I'm thinking of purchasing a 87 T2, the only problem is it leaks coolant, which from what I have read is not good on rotary's. The owner says he cant find it, but has yet to jack the car up and do a close inspection. He says on a 45 mile trip he has to stop 4 times to refill the coolant, but it does not leak when the car is sitting still. Do you guys have any idea what could cause this, and what it would cost to rebuild the engine so its running smooth again?

Thanks,
dcoT2

 

if you rebuild the motor your sefl you can get most everything you need to rebuild that motor includeing aftermarket apex seals for about $750.... thats if you have a good motor to begin with... if the motor its self is going through water like that it should be smokeing white and you will need a new rotor houseing so add $100-$150 for a another rotor houseing... rebuilding the motor your self...

 

There is a good chance one of the o-rings between the housing has failed and is causing the leak. Depending on the price and compression readings etc, this may or may not be a good deal.
Try to get this as cheap as possible.

 

So if it is not blowing smoke then the leak is not internal correct, thus it would not require a rebuild right away right? He claims its loosing coolant, but doesnt blow any smoke, could this be a hose, or something simple? Thanks in advance guys you've been helpful.

- dcoT2

 

It could be the heater hose that goes from the engine block to the firewall on the left side of the car. This hose tends to get pinhole leaks caused by oil spilling or seeping from the oil filter pedestal, which degrades the hose. Test drive the car. Once the engine gets up to operating temperature, pull off to the side of the road and see if the heater hose is wet and/or leaking. For that matter, you should check all of the cooling system components for leaks. It could also be something more serious, such as a water pump leak or radiator leak. I think it's worth checking out, even if you have to pay a mechanic to look for the leak.

Off to the 2Gen forum...

 

I'm thinking an outer o-ring leak if it's coming from the motor but not smoking.

 

pop the hood and have some one rev it up as you look for leeks in the cooling system I had a leek in a hose that would only leek at 3000+ rpms and would burn off before I could find it

 

Thanks guys you've been extremely helpful, I'm gonna go look at in Sunday, I may be the owner of a T2 soon!

- dcoT2