ivisiondesigns

Ok I really need help as I'm horribly late for work and I'm afraid to start my car.
*BACKGROUND INFO*
85 RX7 GSL - Don't know if any of this info is relevant or not but I figured I include it just in case. Lately my car has been flooding and I've been going through spark plugs like crazy. It might have something to do with my new cats clogging up or my fuel filter (I have yet to change those). Also I've noticed my temp gauge reading really high when I've restarted my car after it was already warm so I topped off my coolant. Well yesterday I was driving my car and it started up perfectly normal, no flooding, no high temps.
This morning I try to start my car and it was flooded. The 2nd time I turned the engine it sounded like it was going to start up but it stopped abruptly with a large click (thinking it was the starter I didn't think much of it). I then went to replace the spark plugs, I had some old NGKs that were previously fouled but cleaned with a spark plug cleaner. The car then started up fine, I left it to warm up while I put away my tools. Then I looked at the temp gauge and it started going past the normal point where the choke would pop back in. The choke stayed out and the temp kept rising so I pushed it in and pulled out of the driveway. Then I noticed the temp gauge still rising. So I shut off the engine and let it sit. It got even stranger... when I turned the ACC position on (with my engine off) the temp gauge kept rising till it said it was overheating and my radiator started hissing a bit and it started boiling over. I'm not entirely sure if it was only from my overflow tank or not. Sooooooo I don't think my engine overheated but I'm too paranoid to start my car up again without knowing what's going on. After it leaked out a bunch of coolant I checked the temp and it was back to normal... what's going on? Oh yeah, it's probably only about 50 degrees outside.

QuagmireMan

sounds rich to me. Check the floats and the needles.

QuagmireMan

possible clough in radiator?

rotariesrule

it sounds like you could also be getting coolant in the combustion chamber this could be why your spark plugs keep fouling and the car is hard to start. stick your nose into the radiator fill neck and see if it smells like exhaust. you can also bring the car to a radiator shop and have them pressure test the cooling system by doing a leak-down test. smell the exhaust pipe to see if you can smell coolant coming out the exhaust pipe.

ivisiondesigns

Thanks for the info... I'll check when I get home (had to take a stupid taxi to work). I forgot to mention that a couple days earlier I had cleaned out my carb with a water treatment. Regardless, would it be safe to just refill with coolant and start the car up? Is there anything really important to check for damage before I fire it up again?

ivisiondesigns

On second thought, it could've been near freezing temps. Could the coolant have frozen? I probably had more water in there than coolant being in CA and all. Would that cause this? Oh and usually when my plugs have fouled it smelled like gasoline and that's what would puff out of the exhaust when I started it.

rotariesrule

50 degrees F won't freeze your coolant/water it would have to be below 32 degrees F for a few hours to freeze the water in your radiator.

when you start the car again make sure the radiator is completely full. you may want to jack up the front of the car high so the air bubbles in the engine come out while you fill it up. you may want to leave the cap off the radiator so you can see it the thermostat is opening while it is running. also make sure the timing is set correctly.