Sad Sad Day For Me and My FD.
 

:( :( :(
I've been having coolant problems for the last week and a half. I didn't know what the the cause was. Didn't want to think about messed up coolant seals.
Well today I went out to lunch. I hopped in my car and tried to start her up. WTF?! I wouldn't start. I tried 3 times. When it finally started, I saw a puff of white smoke. :(
Rebuild time....
At least I know a shop nearby that works on FD's.

Too bad, however make sure totake advantage of the situation and do some upgrading...Porting...Clutch...Flywheel..Silicon hoses

Is the shop Sevenspeed?

Where is the shop?

Oh man Vudoo, sorry to hear that. Guess you finally found out where the coolant was going. Good luck, Tom

It seems manatecu lost his motor today also on the way to work. I keep telling him "no it cant be! we need to check out this and that!" but it sounds like he may be right. He made 80K on the original engine and he seems to be taking the news well saying things like "Oh well now I have some more work to do" and "I'll have a new engine when I am done". I wonder what is the highest number of engines lost on the same day is.

Shawn

P.S. Manatecu if you are reading this and we still havent had a chance to go through everything I think it isnt blown! Seriously it is going to be something simple...

And if you are reading this much later after we checked everything out then I am sorry you lost an engine and I have scheduled some time for the project!

God alot of us lost our engines this summer to coolant seals.
Sorry about the confirmation Vuudoodoodoo. I told ya man.:D

Sorry to here about that bro. I guess we all have to accept the enivitable. But we can do everything we came to stall it for a good while. It freaks me out thinking about it cause I have ZERO dollars for a rebuild. But hey, what can you do.

Hope everything goes quick n' easy for you now. Like HUGH said, take advantage! Laters.

Sorry to hear about it :( I thought you were going to say you wrecked it which would be worse IMO. Good luck and DO take advantage of the time because it will be a long time before it happens again (crosses fingers *knocks on wood)

Sorry to hear that.....but make sure to take advantage of the rebuild

Time for 3 or 4 bottles (or more) of CRC Copper Block Weld. You have absolutely nothing to lose but $7.00 a bottle.

If that doesn't work 3 or 4 bottles of beer probably will.

:D

i feel your woes :(

Same for me man.. same for me..

I second that! First, change out your spark plugs. I had the exact same symptoms a while ago. Was VERY hard to start, and when it eventually started, a good bit of white smoke out the exhaust. I was also losing coolant from somewhere. But the exhaust did not smell like coolant. Anyway, my plugs were totally fouled, so I put in new ones, threw some stop leak stuff in the coolant (I think I used Bars Leak), and I haven't had any more problems for the past 1400 miles.

Although I'm kinda looking forward to my engine going, so I can rebuild with a streetport :) Its got 90K on the original motor, so it's almost time ;)

Bar's is old school and won't work - well, maybe.

They all use silicates except CRC Copper Block Weld which uses - well......Copper. K&W (manufactured by CRC) says Copper but look at the ingredients - none there. Can you say "stategic misrepresentation"?

Ron, I used the CRC copper first. Held for one week. Called CRC, they said use the K&W as the copper doesn't eat your water pump seals. K&W supposed to have the same ingredients as the copper but w/o the copper.

I don't know though, they look different and act different. Anyway, I'm on my second K&W weld and it's holding for 3 weeks.

I've even rigged up a coolant expansion tank from a 2002 Vulva C70 to eliminate air pockets. The coolant expansion tank of the C70 is alot like our AST except it's 3 -4 times the capacity and it's clear so I can see the coolant level. It's also small enough to fit behind my M2 IC. The downside is that it's a 22 psi cap instead of 19psi. It's working great. Coolant at the top of the filler neck.

One other note. I used a coolant combustion gas tester on my car and it doesn't change color, i.e. no combustion gases. But I still get the add coolant buzzer and light despite a brand new sensor.

So, with the new expansion tank, I can tell if I'm losing coolant internally. Now, no combustion gas leak into coolant with internal leaks means that I have a failing o-ring on the top of the engine block which normally sees vaccuum or low boost prior to being combusted as the rotor rotates to the side. That's my theory at least.

I think whatever works (when you are desperate like us) .........works! I've got 8,000 miles on my CRC Copper Block Weld and everything is holding tight. Granted, I caught mine when it was minor so anything may work in the case of a pinhole leak. If it does break loose I'll give it another treatment since everything else is nominal (77K on the original engine, and yes, I do drive it pretty hard). I hope they continue to market it but it sounds like they've had some problems........

I love innovative thinkers, and I think your new expansion tank is just great.

