ok dude said it burns coolent havent noticed drove it prolly 50 60 miles and when i checked it when i got to work the overflow container had been pissing fluid at some point cause it was wet....opened the caps when i got out so it wouldn't be hot. and the rad was topped off and the other 1 couldn't see anything but it is at an angle. well no idea what hes talkin about there. the idle is really weird i can stop at a stop light and it will be holding a steady idle. next stop light it feels like it wants to die i can hear a massive vacuum leak but no idea where it is. i found a vacuum that was like not connected on the back of the throttle body it had a t connector and i plugged it in where the only logical place to plug it in at. didn't seem to do anything sound was still there and it felt like it was dieing easier just idling. drove home was idling real low but not stalling got home pulled in my driveway idle went up to 1k. i think the screws are in a little far but its never a constant idle so not point in adjusting them. well friend shows up go for a ride idling fine...go thru a few lights and then the idle goes way down then it goes up to like 1k and then back down....whats up with this idle

 

If a rotary engine "burns coolant", it means a coolant seal is bad. Which means the engine needs rebuilt. Even if it isn't bad now, it will get worse. Get a pressure tester from autozone to confirm this. The idle is probably the least of your worries.

Hope you didn't pay much for it.


*edit
Well actually I probably jumped to conclusions. It may or may not be what I said. You can do a simple test to see. It's called in the rotary community, a "champagne test".

With the car absolutely cold, remove the radiator cap and start the car. Leave the car running, get out, and watch the coolant. If you notice a steady stream of bubbles, your engine is toast. If not, thats good, and we can go from there.

Sorry to noobify it, you never told us what your level of experience was with cars, or if you've ever owned a rotary.

 

1st rotary i know of the champagne test just haven't had time to do it got outta work and it was almost dark when i got home. but like i said i don't see it burning it at all if anything its full as can be but ill do the test anyway...i only paid 500 bucks...it runs fine if ur driving but idle is so erratic. ill champagne test it in the morning and make a video...what would cause the coolant to keep piling into the overflow tank and just chill there i saw another post about a bad hose gonna look for that..also gonna for that vacuum line any tips would be appreciated i am a 1st time rx7 owner and pretty soon gonna have a s5 t2 engine tranny drive shaft rear end suspension and converting my se s4 to 5 lug

 

I'll put $1,000 dollars on it that your coolant seals are bad.
Possibly really bad.
If it is shooting out a lot of liquid it means its about it start shooting exhaust fumes out of it too.

 

Bad coolant seals.

 

i'd like to see a good quality pic of the engine bay. also, have you pulled the plugs (after the engine has cooled) to check running condition and to see if they have any coolant sitting on them? also, do you notice any unburnt coolant spitting out of the exhust? have you noticed a signifigant drop in coolant or a rise in operating temperature?

 

You know "burns coolant" could mean that it just goes through coolant. I mean yes it is a rotary, and yes and this age they are quite often toast but really, the first thing you guys jump to is blown coolen't seal? come on, give the guy better help!

Do what hazard says and check for bubbles. then do what mazdaverx says and check your plugs. Sniff the exhaust for an anti-freeze smell. Dont pass out.

So where is your coolent? you said it was pissing all over and that the radiator was full? or did you top it off.

Lets do this.... after you test the other things, make sure your cooling system is all the way full. If it is an 86-88 you will have to bleed the air out of the system with the "philips head" plastic bolt thingy on the passenger side neck. You can do a search for bleeding the coolant and you will get all the info you need.
After that put coolant into your overflow bottle. Since you say it is "pissing" coolent, fill it up to the lower line. Now you have a benchmark.

Go for nice freeway drive.

When you get home check your overflow bottle. If it is above the line then you have pressure in the system, if it is below you are loosing coolant. WAIT untill the engine is cool, then check the overflow level again to see if it is sucking the coolant back into the Radiator. After that check to see if your radiator needs toping off. If so measure how much you have to but in.

Get back to us.

 

It's gotta be going somewhere, and if you don't notice an obvious leak, it would have to be internal.

 

well heres a pic of the engine bay and the running temp driving. posting links cause the pictures are hugehttp://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e152/durtled/temp.jpg

 

cold pre drive video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8eda8lKiiE
and post drive http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_IGPcPsWY4

 

If it is above the line it could just mean that the air in the system is pushing the coolant into the overflow bottle.

Have you done the champagne test yet?
It also doesn't sound like it is blown.

 

not yet can't find a suitable funnel talked to a guy who i know has an rx7 his is a 12b and his friend has an fd....he and his friend both had this happening to their cars he doesn't think anything is wrong with it said his pissed out the overflow all the time. his buddy has put a ls7 in to his 7 though makes me sad but w/e its his car. but he confirmed that the exhaust didn't smell like coolant. also my idle is keeping now. at about 600-700 ish discovered that the bottom plug wire wasn't fully on. never thought to check it cause the guy i got it from has been around cars his whole life and figured he knew how to push a wire on correctly. but runs better now so so far i can't complain. also if i get the s5 t2 engine from work im gonna be looking to trade someone for a running complete s4 t2 ( computer wiring harness with or with out ps a/c air pump) but won't find that out for a little while

 

You don't need a funnel to do it. Just leave the car running with the cap off and let it warm up.

 

k will do after i get outta work

 

I agree completly, but a non-obvious leak, would also cause coolent lose. I had the low coolant sensor on one car cause it. No cracks or other issues. The threads just didn't seal and it alowed pressure to leak which caused the hose going to the overflow bottle not to suck up the coolant in the botttle.

 

yep its a coolant seal..heres video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylAiT5_PonU

 

If the coolant seals are bad, for a $500 car I would just keep adding coolant. But I'm cheap like that.

 

i am till i have a new block i don't beat the **** outta it. i shift before the shift up thing comes on. like i said before i have a s5 t2 complete engine ima be trading for a s4 t2 engine in working order. then i can rebuild this 1. chances are ill be drivin my lincoln again before i get another block. i know it will just stop one day lol EDIT do not have the s5 engine yet will post in the trade/selling area so keep an eye out

 

also i find my title under my name appropriate...

 

If you actually had exhaust come out of the overfill that means it is very close to overheating anytime you drive it.
My first rx7 lasted three years on blown seals but towards the end it got so bad that I could only drive it about 3 miles and even then the temp gauge was starting to go hot.
My second one I had for two weeks before I started overheating badly. It burnt me once because it had built up pressure in the coolant res. from the exhaust fumes not escaping quick enough. I popped the hood and the cap exploded.
Point of my stories, if you keep driving it I'd be very careful not to open the hood when its overheating and you can hear steam.

Oh, and if it was gushing out when you had it running for a minute that def. means that car is about at the, "Temp gauge doesn't stop"
stage.

 

its not getting that hot its under half way still and if i keep coolant in it it stays that way. and i had it running for about 5 min with the feet option selected inside and the fan all the way on with heat maxed. cause i was trying to get all the air out and i read somewhere thats how u do it. i just drove to walgreens to reload my credit card and it stayed at normal temp and i live in a city once it warmed up it actually kept idle. but like i said ima get that cnc stuff herd good things about it give it a try if it doesn't work the o well no loss. only problem is the nearest pep boys is about 30 miles away. ill just take the lincoln whos clutch fan doesn't work. EDIT the exaust was coming from the rad with the cap not on not the overflo and it wasn't rushing out more like meandering its way out