I really hope I didnt buy a lemon... I just bought a 93 fd and I was changing the oil yesterday to find this yellowish residue in the oil cap and in the oil filler well. My buddy who goes to UTI told me that it is most likely coolant leaking into the engine somewhere or the intake manifold and then collecting in the pan and recirculating into the engine. He asked one of the technicians at UTI today and told him that the only thing to do is replace the entire rotary engine because there is most likely a crack in the rotary's aluminum seals. Is what he is saying true.. Is there a chance I can rip apart the motor myself and find the leak and fix it? Any help would be great!

 

i have some residue in mine as well...i think others have it happening also....
if you search you'll find a few threads on this...

brad

 

not trying to be rude but your lack of fundamental knowledge of mechanical basics means your going to be in for a very tough time owning this car. here are your choices

invest all of your free time to learning the in and outs of the fd or
invest large amounts of money in a rotary specialty shop to maintain it for you.

the good news is the service manual is posted on this site for download and the chances are that any question you can come up with has been asked and answered here before. all it takes is some commitment.

as for your friends info on the seals....He is incorrect neither the apex or side seals have anything to do with engine coolant....there are many things can cause the mixing of oil and water but the rotor seals aren't one of them.

Oh yeah If by Lemon you mean a car that will break stuff on a regular basis, blow-up, and spontaneously catch fire then yes you did its called an FD welcome to the club

 

open up the filler cap and see if you have yellowish gunk lining the filler tube. If you do, this is a common problem caused by either your crankcase not being vented or your vent being clogged. I *think* the term thrown around here is Mustard Lung, but it's been a while since I ran into that junk in my filler neck, so i can't really remember very well.

 

lol lemon...

http://www.fd3s.net/lemon_site/troubles.htm

you have no idea what you got yourself into do you?

My best advice is to read up! all of your answers are all here.

 

wow, definately dont need a new engine if you just have a foamy/creamy residue. Its normal and its just moisture mixing with the oil.

 

oh boy

 

Thanks for the input everyone.. the only reason my buddy thought it was coolant is because he saw the same type of residue in his car and the engine siezed up on him because of a coolant leak.

I'm aware of all the troubles I will be running into.. (not to mention the $$ to go along with it..)... but I have always wanted this car since I can remember and I have finally gotten around to going through with it all. I don't know too much about rotary engine problems/norms just yet and yeah I know what I've gotten myself into but I intend on learning the ins and outs of the car by the time I am done with it. I'm sure I'll be on the forums alot.. matter of fact.. I'll bookmark it right now.. ha

 

good luck with your car dude learn as much as you can before you start driving it.

 

I read that entire page on that guy's lemon, and the first thing I said was holy ****. Then I said thank God that my FD isn't that bad. The engine's out, but it'll get rebuilt over the summer.