Modified 7

Hey i haven't been on in awhile but im new to the first gens. I have had two fc's and one fd. I am looking at buying a really clean one owner, all records 85 fb. only thing it needs is a freeze plug. I found some on pineapple racing but i heard there a pain in the *** to put on. So what im trying to ask is will the car still run fine even though it needs replacing? Has is caused damage to the motor? I searched but didn't find what im looking for.

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

Overheating is one of the main causes of rotary engine failure, and it happens quickly. Do a compression test and don't run the engine. Does the owner know which plug blew and how/why? One set of freeze plugs are in the front of the front iron, under the front cover. If one of those blew, the coolant drains into the oil pan. The other set is in the rear of the rear iron, behind the flywheel which floods the clutch when one of them goes.

Whether the plug blew from freezing or rust, I wouldn't put much faith in the engine.

djessence

I thought the freeze plugs are under the intake manifold? or is he talking about different ones...

pinoyremix

thats what i thought two..pineapple does have a set of 2 for the intake manifold for cheap..

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

The intake plugs are to block off the coolant ports to the stock intake. Yes our engines do have freeze plugs , just like piston engines.

Modified 7

well im going to take a look at the car today to see if its worth buying. I will let you guys know how it turns out.

djessence

ah, i was not aware of that. who woulda thunk we have stuff just like piston engines too

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

We have many things in common with piston engines when you start comparing them.

Modfied7, when you go to look at this car, if the owner can't give you a straight and believable answer on how the leak occurred, assume the worst for the engine. Check the coolant and radiator for rust, the oil for water and try to pin down where the leak is coming from.

Modified 7

UPDATE, i just got back from looking/test driving the car. To be honest its a very well taken care of fb. All records...one owner ect. He couldn't give me an exact location on which freeze plug is leaking. He said the oil does not have water in it. Well when we started it and let it idle he said the leak is coming from between were the engine and tranny meet up. I looked under the car and noticed a little bit of coolant leaking. So i was like ok. I took it out about a mile got on it once drove it back and he said "see its leaking again" When i look under its pissing out coolant but in a pressurized way (if that makes sense) after about 10 min it stopped. He said hes never seen it leak that much because hes never driven it around that far in awhile, he said he usually just drives it up hes street and back to make sure its not sitting. Other then that the car is fine i couldn't find anything else mechanically wrong with it other then the rpm gauge not working.

So with that said would this even be worth it? He said the car has never overheated and when i drove it i didn't see it overheat.


Thanks in advance.

djessence

Just because he says its never overheated doesnt mean it hasnt been, especially if its pouring out coolant. An overheated rotary is often a toast engine sooo its up to you. Assuming engine is toast but not totally, bout 600 for housings and 1k for a rebuild you could be looking at 1600-2000.......

also love your avatar, you should post the full image up in here somewhere

Modified 7

i was thinking the same thing about the overheating. Im not sure what im going to do yet. If i dont get this fb im going to pick up this 1990 turbo mx6.

Oh the avatar i got from this site actually when i first signed up.

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

If the seller seems honest, and at this point I would tend to believe him. He doesn't appear to be hiding anything, has provided all records and been up front about the leak. There are some honest sellers out there. What is he asking for the 7? Need more details on the condition, mileage, repairs and pics.

Expect to pay around 200 to replace the freeze plugs, tranny, clutch and flywheel need to come out to access them. Have all of the rear ones replaced. Unfortunately, freeze plugs don't rust out one at a time. They usually rust due to poor maintenance of the cooling system and when one goes, the others aren't far behind. If it was my car, I'd pull the engine and change all of them, but that's me. If the plug has popped due to freezing, who knows what you may be looking at for repairs down the road.

Time to make another trip back to the seller, get some pics and start negotiating.

Modified 7

hes asking 800 for it. it has 175k. But after seeing what was wrong and possible problems down the road i think i might be leaning towards a 1990 turbo mx6. Im not sure on this one yet.

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

Mileage might be a bit high, but 12As have been known to go well over 250k with proper maintenance. See if he will go 500 or fix the freeze plugs for his asking price.

Modified 7

yeah i think this guy is legit. After driving the car i sat and bullshitted with him for about an hour. Seems like a good family man ect. I don't trust people but i feel like i can trust this guy BUT im not trusting the car right now even though it ran fine. I might go back and have him pour more coolant in it and drive it around for a bit and see if it starts to overheat.

I was actually thinking of giving him a grand if he fixes the problem first.

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

For that kind of cash, I would hope the rest of the car is in great condition. I'd still ask him to fix it for his asking price. If you're mechanically inclined, you could do the repair yourself for less than 30 in parts, including a tranny fluid and coolant change. If the plug has rusted out, I'd be looking at changing the front and rear ones, along with having the radiator redone/replaced.