lead_foot

Hey guys! Let me first say, please dont tell me to "SEARCH" because if you would realize how much time I have put into reading thread after thread, books i ordered just about RX7s then you may feel some pitty. this car is my dream car and I am trying to learn everything about it even though its hard learning bymyelf. but anyway let me explain my story:

I bought a completely stock 94 R2 with 76k miles on it . The guy I bought it from seemed to have takin care of it until I actually got the car. He shipped the car down and when it got here the battery was dead, there was bird **** all over the car, the interior was dirty as hell, and the add coolant light was on all the time, and I couldnt even drive it(too many problems to name). So I cleaned the car and replaced the battery and test drove it for not even 5 min. Got in the driveway and popped the hood and there was steam coming out from over what looked liked the turbos. So me and my friend took apart and a long story short we found out it was water from the overflowed coolant tank spraying on the turbos. So we fixed it and test drove it once again(add coolant light still came on). Then we popped the hood and again there was steam coming out of the hose to the AST. And that is where I am at now.

I know some of you guys are probably angry that I am writing a noob thread like this but I feel that I am running out of time with too many questions that need answers.

I am in the process of buying upgrades(which I dont even know who to buy from, what order to buy in, and all the parts I NEED) but I really just want to get my car running smoothly first. I really would like to take it to someone who know exactly what they are doing but I dont live near any specialists and I would like to learn on my own. The thing with that is I have to be at school in a month with a working car to move around.

Should I just do the upgrades and see how it runs? Should I just get a reman and then put the upgrades? Should I do nothing to it and get it to a specialist? Should I do the upgrades myself?(I love cars but not entirely sure how to modify parts to the engine bay) What should I do?!!!!! I cant even think properly right now cause there are so many questions. If any of you guys could help me out or answer my questions one on one, it would honestly make my life cause this car is my life and I am doing everything that I poddibly can to fix it. thanks for all you help!

CarbonR1

iTrader: (2)

Before you modify it, make sure that everything is running well first. If the engine is in good shape, then fix your coolant/AST problem good luck.

deletedcold

iTrader: (1)

maybe getting another little cheap dd would be good for school so then you could maybe get everything perfect and learn some about before you start driving it everyday. just a thought

clayne

lead: Do a search on champagne test for starters. it's the first thing you should be doing right now. Most importantly keep it together and don't let the frustration win over determination. Remember that combined, everyone here knows EVERYTHING there is to know about any generation rx-7 (that includes nopistons.com as well). So there really aren't any mysteries still around.

viper_u27

Congradulations, with all those problems, you are now an official rx7 owner.

i would not take drastic measures and replace the engine as you were saying. do a compression test on it first and see if the engine is running properly...then, if all is good, i would do the basic (some would say necessary) mods for your car. i would put an aluminum radiator, aluminum air seperator tank/ast elimination kit and a down pipe to get heat issues out of the way.

i would also do a tune up (plugs wires fuel filter oil change coolant replaced) and then finally, get a boost gauge to check if your turbos are running properly at the 10-8-10 sequential system standard.

i know when you see something as you describe, you get frustrated and want to do something about it at that very moment, but just have a little patience, you will benefit at the end.

NVMYRX-7

iTrader: (24)

What part of GA are you located? If close to Atlanta then there are a lot of Rx7 guys to help, and if anywhere close to Savannah I have the perfect group of people to help you. Check out the SE forum

lead_foot

Can I do compression test or should I have a specialist do it. And yeah I live about 400 min away from Atlanta. If you know anyone PLEASE let me know. Thanks for all your guys help and good words.

lead_foot

bump

viper_u27

If u can get a hold of a compression tester, u can do a quick search on how to do the compression test, its not that hard. just dont have all the faith of doing the poor mans comp test...its not accurate

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (8)

You bought a 75k original mile car that had not yet been rebuilt...of course it's going to need an engine immediately. That mileage, cared well for or otherwise, is generally when compression gets weak or lets go altogether, and is also generally when coolant seals lose integrity. If you did any level of research on the car at all, I'm unsure how this knowledge escaped you, it should not come as a surprise.

Anytime you continue to have unexplained overheating, overflow filling, coolant loss, or excess pressure in the system that busts hoses and components, you DO have an internal coolant seal failure. Despite what you may read here, there is no bulletproof test, other than having your system analyzed for exhaust hydrocarbons in the coolant.

A coolant system pressure test may show negative, the system may hold pressure in one direction and not the other (compression/combustion pressures are hundreds of psi, much stronger than the <15psi that the cooling system gets tested at).

The bubble/champagne test is unreliable except for moderate to advanced failures. So is the steam-on-startup theory. Even the test that I favor, which checks for pooled coolant in the rotorhousings after sitting overnight, won't always indicate a mild seal failure.

Bottom line, in my opinion, DEFINITELY plan on doing a full engine rebuild, and do your reliability upgrades while you're in there. I've put together a quick list of things to consider on my website at rotaryresurrection.com ---> engines ---> options ---> installation.

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (8)

Can you explain why you're recommending a compression test, when the coolant seals are in question, not so much the compression?

They have little to do with each other, in reality. One can fail while the other remains fine. Dont get me wrong, with that mileage I wouldnt expect compression to be all peachy, but that doesnt sound like the most important concern now.

One other thing for the original poster...if it takes you a while to save up for this overhaul, DO NOT let the engine sit in it's current state. IF the coolant seal failure is bad enough (it may be by the sound of it) then it is letting coolant into the engine when it sits for a while. That makes the bare metal internals suceptible to rust and corrosion. See rotaryresurrection.com ---> tech ---> internal engine damage. If you start the engine every couple of weeks, it should keep the internals in good shape. Your other alternative is to drain all the coolant from the radiator and block, THEN start the engine and run it for just a few seconds to clear any internal coolant from the chambers, THEN inject some motor oil/atf/mmo and rotate the engine without starting it. Since there's no more coolant in the coolant passages, no more can leak inside later, and the oil will keep all the seals lubed and moving freely for when the rebuilder gets ahold of it.

viper_u27

Obviously Kevin, you have more experience than i dealing with engines and so forth, and i respect that and would definitely recomend you for an engine rebuild.

i was just trying to give the man some ideas to start out with first. i know when something would not be right with my car, i was really frustrated and wanted to find an answer at THAT VERY MOMENT. Seeing how he expressed himself, i think he is feeling the same way, so i just wanted to tell him to slow down before he tears everything down and does everything all over again.

I think that maybe since you rebuild engines all the time and are so used to being around them, it is not that big of a deal for you, just an everyday thing. But for this guy, its pretty obvious he hasnt been around his car for that long and maybe he can verify it it is possible to salvage his current situation without having to re-do everything, just maybe...

All im saying is to have a little patience and learn about the car in itself, and his car in particular

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

All I can say is the *LAST* thing to do is even think about installing upgrades on a car that you need to work in a month and already has issues.

Dave

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (8)

You're right, I take it lightly and sort of run-of-the-mill. You also have to understand that I see some wierd and stupid ****. I see people in STRAIGHT DENIAL all the time...absolutely refusing to believe the engine has a fatal internal flaw. They will use EVERY hearsay and conjecture as justification for not facing facts and doing the engine rebuild. I've seen people spend damn near the cost of the engine itself on stuff...tests, procedures, rigs, replacement parts, mechanics, etc. They'd rather question my judgement and the advice of other experienced people on the basis of false hope. This is why I say some of the things that I do.

viper_u27

I can understand that, you repeat yourself a million times and still the same thing happens, they just dont listen, so i understand your frustration. i guess some things just never change, eh?