cdn

Okay so there are a few things this can be caused from that I'm considering. Basically when I start up my car it will be like a fire as started with how much white smoke is there. It's really sweet smelling so it's obviously burning coolant. Under the car it's a pool (I'll start it up soon and get some photos) but its dripping everywhere. I would assume a new radiator or water pump should be acquired, but I don't think it is a faulty hose. It's ran fine before and then after driving it for a bit coolant sensors go off and I take it home to find a lot of coolant has disappeared. My spark plugs are new and don't have anything on them either.

Note: I'm going to be doing an engine swap soon theoretically so a lot of this engine bay will be removed for this rebuilt motor.

New to rotary so am at a loss, have people with suggestions of what it could be (like said above) so just want to hear if anyone has a better idea.

Skeltic

put a v8 in there, that will fix it

jjwalker

Well, if it is on the ground...it's a hose.

I have found, in my experience, to go sniff the overflow tank. Does your overflow tank smell like gas when you take the lid off and sniff it?

The reason I stated the above is because A) probably a leaky hose and B) you never stated that your exhaust smelled like coolant. There isnt really any that coolant will be outside the engine or radiator unless a hose or gasket is in question. Coolant o-ring failure causes "champagne" bubbles in the coolant.

I had a cracked front iron on my previous engine that would let coolant in and exhaust out. I would still pass the champagne test, but it would suck in coolant as the engine cooled off. Yes, it was ironic, but my overflow bottle smelled like raw gas. After tear down, it was cracked in 3 places along the bottom!

jjwalker

Shut up...

DaBrkddy

Riiiiiiiiight... That's the most idiotic solution for fixing any engine related problem with the RX-7.

OP, could you show us pictures of where the coolant is leaking from? or is it just "everywhere?"

It's Probably coming from the passenger side heater core hose....

jjwalker

That was exactly my thought.

clokker

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, that's the most likely source to spray the exhaust manifold and cause all the "smoke" you see in the bay.

cdn

Okay well I started it up and boom. Exhaust smoke smelt like oil and there was zero leaking of coolant. But it was idling at 2000rpm and wouldn't go down. This is an 87 GXL and from what I understand an s4 is warmed properly at about quarter way on the temp gauge. But it was going higher than that (photo below) and then I didn't get a photo but the overflow tank pissed out coolant right after I shut it off and that was it.

cdn

Yeah no. It's isn't an rx7 if it isn't rotary man.

cdn

But by swapping a new engine in, if it's anything inside the engine it won't matter to me much. I just want the ideas and probable causes to possibly take it out and rebuild/fix it possibly in the future.

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

first things first..easy stuff.
Like changing the thermostat and the Rad cap.Also changing coolant.Checking the hoses and clamps to make sure they are sufficient.

clokker

iTrader: (2)

Neither of those parts would have any effect upon a cold startup, so they may be easy but not very useful, I think.

Somehow this car seems to have miraculously healed a major water leak only to develop oily smoke and eventual overheating.

It would help if cdn provided some context about the car prior to these Exorcist-level shenanigans.
Was is acting normal and just suddenly started spitting pea soup?
Was any work being performed?

Is there oil in the coolant or coolant in the oil?
Tried the champagne test yet?
Pressure test coolant system?

cdn

I've yet to do any of that testing. But oil is oil and coolant is coolant. No mixing. I don't have much knowledge of the past of this car asides from the fact is was very neglected from the previous owner. Check out the build threads under 2nd gen and you'll see all info about how it was with old caked on oil spark plugs and horrid brake rotors. It's just been very neglected is all I can tell.

cdn

Planning on going over heater hose and checking that all out and then replacing thermostat and hoping for the best. Hope to go for it tomorrow. Thermostat should be horrid, but what would the best way be to check the heater hose? I'm told it to the rear of the engine but what's the best way to access it while in your driveway? haha

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

Thermo and rad cap are the usual change outs to be done when you get a car that is "unknown" maintained.
Myself,I change that all out along with a good coolant flush and fresh coolant when I get a car to ease my mind.
It usually gets a good going over before I start it up again.(after purchase)

He mentioned the overflow spewing coolant which sort of pointed me to say Rad cap,to see if the cap was faulty and allowing the system to open early and Barf coolant into the overflow.

Then again after seeing the info in the build thread you can guess at how bad the engine was treated and it could be on it's last legs too.

clokker

iTrader: (2)

I haven't seen the build thread, I'm only going by the info presented here.
Which is oddly contradictory and confused.

I'm still wondering about the (apparently) major leak that was steaming up the bay and leaving puddles under the car...and then mysteriously not mentioned again.

jjwalker

We need more details, but I'd take a gander you overheated because of coolant loss. If it leaks all over the ground, it doesn't run and jump back into the cooling system.

cdn

To be quite frank this car just likes bring a hormonal wreck it seems. Some days it likes to do exactly what I first said. Then it go to start it up to show somebody or something and it's fine. That's the nuisance here

cdn

Very likely, though these engines normally don't just progressively go. It's typically from what I've seen, it goes, goes, goes and one say bam. Done. Haha. Today I'm hoping to be replacing thermostat and going over some hoses, like the heater hose and hoping for results.