MURX

Well here is what has happened in the last few months installing engines into my car. My original engine blew due to age and two apex seals deciding to retire at the same moment. The first rebuilt engine I put it (From a very reputable builder) started right up, ran a little hot but nothing big. After putting on maybe 30 miles it started to overheat. By about 50 miles it was overheating all the time and pressuring the cooling system forcing the coolent out into the overflow resovoir. A note should be made that of the rebuild the water pump was new as were all the hoses along with the thermostat, and the radiator was flushed. I was pissed off needless to say but the rebuilder was helpful and took my engine back to replace one of the coolent seals for which I was greatful. I figured that maybe something happened in the rebuilding process and that I was just very unlucky in the rebuild it recived. So I pulled the engine again, sent to him and got it back. Finaly seeing light at the end of the tunnel, installed the engine into the damn car once again, and to be safe I ordered another new OEM thermostat and OEM radiator caps, and I tapped into the water pump housing on the coolent outboard side for my aftermarket temp gauge.

Eye Break

Well the engine started right up again. With myself very paranoid of heat I would drive watching my temp guage and not the road (not good). The temp seemed at little high for an S4, about have on the stock temp gauge, little over 200 on my guage (damn electric with 90 sweep) I knew it was running a little warm, but nothing to worry about, or so I told myself. Well one day going to work (5 miles away) and my temp guage unwired due me rewiring the guage. I see the stock temp gauge rising very slowly. I pull into work and shut it down, the stock gauge reads little over 3/4. I pop the hood and what do I see? Thats right the god damn resovior half pull. I lie to myself that it will all be sucked in well the system cools down. I get off work and drive home, eyes glued to the temp. Rewire my temp guage and refill the coolant (yes I did bleed the system). Two miles later on my way home with the heat a little warm for my liking the temp started to rise. From 195 to 205 to 220 to 230 to me telling my car to **** itself. I throw the cutoff switch two blocks from my house and have to listen to my friend tell me I should have just drove it home. I told him he can join my car. So I wait the next 30 minutes from my car to cool down and refill the system to drive the last two blocks home. Almost pissed enough to pull a Jesse James. I dont touch the car until the next nite. I fill everything, bleed it and start it up. What is my welcome to starting it up? You guessed it, what I knew the day before, a car turned to a ******* fog machine. I final thing I forgot to note is, I could tell exactly when the car was overheating because the heater would turn from hot to cool air.

Basicly I am wondering what could have blown 2 engines in the exactly same manner after the almost the same time driving them. The first one had 90 miles or so and this one has 54 miles. I belive it is one of three things, 1. bad radiator (though my car never overheated or leaked before and does not leak now, and was also flushed) 2. Bad heater core (work perfectly until the car overheates, so that doesnt make much sense.) Or 3. the rotor housing themselves have minor warpage in a coolent passage or such, and even though they appear fine that get fucked up everytime (this one I have no idea of but seems to be a possiblily due lack of others). Also I break the cars in a carefully as possible, even more so with the second engine. I was a paranoid lunitic with the second rebuild so it is not my breaking in ablities.

At this point I really dont know what I am going to do, I am going back to school in 3 weeks so time isnt a factor anymore, I just dont know if I want to spend anymore time on it. I have a near perfect rebuilt with one or two of the coolent rings damaged, a fairly cheap replacement. If the body and interior were not in such mint condition I would junk the car, but the car is in perfect condition except for it ability to run ( I have been told that car are supposed to run, but I am really starting to doubt this And I do or "did" love my car. I just dont want to spend the time messing around with it anymore unless I can 100% for sure know what it is. So if you guys have any ideas let me know.

Thanks and sorry for the long post.

OC_

so.... whats the reason your not telling us who rebuilt the engine?

wait, you didnt really blow 2 different engines? is the engine that went back to 'the guy' (after you had the first heating prob) the same one that came back?

drago86

did he check the side plates for square? sometimes an oveheated side plate will warp, or shrink down in the coolent seal area and cause leakage.

drago86

other then that it could be a pinhole in a rotor housing ( probably near the spark plugs) or the coolent seal grove cracked, most likly in the area fromt he spark plugs to the exaust port.

