Hello all,

I've noticed that my car spits out coolant after I shut it off (through the overflow tank). I believe I read somewhere that this was a sign of bad waterjacket seals. Does anyone have any experience with this? If this is the case, what is the prognosis? Any input would be appreciated.

-GS

 

i would check the rad cap first to make sure it is the right one, working properly, ect........
it is a sign that ur engine blew a seal though


-Shawn (*prays* that this day will never come to him)

 

Oh man....water seal go bye bye me 'spect. Pray



rx_7_driver...It will come to us all one day or another...and ALWAYS sooner than you think. It is a REALLY GOOD IDEA to always have $1500-$3000 in a bank account at all times incase you need a rebuild....

 

well that 1.5-3k thing won't be there anytime soon i am 5k in dept at the moment so i pray lol evertime i drive, but as soon as my depts r paid off it will be there, if not i always go 2nd hand till i get the money for a new one

RxRot, does it only do it when u shut it off? r is it alway comeing out while running. does it over heat? if it ovewr heats i would check the thermostat first to..... do a search for the bubble test it should help u figure out if the seals broke

-Shawn (money controls us all)

 

Thanks for the responses guys.

At present the car doesn't overheat. I'm not sure if the coolant is coming out while the car is running, I've only just thought about this whole situation today. I'll have to pay more attention to it next time I go for a drive.

I'm going to look into the bubble test and see what that tells me to do. You think it'll get me through the winter if it is bad?

-GS

 

if its a seal i would stop driving it now and get it rebuilt, buy used engine, r new engine , if u r getting it rebuilt the more u drive it now the more it will cost to get rebuilt, they have some guys one here that rebuild engines for fairly cheap


-Shawn (still praying)

 

Shawn,

Well the last time I changed my oil I didn't have any white sludge that would be typical of a coolant mixture. I'll have to try the other "fixes" and see how things work out.

I asked about the motor lasting as I have zero time to mess with it until summer, but I do have a T2 engine and tranny to swap in at that time. Hopefully she can hold out.

-Gavin

 

Its not going to have coolant in the oil like when a head gasket blows on a piston engine. If the seal breaks, the coolant goes directly into the rotor housing and gets mixed with the fuel. It will make white smoke out of the exhaust when burned. Also, the rotors' compression will pressurize the coolant system and you may see bubbles in the overflow tank as it fills up with coolant. A bad thermostat will cause the overflow to heat up too, but you said your car doesn't over heat so I doubt its the thermostat.

 

Do a search on CRC copper block weld

 

Mine has done that a couple times. Only on really hot days and after I have been getting on it good. I have the timing advanced some and I haven't replaced some of the foam bits that direct more air through the rad instead of around. Anyway. on mine I think the radiator isn't keeping up with the heat I'm giving it and boils over some when I shut it off. Maybe same with yours? Also make sure the overflow was not accidently overfilled by someone and is just spitting out the excess.

 

Since you're spitting coolant after the engine is off, you are definitely overheating.
The cause could still be minor.

Replace the thermostat. Make sure it fits. The spring loaded disc under the stat valve must close the bypass port, or guess what?

Another thing that sneaks up on you is the fan clutch. On the series 4 version the fan pulls hard up to about 4k, and then maintains ~4k as the engine revs higher. If yours slips at 2500, you will overheat.

My 87 was showing overheating symptoms. What finally fixed it? Would you believe the water pump housing? The aluminum casting behind the pump was eroded by the turbulence of the high revving pump and the previous owner using plain water for some time. The bypass valve seat under the thermostat had about a 4mm chamfer eroded away, and there was a 6mm hole eroded through the internal wall between the inlet and outlet side.
All this bypassing gives symptoms like a partially blocked radiator.
I fabricated a repair with Bondo Marine Epoxy Putty Stick. It has held for a year now.

Good luck - Bill..

 

Thanks for all the responses guys...I'm going to have to take a serious look at the problem and figure out exactly what is happening. After that I'll incorporate all your suggestions into a solution. I'll post what I find.

Thanks,
Gavin

 

Quick thought if you think it is the H2O rings. Take your car to your local smog shop pop off your rad cap and have the sniffer snif for good old rotary exhaust . If it smells it time for a street port

 

SO IF MY THERMOSTAT IS MESSED UP WILL IT CAUSE MY CAR TO OVER HEAT IMMEDIATELY O AND I ALSO HAVE A WATER LEAK SOMEWHERE BEHIND OR UNDERNEATHER THE INTAKE MANI IT SPILLS MAD WATER FROM THERE.

 

Or like when my seals blew.. gush forth from the coolant cap like Old faithful herself. You could actually see exhaust escaping from the coolant hose.

 

Hey all,

Well I pulled the radiator cap and started the car (cold) and there were zero bubbles and no splashing coolant. So I guess it is one of the other issues and not a failed seal? Now I'll need to look into the other potential causes and fix the problem. I'm very glad that the engine isn't toast.

-Gavin

 

what about the opposite problem; my car isnt sucking in coolant/water from the overflow tank when it gets warm! even though i've had day's where it's bitched at me for low coolant and even now if i take a hard corner, but it isnt sucking the water in.

 

Great, it shouldn't. It's suppose to suck in coolant/water from the overflow tank when it cools down. Hotter fluid needs more space than cold fluid!

Marco.