What does it mean when the coolant (at the top of the radiator) is hot???

I keep losing coolant (I'm not quite sure where it is going... It MIGHT be leaking on the right side of the engine where ya pour in the oil, a little further down, it looked like i saw a few drips)... I was just wondering if anyone knows what MIGHT have happened..? I don't have any weird symptoms... it just loses coolant, which makes me think it is just leaking. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions..? Thanks.

 

It being hot means you got one of them there crazy internal cumbustion engines that use liquid coolant.

The missing coolant could be a leak in the system or a bad coolant seal, the latter is way more expensive and shitty.

 

Ha.. real funny... ...
Oh, i forgot to mention that it seems like it only loses it when it is running...

 

leaking on the drivers side as you say, is more then likely that coolant hose thats on the back of the motor over there.. i had to replace that a hose couple times on the last few rx-7's i have owned..
Dave

 

coolant at the top of the radiator.
by hot, do you mean more than 100 degrees F? 230F? 250F? 180F?
how badly are you losing coolant? any ending up in the overflow tank?

<signature removed for size violation>

 

It's being lost pretty bad.. I checked it before i went to school and it was all full, then when i got back (it's about a 13 mile drive there and back) the damn buzzer was going off so it was pretty low. and hot as hotter than i would have expected it to be but not really sure if it would cause a problem or be a symptom of a problem...

I'll have a look at the hoses back there and see if anything is fishy...

 

well, water gets hot enough and pressurized enough to blow the radiator cap off and cause burns up the jemimah if you're not careful. operating temps are around 170-200 degrees. i wasn't sure if you meant the water was hot or if the gauge was reading excessively hot.

 

mk... So I'm probably just looking at a leak rather than something serious???

 

The buzzer is actually really sensitive. It doesn't take much coolant loss at all to trigger it (this is a Good Thing).

-=Russ=-

 

i keep losing coolant too. my buzzer has only gone off once, but every few days i cheak my overflow tank and its empty.

 

hey Jwowl, my friend has that problem too, leaking on the right side of the engine under the oil filter. I'm not to sure what the proper name for it is but it is a coolant hose, that goes to the engine to the fire wall. i not sure if there is a Vans autopart store in washington but my freind got his for $25 there or auto zone has it for 30-35.

 

I've got the same problem, anyone know if that means a coolant seal?

 

its the heater hose. mine's just regular heater hose, but they have fitted ones.

 

Okay, I'll get it checked out tomorrow. Thanks guys.

 

i have two leaks one from the heater hose and then it started drippin from the tranny(bottomside) or is it that i need to swap out the tranny? help plz

 

I had the same exact problem. And yes it is that blasted heater hose! Replace that and you'll be good to go

 

Wow, it seems like a lot of people have similar problems, but everyone is too affraid to make a thread about it. Then someone gets the courage to make a thread, and people just pile on.

Anyway, if you have coolant dripping from the bottom of the tranny, its most likely either dripping on it from somewhere up higher and running down, or if its coming from the bell housing, its probably leaking out around the tension bolts that hold the engine together.

As far as coolant being hot, yeah. You have to be more specific. Is your coolant gauge showing that the engine is over heating or did you try to drink it and burn your tongue? See how it can be interpreted two different ways?

 

Wah wah that heater hose. lol. try replacing the heater core sometime. I think an abortion would be easier. lol Sorry, my useless post for the month.

 

that damn heater hose cost 29 bucks, what a RIP. At least the damn cockpit buzzer gave me early warning, and i did an emergancy landing.. easy to spot a leak when its cold outside with a flash light !

 

The heater hose often goes bad when the car has/had an oil leak from the oil filter/pressure sensor area dripping down onto it.
Rubber + oil != good

 

The cooling system flows top to bottom in the radiator, so the top hose is the hottest.

$29 for a heater hose, that is preformed specifically for the engine and body, is much cheaper than a rebuild.

Coolant leaks are not to be taken lightly in a rotary. They require immediate attention.

Many years ago I drove my 3.8l Riviera 50 mi, on the interstate, to get home, with the overheat light on and the digital temp gauge showing 250. Arrived home with no problems and put another 75k on the car.

Do that on a rotary, and you may get 5 mi, and a rebuild.

 

Yup. Though if you overheat a piston engine long enough, it will usually sieze up on you and be finished. The rotary you can usually keep driving until you shut it off, after which it will never run again. (until the expensive rebuild that is)