad cap if its too hot to touch!
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Old Oct 14, 2015 | 11:18 AM
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Reading above - without an oil dipstick in place you really don't know how much oil you have in your pan, which is critical for lubrication and cooling!

I have a spare dipstick if you want it, because the risk of running it without oil is severe enough to toast your engine. At the very least, if someone can measure a stock dipstick from the rubber stopper to the High Fill Mark - it would help OP by allowing him to stick a rod down the dipstick hole and at least make sure he has enough oil.

I'll measure one when I get home today and post,
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Old Oct 14, 2015 | 03:31 PM
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I talked to the owner and he hooked it up with the dipstick. Said he forgot he took it out. Thanks for the help though guys! Ended up buying some castrol gtx conventional and my oil is topped off as well as the coolant. You all have been great!
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Old Oct 14, 2015 | 08:38 PM
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Chilton and Clymers auto manuals are good to have. I've used mine so much that I wore them out, and had to buy new ones.

You can down load the Factory Service Manual. The Clinton and the Clymers manuals are more useful.

Mazdatrix is great for advice. They helped me out for free over the phone. They won't bullshit you into buying something you don't need. No..."once that goes bad, you need to replace the engine" bullshit.
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