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Need help with coolant issues...

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Old Jul 14, 2010 | 10:33 AM
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Question Need help with coolant issues...

well the other day the add coolant light came on and the temperature raised quickly..i noticed a bit of white smoke coming out of the exhaust prior to this and pulled over immediately..after letting the car cool off for a little bit i checked the radiator fluid and it was completely drained..i filled it back up and it ran fine for a week..now i check fluid and its almost empty again..the thing is i cant see where the fluid is going at all..any help would be appreciated..thank you guys
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Old Jul 14, 2010 | 11:18 AM
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u running a ast? is your reservoir cracked?
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Old Jul 14, 2010 | 11:46 AM
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radiator clogged most likely
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Old Jul 14, 2010 | 12:15 PM
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do a coolant pressure test then report back
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Old Jul 14, 2010 | 12:28 PM
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If your coolant is disappearing and it's not from a leak, you are burning it.
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Old Jul 14, 2010 | 12:30 PM
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Originally Posted by Mahjik
If your coolant is disappearing and it's not from a leak, you are burning it.
And, that, in case you didn't know, is a strong symptom of coolant-seal failure. Steam from the exhaust while driving is another.
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Old Jul 14, 2010 | 12:43 PM
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do not drive it like that, you will ruin your housing
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Old Jul 14, 2010 | 01:18 PM
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White smoke out the exhaust, disappearing coolant, and no leaks on the ground..... It is time for a rebuild. Dont let the car overheat as you will warp your housings. Also dont let the car sit for more than a couple weeks without starting it or atleast putting Marvel Mystery Oil in the housings to prevent the rotors and irons from rusting and becoming useless.
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Old Jul 14, 2010 | 02:44 PM
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Read this: https://www.rx7club.com/1st-gen-archive-71/engine-coolant-seal-repair-maybe-750774/

I have just a hair under 20,000 miles on my 12a since I made this repair. Hope this helps.







.
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Old Jul 15, 2010 | 04:01 PM
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thanks for the help guys i guess its time for rebuild i made it to 84k guess thats pretty good
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Old Jul 15, 2010 | 04:32 PM
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Originally Posted by sino305
..i noticed a bit of white smoke coming out of the exhaust prior to this and pulled over immediately.. the thing is i cant see where the fluid is going at all..
yea you can brotha... The white smoke out of your exhaust prior to this is coolant being burned. Prob a blown coolant seal, and the fact that you had to fill it up again the next week is a perfect indicator if your not getting any coolant leaks in your driveway. How many miles on the motor?
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Old Jul 15, 2010 | 04:40 PM
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84k is not bad really. My reman only lasted 30K. To confirm you may want to do the coolant system pressure test (tools available at local auto parts store for rent), and/or the champagne test (do a search on here for that one).

Pineapple racing makes an upgraded and fairly well respected replacement for the oem coolant seals should you need to do a rebuild. They are supposed to last much longer than the oems as well as take a bit more abuse.
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Old Jul 16, 2010 | 07:44 AM
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Let the engine sit over night, pull the leading plugs and rotate the engine backward by hand. If coolant comes out of the plug holes you know you have a bad coolant seal or failed retaining wall.
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Old Jul 16, 2010 | 08:57 AM
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once again thanks for the help..as an update..i did a bit more research and i have all the bad symptoms ive been reading about..white smoke on start up..sweet smell..all that crap..great thing to happen a week after i spend my money on rims..do you guys recommend just buying a reman?
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Old Jul 16, 2010 | 10:13 AM
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We can rebuild it for far cheaper then a reman, unless you have severely overheated the engine causing it to be a trashed core. Remember a reman is just a Mazda rebuilt engine without the options of upgraded seals or porting.

http://banzai-racing.com/store/rotar...e_rebuild.html
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Old Jul 16, 2010 | 11:35 AM
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i'd say go with a streetported rebuild through Banzai... look through some of their posts and threads... you really won't be dissappointed.
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Old Jul 16, 2010 | 06:42 PM
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Originally Posted by sino305
do you guys recommend just buying a reman?
NO. Original owner of my car lost the engine at an impressive 95k. At that time he had a Mazda reman installed and it made it 30k. I have NEVER overheated the engine and put 15 of the 30k on it. One day a coolant seal just turned lose. No explanation that I could find once I pulled it all apart. Just a crappy seal is my guess.

Get your current motor to Banzai or another reputable builder and use this opportunity to upgrade the coolant seals and do a bit of porting.
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Old Jul 17, 2010 | 07:25 PM
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Originally Posted by mannykiller
i'd say go with a streetported rebuild through Banzai... look through some of their posts and threads... you really won't be dissappointed.
i drive long distances..would that be reliable with a streetport?
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Old Jul 25, 2010 | 04:13 AM
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Dude, did you even look at that thread that I posted above? It's a $4.00 investment that has a damned good chance of working. And if you are considering a rebuild, what have you got to lose if it doesn't work?

Like I said, I've got 20,000 miles on mine since I did this without a trace of any problems...
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Old Jul 25, 2010 | 08:41 AM
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Arrow

Originally Posted by Kentetsu
Dude, did you even look at that thread that I posted above? It's a $4.00 investment that has a damned good chance of working. And if you are considering a rebuild, what have you got to lose if it doesn't work?

Like I said, I've got 20,000 miles on mine since I did this without a trace of any problems...
https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...hreadid=191608
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Old Jul 25, 2010 | 08:52 AM
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I read that thread a couple of years ago, which is why I knew ahead of time that I wasn't going to try it on my motor. So I went in search of a better option.

My heater works fine, living in Michigan I would know quickly if it wasn't. No cooling issues or any sign of blockage in the radiator either. Everything still looks nice and clean.

As far as turbo lines go, I have no input on that as I have no experience with boost equipment.

But either way, I'm not here to argue with anybody. I'm just posting my own results based on my own experience (which is the entire point of a forum, right?). I, personally, was able to save myself a costly and time consuming rebuild and have had no sign of side effects from the use of the Alumaseal.

The Alumaseal doesn't seem to have the detrimental side effects that the block sealant products have.
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Old Jul 25, 2010 | 09:14 PM
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Had the same problem with my JDM rx-7, turns out i was burning coolant ( did the champagne test) its really easy to do and will tell you pretty quickly if you have something serious to worry about. I ended up taking apart the block, i had a blown seal.....regardless i sent my engine back to the states so i could have a spare to rebuild when my current rx7 engine blows ...
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