eriksseven

iTrader: (6)

Anyways, just giving a little update.

I had completed my 3rd rebuild on my TII about a week ago, and I was driving it yesterday, when the stock coolant temp. gauge started rising. I had been closely monitoring all of my gauges since the rebuild, so I was aware of it slightly raising up from the normal 1/4-1/3. It was getting closer to half-way, so I turned on my heater full blast and popped the hood while I was driving. Since I was close to my house, I decided to "race" my car and see who would lose (lol, hindsight...). Well, I lost.

The low coolant buzzer went off as the temp. gauge creeped to 1/2. I was only a few blocks away, so I ran a couple of (safe) stop-signs and pulled into my driveway as I simulataneously shut off the car.

I popped the hood and jumped out of the car. The s4 gauge was at 3/4 Under the hood, coolant was boiling and hissing from under the UIM. I ran inside and grabbed a big 'floor' fan that we have and propped it up to help cool the block down.

After it cooled a little I removed the UIM and found that the 'lower' rear-iron to TB hose had burst .

Today I put everything back together and started it up, while I remained optimistic. It started OK and I let it warm up while it idled there.

After several minutes, I checked under the hood to hear the coolant BOILING in the cooling system .

At this point I became a little more concerned... I shut off the car and tried to start it again with the radiator caps OFF (if there's bubbles your seals are going out, if it's a GEYSER, you're SCREWED). I used my fuel cut-off switch to cut fuel while I cranked (fresh rebuild flooded regularly) it took A LONG TIME for the car to start. While it was cranking and as it started it blew a nice puff of smoke from the exhaust, while at the SAME time coolant was spitting and bubbling out of the RAD and water-pump housing 'neck'... NOT GOOD.

Anyways, my coolant seals are blown...

Lesson: PULL OVER IF THE TEMP RISES ABOVE 1/2 OR IF THE BUZZER OF DOOM COMES ON! I tried to make it to my house a couple minutes away, and suffered the consequences...

Tomorrow I'll pull the block out and on Monday I'll get some new coolant seals at Atkins. Hopefully by Tuesday everything will be back to normal...

Stupid.

SonicRaT

iTrader: (6)

Sometimes it will geyser and blow like that even if the seals are ok, I generally wait for the car to be 100% cooled down, start it up, let it idle for a few, then I'll take off the cap, and if it doesn't stop after that, then there's something wrong, but I thought the same thing about my GXL, and it was just a massive ammount of air and being really low causing it to bubble.

88IntegraLS

I got my coolant temp to the limit of the stock gauge one day when I shredded my water pump / alternator / radiator fan belt. Coolant was squirting out the overflow tank, etc.

It survived the event though, I let it cool off and replaced the belt / coolant and all was fine. It had those Mcmaster-carr (aka rotary aviation) teflon-silicon water seals.

eriksseven

iTrader: (6)

Well... That would be nice. haha.

I don't know man, 10 minutes after a cold-start, the coolant was boiling and then it would barely start... PLUS the geyser after I restarted it and the RAD cap was off.

I'll do a couple more tests tomorrow to make sure before I rip into it.

Any practical suggestions?

SonicRaT

iTrader: (6)

Coolant pressure tester! That'll tell you for sure what's going on.

eriksseven

iTrader: (6)

Oh yeah, that's another thing (I forgot to mention), while the car was idling after the initial cold-start/warm-up, coolant starting bubbling out of the over-flow tank...

Another thing, I've had the gauge go up all the way also, and nothing suffered... To think 3/4 of the way up might have caused coolant seal failure...

I'll keep you guys posted.

eriksseven

iTrader: (6)

I've seen them use that on the Atkins video... I wonder if they're expensive...

You have to drain the coolant to use it, correct?

Thanks for the responses guys,

SonicRaT

iTrader: (6)

No, you don't! Just take off the cap, attatch that thing, pump it up to whatever you desire (13lbs is stock IIRC), and then watch, if it starts to bleed off rather quickly, there's something wrong, otherwise start glancing around for other leaks/etc, and see if it will hold pressure for any ammount of time. You should be able to rent them

chuck8313BTSDS

Here's how I like to use a radiator pressure tester on a rotary. Let the motor set over night. Make sure the radiator is as full a possible. Put tester on radiator and start the engine. watch tester pressure gauge. If the pressure starts to rise secounds after the motor is started and there are no visable leaks, you have coolant seal problems.
chuck

Wankel7

I think the other leason is have a real water temp gauge....

Sorry to hear about your engine

Andrew.

iTrader: (4)

Agreed, have a water temp, oil temp and press gauges for the next rebuild.

Wankel7

I have water/oil temp and it is great having those two gauges. Nice being able to see the relationship between teh water and oil and how much longer it takes the oil to reject the heat.

James

Andrew.

iTrader: (4)

Yeah, my oil temps hit ~160 when cruising, 180 when beating on it and in traffic they seem to be the highest since i'm not getting any air to hit the oil cooler, they do 190ish. Water is always a constant 180, ahh i love the koyo. I forgot to give you props ericsseven for not giving up on the rotary

felixwankel88

omg erik, dammm your luck sucks

KompressorLOgic

iTrader: (6)

i donno u might not of blown it up, if u just rebuild it like 200 miles ago its not gonna wanna start easy!!! see if the thermostat is good, or if the water pump is ok?? maybe u got a bad rad cap too?? id try the easy stuff first....

