DCmina

Hi, I just got my first car a month ago and it's an 1988 RX-7!
But recently I have to add coolant everytime I go to school and when I leave from school. I can see that it's leaking and I'm gonna go to the garage tomorrow but how much do you think it'll cost to fix?

Also, is it normal that I have to add 1 liter of oil every week?

Thanks!

rico05

I usually have to add about half a quart of oil every 2 months or so it seems. By my car's standard, that is a LOT of oil to be using. I hope this helps...

hypntyz7

For your coolant leak, check these usual hard-to-spot leak areas:

-the weep hole under the water pump pulley
-where the water pump housing meets the block(look about 2.5" behind the water pump)
-the driver side heater hose, that comes from the center of the firewall, down around the oil filter down on the side of the engine by the rear plugs.
-the small coolant hoses on top of the intake, one of which goes behind the intake down to the block underneath the intake
-the upper seam of the radiator...where the black plastic meets up to the aluminum
-both(ifyou have 2) plastic housings where the collant caps go in, these crack and leak alot. Some models had 2 caps(one on engine, one on radiator), some only had one on the engine

Not to worry you, but if you cant find a leak and lose a lot of water, you could have a condition called "bad water seals, or water o-rings" which is an internal condition similar to a bad headgasket on a piston motor, which requires a rebuild of the engine to fix. Try removing the plastic underbelly pan, and putting a big piece of cardboard under the engine, this will help you find the general area of a leak.

For your oil problem, it is a big problem. The most I have ever had an rx7 use is 1qt per 500, which was a turbo 2 with a turbo on the way out. A non turbo shouldnt use even that much. Normal is about 1 qt per 1000 miles or so. Does your car smoke blue(other than the usual puff at startup)? You might have an oil leak. Check the oil cooler lines that go from the driver sideof the engine, one on front corner, one on rear corner, up to the front of the car under the radiator where the cooler is. These high pressure(read: important!) oil lines leak/bust frequently if they havent ever been replaced. IF you lose one of these on the run you have 30 seconds to shut down or you will lose your engine!