85TIIDEVIL

iTrader: (2)

Flushing a radiator means ABSOLUTLY nothing, well to me anyways... I had a experience with a car that kept overheating but I never allowed it to a point of compromising headgasket failure. WTF I kept asking myself... I changed the thermostat, waterpump, antifreeze, brought the radiator to a "RADIATOR SHOP" to be flushed... why is this thing STILL overheating and spitting antifreeze into the reservoir...?

Turns out... after advice from a mechanic with 30+ years experience, I put in a new radiator. Problem immediatly solved. Daaaam radiator shop, and I paid $40 to have em' properly flush/clean (whatever the hell they do) to the orginal radiator.

The reservoir kept filling up because the radiator wasn't circulating properly causing high temps and forcing the antifreeze out. The heater blows cold because lack of antifreeze in the cooling system/heater core even if you're overheating.

Keep the car and look at the bright side... I bet now you can put that motor in and out in a day.

RoninAutoBoX

Yikes! I would say that engine definitely has something wrong with it.

purespeedrx-7

Hello,
I think you should go to a j-spec engine i have put in a web page you can go to. Too find what you wont even new engines
http://www.fc3s.org/engines/used_j_spec_engines.htmlhttp://www.fc3s.org/engines/used_j_spec_engines.html

boosted1205

iTrader: (9)

Using used housings require very careful inspections.
I don't like having someone else do a rebuild using used housings that's why I'd rather inspect it, measure all points with a micrometer and if all is well, I'll re-use it.
There could be a number of reasons why the engine is failing. The first clue would be if the engine has been returned and the housings were re-used and it over-heated each time, the housing or housings could be out of spec. or corrosion in the water jacket has eaten through the walls. If the first engine went from a broken seal or was just plain worn out and it didn't over heat, the rebuilt engine would be at fault. If he used your old housings, he didn't do everything right. If he isn't used to rebuilding rotary engines, there are very small seals, springs and most of all the coolant O rings which can get out of the groove when the engine is tilted and trying to get the center housing over the eccentric shaft. That can happen when you're not carefully watching it as you try to allign the two housings. The car should never see over 1/4 on an S4 gauge during idle or cruise on a new engine. If it does that initially, something is wrong. As you mentioned the overflow tank keeps filling up. Whenever it does that, the combustion chamber is pushing coolant out and the only time it does that is when there is not a good seal at the housing. Unless it's under warrany, I would find another **reputable**rotary shop and find the cause.

MURX

I have not heard back from him. I also did not make this thread to bash him, as he is member on the forum. Just to learn if it is worth pouring more of my money and time on my car.

I am pretty sure he reinspected everything, the engine I sent back the first time was the one I recived the second time. What failed and was replaced was an interior O-ring.

MURX

Right now this is what I am thinking is the problem. Unless I got screwed with two rebuilds, which I doubt.

Getting the engine in and out in a day = no problem.
The problem is that I will most likly have to rebuild it myself and I dont know anyone who could help me with my first rotary rebuild. Also my friend's garage where I swapped the engines is now filled up with his race mustang.

Bruce

I am not sure if this will help you out but I found this for you
Rotaries Plus, Milwaukee, OR 97267. 503-786-9447, (suburb of Portland). Rotary Engine Rebuilding, Performance Modifications, Parts and Accessories. Jim Miller, Mazda Specialist
I got it off a vendors list see if the guy is still around

stinkfist

Your builder should help you. It sounds to me like your engine is consuming coolant. Is this the case? If your coolant is getting low and there are no sighns of a leak then it is your motor. If you only have 100 miles on the motor then that is the problem. Sounds like either you have a poorly built engine or a warped housing. In either case it is the builders responsability. He should have checked the housings and sold you a new one if one was warped.

88IntegraLS

I had the same symptoms in my Integra, other than the engine blowing, because my radiator was old. Flushing it did nothing to improve the gradual overheating that would always happen. $120 later and a new radiator installed, the problem was solved. In the ~20k miles that radiator now has on it I have never had more than half on the gauge (normal for a Honda).

MURX

I think that is what it is. Thats not a big deal to replace, rebuilding the engine will be though .