Icemark

am I the only one that replaces all the hoses when putting in a new motor???

ddub

Nope, I do too. Learned my lesson when my original coolant hose that ran to the TB blew going onto the freeway, luckily I imediately saw my water temp gauge start to rise, pulled off at the first exit, and turned the engine off/coasted into a parking lot.

After that every hose got replaced, and when I put in a new motor I do the same thing now, unless it was very recently replaced. If anything is questionable, a new one will take its place.

banzaitoyota

No, And I also have the rad flushed, oil cooler flushed/tested and the injectors cleaned. Along with new fuel filter and fuel lines and a new sock in the tank. Lot cheaper than R&R'ing a new engine again

eriksseven

iTrader: (6)

Haha, thanks for the optimism guys. Nah, the seals are DONE, lol.

Before this, it'd start everytime (sometimes with the help of the fuel-cut switch) and I just did some tests on it, and it could *barely* cold start. I tried initially cranking it with the EGI fuse pulled and the RAD cap removed, to see if I could see anything from inside the car. Nothing. So, I started it with the RAD cap off and got out to witness a large cloud of white fuel/coolant smoke (could barely catch a whiff of the sweet, sweet smell of coolant) coming from the exhaust. I went up to the RAD to look for bubbles etc. and at first there was nothing. I decided not to get TOO ahead of myself since I had smelled coolant in the exhaust. So I waited for about a minute and then bubbles started coming up . I 'squished' the upper RAD hose a bit to circulated the coolant (just in case) but the bubbles kept coming. So I said screw it, let the car warm up fully and I took it out for a spin.

By the time I left, coolant was squirting out of the overflow tank. I went up to Starbucks and let my car run outside while I got coffee. I came back out; no buzzer, no leaks, fans are working fine, heater is on, coolant temp. is at 1/3.

Then I got a wonderful idea... (some people will hang there head in shame at this--Except Karack) Let's see how the fresh rebuild likes boost!

It liked it... A lot.

After several short 9psi, 5k RPM 2nd gear runs I drove back to my house... When I was two blocks away my coolant temp ROSE and the buzzer came on. I hurriedly parked it, let the little 'front' E-fan run as I set up my big floor fan and sat back as my gauge went up to 3/4 again and coolant boiled in my overflow tank etc.

Seals are toast and I really don't care.

There's no question in my mind, does anyone else disagree?

I do have access to a coolant pressure tester, but I'm positive that the seals need to be replaced.

Terrh

iTrader: (7)

I'd use the coolant pressure tester before I rebuild the motor!

I bet you'll feel like a dumbass if you rebuild the motor - and it does the same thing - because the motor wasn't the problem.

eriksseven

iTrader: (6)

I dunno... Coolant out of the exhaust sounds like seals to me...

Then again, you're absolutely right. I'll try and get that pressure tester tomorrow.

On another note, since my TII has now overheated TWICE with 186mi. That isn't a very good note to start out on, if I want any sort of reliablity out of these, *at least* 'weakened' coolant seals...

RotaryEvolution

iTrader: (30)

have you replaced the radiator cap?


new coolant seals are VERY resilient to being overheated, i took mine to the top of the gauge when the heater hose burst and it never blew a coolant seal.


only 2 things i could think of is:

1) radiator cap or thermostat failed
2) an iron took a crap and the seal rolled into the water jacket, unfortunate but possible even after a rebuild.

eriksseven

iTrader: (6)

Interesting bit of info:

I found a pretty major coolant leak just now, after pulling the T-stat, re-doing the driver's side heater-core hose, re-filling w. coolant etc...

I noticed after filling the RAD back up with coolant that a little coolant started leaking from the pass. side of the block and running down to the bottom of the tranny before dropping to the ground...

I tried to start my car and it WOULDN'T START. But when I got out to look under the car, coolant was literally pouring down from *somewhere* and dropping off at the tranny.

There are no leaks on the drivers side, no leaks from the WP, RAD and hoses. I found what I was looking for under the UIM. It WASN'T the rear-iron coolant line or nipple that was leaking, but there was a POOL of fresh coolant right in that 'cranny' between the block and LIM.

Is it possible that the seal between the LIM and block has failed? If this is the case, is it possible that coolant is being injected into my motor with the A/F mixture? Therefore causing my *impossible* starts?

If this theory somehow doesn't work, please let me know. It's going to be an annoyance to have to pull the turbo etc. to take off the LIM.

Thanks for all the help,

slpin

iTrader: (9)

if i were you,,, i would definately take the intake off if coolant is coming up from there... just to see if the oring is still good or something... sure beats taking the motor out, right? and if it isnt,,, u already took the crap out to make it easier for u to pull motor...

eriksseven

iTrader: (6)

Ooh... The big 1-0-0-0 haha.

The impossibility to start means, FOR A FACT, that coolant is getting into my combustion chambers... If someone shoots down my "A/F and coolant mixing in the LIM theory" then I'm positive the seals are blown and the motor needs to be pulled.

Removing and re-installing the turbo etc. would take almost as much time as it would to pull the motor, so I'd like to avoid the hassle if my theory couldn't/doesn't work.

Thanks a lot guys, you people are pimps...