Well folks, I fought the good fight. Coolant seal failure and `85 GSLSE
 

White smoke is getting worse on a 175K motor. The colder air temps we are now getting, seems to aggravate the start-up condition worse.
Thinking of dumping in some Barseals to help me get to the point of buying a used Honda or Toyota as a daily driver. Want better gas mileage too. I love the rotary motor and all of the torque it has to offer but at another $600 for a used motor, I could spend a little more on a used ride and come out ahead in gas mileage. I guess this is a eulogy for my car.

Or you could buy the used motor, then save up and buy a Honda, so you dont end up with multiple owned rx7s like some of us. "Ill never buy another one," 3 rx7s later

I did fail to mention that I am pretty sure that the heater core is leaking also.
I first replaced it when I bought the car at 179K. I don`t like removing a dashboard.

My car is heading to the junkyard pretty soon, I am afraid to say.

Damn man, atleast find someone willing to save it for a $100.....that's all the junkyard will give you.....

I got the higher bid at 101.00 lol

That's the truth! I'm an SA guy, but I do know that GSL-SE's are worth a lot more in parts than what the junkyard will give you. Hell, you'd prolly sell it to someone on the boards here for a lot more than that. Maybe it will live on as part of someone else's project? :nod:

there were only around 4500 GSL-SE imported. don't junk it. start a for sale thread.

Selling it on the boards probably wouldn`t be a bad idea. I hadn`t thought about it.

^Seriously man, i had no idea how rare the GSL-SE's were......It'd be a shame to have it crushed. Not even that its an RX7, but its a desirable car with a storied past. Don't let it die......

I agree try and sell here ... pretty sure someone will snag it up and bring life back to it

Get captain gloval to buy it,

Where u located? If ur close enough il lmk come take it off your hands and pay you more than the junk yard will

You sure are a friendly kindred soul! :)
I am on the East coast. Probably a little further out than what a "Road Trip" would be considered.

Thank you for you offer anyhow!
:)

It`s no thing of beauty, but it is a GSLSE.
Would need some work, but the engine would probably be the worst expense.

Thanks folks. I am not going to send it to the wrecking yard.

Now trying to figure out how to handle this matter another way.

Well, if you do a part out let me know. There are a few thing I need :p

I ain`t even dead yet and here comes the vultures! :lol:

J/K! :D

Trying to decide whether I want to do a part-out or just sell the whole thing.
Working on it.

Hahaha yeah...what can I say...if u need parts u need parts :p

I know EXACTLY where you are coming from! :lol:

:nod:

Tell ya` what. If I decide to do a part out, I`ll send you a "courtesy IM" so you can have first dibs.

I have had many miles of enjoyment from my car and I really hate to let go of it. I always wanted a 1.3 based 1st gen from the get go. When I found one, it didn`t disappoint me. Yeah. I had to do some maintenance to it over the years but I didn`t let that deter me from knowing the car was fun to drive.

I kinda` feel like I am taking a family member off of life support.:crying:

Sweet :) its always hard parting with a first gen, or at least it always has been difficult for me. Never managed to get ahold of a 5 letter...

I do own multiple RX7`s also.
Freakin` things are an addiction.

Did you notice my avatar? That`s mine sitting in the driveway.

:biggrin:

i would sell the car as a whole. sell it to someone that might be willing to replace the engine and fix the other issues the car may have. any RX-7 enthusiast would never toss away a perfectly good candidate for a rebuild or restoration.

I felt the same way with my `83.
$10K later, I had what I wanted.
Have hosed many V-8`s with it.

good to hear. if i were closer i'd buy the car from you. wouldn't mind restoiring another GSL-SE!!

I like the GSL-SE as a whole.
Good power N/A and handles in the corners pretty well. A good set of shocks, springs and tires does make a difference. The car does have all of those. I was hoping to get more miles out of the motor and never figured I would lose a coolant seal. I guess this is fate telling me something. If I knew how to rebuild a motor, I might just attempt it. I always felt that since the motor was the heart of the car, I was no heart surgeon. Always let someone else do the work for motor rebuilds.

Ohio isn`t that far off.

I hope that you will always have the enthusiasm and funds to revive an old classic.

If it wasn`t for the mortgage, I might go ahead and get carried away and spend money frivolously with this one. The `83... lived at home and had no bills, had a dream and money. Not now. LOL!

Alumaseal. Not Bars Leak, or anything else you can find out there. This is Brand Specific, and I cannot emphasize that enough.

Works great on the 12a, almost never on the 2nd gen 13b (because they blow in the other direction, out the radiator), not sure on a 1st gen 13b. But for only $4.00 it's sure as hell worth a shot.

Since it doesn't sound like you're to the point of "billowing white clouds of smoke", and the coolant is escaping through the exhaust (rather than blowing out your radiator) then this should work for you.

I'm up to 40,000 miles since my "repair". In my case, idling in my driveway it would drain half the fluid out of the radiator in about 15 minutes. It really was that bad. Poured the Alumaseal into the radiator, let it idle while topping it off after about 20 minutes. The problem was 100% resolved within about 30 minutes. She's been a happy motor ever since. :)



.

Any word on this? Did you get my advice in time, or did another good one go to the junkyard? :(

Had already dumped in the BarSeals before I saw your post later. Car has quit leaking it seems and sure doesn`t smoke on start-up like it did before.

I am saving my pennies for something else in the meantime. We will see how it goes.

Whew! Disaster averted, and one more -SE stays on the roads...

I'm up to 220k mi on my original engine, and for the fact that it's been well-cared-for with regular oil change intervals, filters, and general preventative maintenance, it's getting the white smoke at startup (coolant and/or oil getting past the Oil Control Rings), and had a hard time getting going on a hot start last weekend. Also, fuel mileage is down around 12-14mpg city - when I used to get about 16-18 city and 20-22 highway, so I'm losing fuel efficiency at the compression seals, as well. And... my oil dipstick doesn't seem to want to stay in place, as it's popped every time I open the hood.

My compression must be dropping, as I had to spin the motor for a good minute before it got enough liquid fuel in the chambers to seal a bit better and build compression. I was getting worried. It's been drinking about a cup of coolant every 20-30mi trip, so I know it's time that I swap my spare engine. Rebuild opportunity,