Fero313

iTrader: (1)

i'm having a strange coolant problem... two months or so the coolant buzzer went off, added a cup or so of water...problem fixed.

one month ago... same problem, topped off water.... problem solved..

same thing happened 2 weeks ago, 1 week ago, 3 days ago, and today... (anyone seeing a pattern??)

after the first few times i started looking under the car, but have found no leaks... i also noticed the coolant bottle was a bit full, so i siphoned some of the coolant out to between full and low, topped off the system and replaced the radiater cap which the seal was chipped and old. next day the bottle was to the full line and no buzzer... problem solved?? nope

a few days later the problem returned... and here i am today. (I failed to mention that the engine temp needle has never moved past half way)

any ideas? questions?

Paul
'89 GTUs

theonlygreat

blown coolant seal. some coolant is being consumed by the engine. also during operation some air is getting into the coolant system from the combustion chamber, forcing coolant into the overflow. when the coolant cools down, instead of sucking water back from the overflow, it is probably sucking air from inside of the engine.

you can try the temp fix found at http://www.rotaryresurrection.com/coolantfix.html
but it did not work on my TII and i followed the directions word for word.

F1blueRx7

iTrader: (5)

This also happens when your oil is low, I know it's probably not the problem but I didn't see it mentioned.

The link that theonlygreat posted will tell you for sure.

WAYNE88N/A

check your overflow tank tubing for any leaks also...

Josepi

Another thing to keep an eye out for is a leaking seal around the coolant level sensor.

Notice any smoke not attributable to the weather?

Fero313

iTrader: (1)

only smoke i noticed is a little at startup, but that is dissapearing slowly....
started smoking and backfiring when i took out my CS exhaust plug... but that was two weeks ago and seemed to have settled down... is that normal.. like it's slowly adjusting to the difference in backpressure or something??

Fero313

iTrader: (1)

oh yeah by the way thanks for the inputs...

Fero313

iTrader: (1)

more questions...
is there a way to tell that coolant is leaking into the engine??
(also i'll restate that it has never shown any sign of overheating.. just in case)
what does a blown coolant seal entail normally... rebuild?
**another point, most of the time the buzzer is intermittant and stay on for 30sec or so then will go off, then returning then going off, then go off for the rest of the drive, like it did today... if i hadn't already added water i would have waited until it flaired up again then post but oh well... does that change anyones thinkin?? just hopin there *might* be another reason for this that someone might see by we givin more info... nothing against what ya'll are saying of course, i just don't want it to be what you guys are talking about (coolant seal)

i am taking it into the shop tomorrow for an oil leak, and will ask him to check out the situation...

thanks guys

theonlygreat

If you aren't taking it to a rotary shop then I wouldn't take their word for much. A blown coolant seal means you will need a rebuild. It will only make your car overheat once there is too much air in the coolant system. The intermitant buzzing is probably due to when the thermostat opens and lets more water into the radiator. You will probably notice greater coolant loss or the resivoir filling up more the harder you drive the car. If the hoses are old they might be the cause of you problem, but i would not count on it. Check and see if either of the radiator hoses collapses when the car goes from hot to cold.

Fero313

iTrader: (1)

thanks, and yeah i agree about taking it to a rotary shop... i'm not taking it to a rotary specific one, but to a guy that has worked on alot of rx7s and right now the only guy i know of to want to take my car to except kevin at roaryressurection because i live in nashville...

F1blueRx7

iTrader: (5)

Fero, at the pace you claim to be losing coolant you should see puddles under your car. Check the oil level if you are having an oil leak then it is possible that the buzzer is signifying low oil.

Fero313

iTrader: (1)

the coolant light come on, not the oil light with the buzzer.... i lose about a dollar size puddle of oil a night, and nothing noticable with coolant.... which goes towards the "leaking into the engine" theory.... the oil is full (checked yesterday) just the light and buzzer starts goin... also the only times it's happened has been after it's warm and have been driving for a few minutes.... or it's been 20 degrees outside at 1:00 in the morning when i leave work, and goes away before it even warms up....

and for coolant usage.... from last buzzer to this one was about 4 days... and used about a cup of water...

J-Rat

iTrader: (2)

*sigh*

I think my engine has been overheated. How can I check to see if the coolant seals are good?
Fill coolant system ALL THE WAY UP (engine cold). Make sure that the fluid level is as high as you can get it. Leave the filler cap off. Remove the EGI fuse. Crank the motor (it should not start). If you get a LARGE amount of coolant coming out of the coolant fill, its safe to assume your coolant seals are blown. Also, a good indication is a fuel/exhaust smell in the coolant.

ceodre

does the coolant leak into the engine and just burn off when the coolant seal is bad? cause I think mine must be gone because i dont see coolant leaking anywhere but it does seem to disappear somewhere and I do get the coolant buzzer/light once in a while

SureShot

Sureshot’s Overheating – check list
1) Replace the thermostat. Make sure it fits. The spring loaded disc under the stat valve must close the bypass port, or guess what?
2) Replace the radiator cap. Low pressure = steam bubbles = spit out coolant.
3) Look for leaks. (same symptoms as #2) Some can be very hard to find. You may have to pressure test it. A common failure spot is the 3/8” coolant line that runs from the top of the rear housing (under the intake runners) to the throttle body, to the BAC, to the water pump. Another one is the heater hose under the oil filter.
4) The fan clutch will slowly start slipping as it ages. The fan should pull really hard up to about 4k when the motor is hot. It should maintain about 4k as the motor revs higher. Sometimes you can get more life from it by bending outward the bi-metal strip on the front of the fan clutch. The cut-in for the series 4 fan clutch is gradual – it pulls some even when cold. The series 5 fan clutch is more on/off.

The seal between combustion gasses & water jacket is a rubber O-ring in a groove all the way around the aluminum housing.
If it leaks you get coolant in the combustion chamber and overheating symptoms, just like a blown head gasket in a piston engine.
I have had this happen, and was able to patch it with radiator stop leak.
I caught it early, before there was too much erosion of the O-ring.
The short version:
Hard to start, catches & sputters, blows white smoke, then clears up & runs OK.
To fix:
Good coolant flush, add half the stop leak, idle warm up to full temp, shut off & cool down cold, (repeat)
Do a search under "block weld".
Many have had good luck with that product & there is a good write up on the forum using it.