vel525

iTrader: (4)

just wanted to see what you guys thought about this. got a new motor and am in the process of breaking it in. well, one day i started her up and "poof" huge cloud of smoke came out and just hung in the air for a long time. everything else seemd fine so i went for a little drive. next day, started it up and my low coolant buzzer came on. added distilled water and drove it some more. it's been a week and i've only driven it two times and i haven't seen any smoke like that first time. but last night my coolant buzzer came on again so i added more distilled water. drove it around last night and everything seems fine. the engine feels the same. but then again it's hard to tell because i'm not boosting and am accelarating slowly. does this sound like coolant leaking or is this just part of the quirks of a new motor? thanks.

Sprockett

I think it could be one of two things. One, there were just some major air bubbles in your coolant system that are working themselves out, or Two that you do have a coolant leak. I'd be leaning toward number two right now, because I can't see how an airbubble could cause steam. Do you notice any coolant on the ground after it sits for a while? Who put in your new engine, dealership or rotary expert? Was it just a Mazda Remanufactured engine, or was it specially made (ported, etc.)? When I had my engine replaced at the dealership (bad mistake) I had lots of problems with the cooling system. The first time they did it, they put on a cracked waterpump housing. This caused coolant to shoot out from a little opening at the top of the housing, underneath the y-pipe crossover. It only happened when there was enough pressure, like at higher RPMs (well, like 4000). Then it would shoot out like an artery. Then, when they replaced that engine (because it died) they tightened up all the coolant hoses too tight, which caused them to crack and shoot coolant out. I'd check those first - you can see if they are pinched at all. You can also look for residue of burnt coolant (a white looking stain) or look for small puddles of it in your engine. That might help you locate a possible leak. Good luck,
Tyler

vel525

iTrader: (4)

hey thanks for your reply. actually a rotary shop put in the reman and they told me to keep an eye on the coolant levels. weird thing is i don't see any puddles under the car. this might be a dumb question but coolant is a bright green right? i'll check the hoses. thanks again.

Sprockett

Yeah, it should be a bright, almost ungodly bright, green color, unless you have diluted it so much with distilled water that it is lighter. If a rotary shop installed it, I wouldn't worry about the hoses being overtightened too much...they usually know what they are doing, if it's a reputable shop. The way I checked the waterpump housing was I took off the y-pipe crossover tube, unbolted the vacuum chamber, and looked at the outlet I mentioned before. Then I pulled on the throttle cable to make the engine rev up a bit (not holding it very long...short ammount of time) and pulled it until I saw coolant gushing out like old faithful.

rajeevx7

iTrader: (11)

check your oil cap for white, gizzy stuff. or any signs of rust in the cap.

these are definant signs of calling on that warrenty.

raj