need a little engine help
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 67
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From: OR
need a little engine help
I have oil in my radiator and iv been told that it means the engine is blown but with the rx7 i know that they are hard to blow and its different so would my engine be blown or what type of things should i look for?
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,353
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From: Rohnert Park CA
A blown engine, and blown seals are two different things in regards to cost,but on a rotary unfortunately both mean pulling the engine apart to fix.
If you have a blown water seal somewhere along the combustion chamber,then its possible for oil residue to finds its way into the cooling system.The engine will usually run perfectly,although coolant consumption is also typical when this condition is present.If the seal leak is near the compression/power portion of the chamber,the engine will usually push gasses into the cooling system as well,and an overflowing/bubbling cooling system,regardless of engine temp is the result.
If you just have oil getting into the water with no running problems and no coolant consumption or cooling issues,then you might just have some bad seals that are allowing the oil system and the cooling system to co-mingle.That problem might be as simple as a 5 cent o-ring......... or it could be warped/corroded housings caused by old age,cooling system neglect or overheating,allowing the fluids to leak past.The only way to know is to pull the engine out and have it torn down.
A soft seal rebuild can be done cheaply,but if you need replacement housings it can get expensive.
Rotaries are kinda hard to blow up in regards to mechanical failure because of their simple constructon and affinity for high revs.But they are very easy to warp,contort and basically ruin by means of overheating.Getting our sandwich assembled engines too hot makes the different types of metal twist and shear against each other,which can destroy the housings and/or seals.Thats why you always heat up a cold rotary gently and NEVER,NEVER overheat one.
If you have a blown water seal somewhere along the combustion chamber,then its possible for oil residue to finds its way into the cooling system.The engine will usually run perfectly,although coolant consumption is also typical when this condition is present.If the seal leak is near the compression/power portion of the chamber,the engine will usually push gasses into the cooling system as well,and an overflowing/bubbling cooling system,regardless of engine temp is the result.
If you just have oil getting into the water with no running problems and no coolant consumption or cooling issues,then you might just have some bad seals that are allowing the oil system and the cooling system to co-mingle.That problem might be as simple as a 5 cent o-ring......... or it could be warped/corroded housings caused by old age,cooling system neglect or overheating,allowing the fluids to leak past.The only way to know is to pull the engine out and have it torn down.
A soft seal rebuild can be done cheaply,but if you need replacement housings it can get expensive.
Rotaries are kinda hard to blow up in regards to mechanical failure because of their simple constructon and affinity for high revs.But they are very easy to warp,contort and basically ruin by means of overheating.Getting our sandwich assembled engines too hot makes the different types of metal twist and shear against each other,which can destroy the housings and/or seals.Thats why you always heat up a cold rotary gently and NEVER,NEVER overheat one.
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