Prettymuch i've written down all the things that could be the cause of my problems, and the only thing left is that one of the coolant seals is seaping, but i'm still not sure.

Hard starts (injectors may be leaking, though) that smoke white for a bit (stops when i get down the block a bit) and smell a little like coolant, coolant gets pushed to the overflow over time (quicker the more i rev it out) and doesn't pull back in, and the coolant in the overflow smells a little gas like.

If that does sound like a mildly bad coolant seal, is there anything i can do (other than the block seal) to stave it off until next fall when i may snag a beater for the winter?

 

you need to perform a cooling system leak down test... but lets be real.. you got a bad seal... need a new motor... block seal might last a hour or so

 

i think we should all stop being pesimistic and look on the bright side if your coolant seals did fail at least you internals will be clean....

 

Here's the kicker, i have no clue where it'd be leaking in on. My spark plugs come out dirtier than they go in, if the car sat over night and i pull the plugs they aren't wet, i don't remember any misting coming out when cranking the engine with the plugs out, and it passed the bubbles-on-startup test (kept the cap off until the thermostat opened, even). It's got me confused, but when i find the time i'll get it pressure tested to make sure.

 

My bright side is this...it still runs.

It's just annoying to have to pop the hood EVERY time i want to drive it to check the levels of the coolant.

 

if the coolant doesnt get pulled back in thats a bad cap the pressure release valve might be failing this will also make your coolant hoses to collaspe. think they make test strips that will tell you if your coolant is contamineted with other liquids.

 

well if your plugs are dirty its probably not a coolant because that would make your plugs cleaner.. most of the time

 

Replaced the thermostat, upper radiator hose, flushed the coolant, radiator cap (which is on the t-stat housing since i have an early '87 with the old radiator), and the hose from the cap to the overflow. I've also tested the cap on the overflow and it flows fine without any blockage. All of the other hoses look fine, except the lower radiator hose, and that's only because the PO had a "block heater" installed which really is just this fitting that joins the cut hose together and (when plugged in) will keep the coolant from freezing...

 

well the cap might be getting stuck if it doesnt let the coolant flow back. which will flow fine to the overflow but wont let it flow back. did you get the right pressure rating for the cap? you used the correct thrmostat i would hope.. do you notice alot of coolant missing? have you ever noticed coolant on the ground or in your garage?

 

I've had 3 radiator caps. The original that was horribly shot, the one from AutoZone that did the coolant > overflow but not vice versa...and now one ordered from Mazdatrix that's doing the same. Only times i've ever noticed coolant on the ground was from topping off the system and some coming out the bleeder hole. Also, i've never really noticed coolant go missing since, everytime i've done it, i've been able to subtract the difference in the additional coolant in the overflow and add it back to the system with it topping off. I may be missing some, but it's either lost to spillage or is a very small amount.

 

well if no coolant is missing then your not burning coolant off or not at a noticable rate. So i guess your problem is more or less that the coolant is not returned from the overflow. Do the hoses collaspe/ do the look like there getting sucked in?

 

Not that i've seen, they all appear to be fine. When i get the chance i will test for leaks, or have my roommate snag me a tester to see if there's been exhaust/gas in my coolant.

 

hear http://www.rotaryresurrection.com/ro...oolantfix.html

 

I'd try that, but my engine is in otherwise good condition and i don't know what kind of problems it may cause when it comes time for a rebuild (which i'm hoping it won't get worse and will last until fall). Am i being too optimistic?

 

Well if you start to notice that the coolant is being burned off then you should worry but now you said you dont see much of the coolant being lost. if your injectors were laking it wold probably flood you motor(rotarys like to do that alot)... just do the normal checks..compression, see if you can get that coolant test.