The only way you can really tell if you have a leak is to look for those "champagne" bubbles at the filler neck.
If you got 'em, you're leaking internally, if not - you're cool. Where it's coming from is anyones guess until you pull it apart. They usually don't show up until the coolant gets hot - my theory is that's when everything expands and the seal leaks manifest. If the bubbles are larger than champagne size it's time for a rebuild, and I can't wait to do mine, but until it breaks I ain't gonna fix it.

As far as the CRC eating water pumps - could be - but at $80.00 or so for a new pump at 77K, what me worry?

Yes, I am the thriftiest SOB on the forum.:D ;)

WTF? does it still run? if the engine still runs then i wouldn't jump on the rebuild bandwagon yet. It could be fouled plugs, bad ground, clogged cat...

Take full advantage of a rebuild. PFS builds the best street port motors IMO. So I would price them out if I were you. If not get a rebuild video and try it yourself. Be careful and have fun:D


-Rikki

nrolfes1
Just cause it will run doesn't mean you can drive it. I Live three miles from work and in the AM> I can get to work before it starts it's above halfway climb. Comming home in the PM. is another story and climb it does. Looking at my options now to see wich way I'll go. Jack

Damn Rikki... you getting kickbacks from PFS now? ;)

Nice Avatar, by the way.

poman,

I haven't heard of the c70 ast substitution. How did you fasten the tank into place? Is it a seamless plastic tank and how much was it?

sorry for hijacking the thread vudoo--hope you can get the engine woes fixed soon.

Dave at KDR makes strong rebuilds as well--if you're interested, give him a call at 610 614 1214. He's backed up until around september/october, so keep that in mind.

No, it's BPR in Salem, MA.

Yeah, the exhuast doesn't smell like coolant.I changed my plugs about 200 miles ago or so though...

I just ordered the 13B rebuild tape.
I might try to tackle it myself. :eek: :D

Just went through this two weeks ago.

Major coolant problems, always overflowing from the overflow and also coolant loss to the point where i could top it off at night and come to it the next morning WITHOUT STARTING THE CAR and the level was down. Changed the AST and rad caps but no effect. Put in block weld and no effect.

Couldnt work it out, and no sign of a leak at all.
Then one morning, couldnt even see the level in the filler neck, topped it off, and it ran out of the water pump. Ater many hours of swearing, pulled the water pump and found that it had been leaking for a long time from the access hole underneath the bearings for the water pump pulley - big rusty streak from it !

You can see the hole (just) with a small mirror under the water pump pulley. Check it out !

Chris

It runs. I'm still driving it. It gives me no problems when I drive it. It runs strong too.

Yeah right, I wish! I poor man. I gotta save up for the rebuild. Not enough money for street port. Just gonna get some silicon hoses, radiator, AST and a vented hood if I have enough money. Be a nice winter project. :D

What's this CRC stuff and what does it do??:confused:

Can I get this stop leak stuff at AutoZone?

Well I am farely confident I blew out something. There is no power what so ever. A geo Metro could probably take me. It will idle OK, but the vacuum has dropped to 10 psi. The exhaust sound has changed to a very helicoptor sound and smells badly like gas. The engine will start but it takes twice as long. I think I have blown one rotor but the other is still alive. Anyone got any comments. By the way it will rev to 9k but it takes like 15 seconds to reach that high, very slow.

Thanks
Chris


Its not a clogged cat because I dont have cats. On the way to work when the turbos were transitioning there was no power in the second turbo. Infact all that happened was the power dropped and black smoke poored out the back. Pushed down the gas a little more and the smoke got worse. Came to a stop and it shoulded like a helicoptor not a rotory.

I got a quote an buying a remanufactured remain, opening it up and installing hurley seals and viton coolant seals. Porting the oil, coolant, intake, and exhaust ports. Clearancing the rotors, and adding an escentric plug. Checking all tolerances on housings and rotors and verifying everything is put together correctly for 3450. Can PFS beet that?

vudoodoodoo,

where in salem is BPR? im actually heading up to the north shore on friday. ive always wondered if there was a rotor specialist around here.

Hey everyone that has had their coolant seals go out, what was your first symptom?

Having to add over a quart of coolant to the rad fill neck, coupled with hard starting. Then coolant puddles underneath the passenger side (from the overflow) after I had driven the car. Then insane amounts of white smoke at startup.

I now have silicone teflon coated coolant seals that Dave at KDR says are indestructible. Before everyone gets excited and wants a set, I got mine over a year ago. Evidently the company that produces them has starting making them too thick, this unsuitable for use in our motors.

Rich, just wanted to know where you heard that. Also I think a switch to evan would help as well.

I was asking because when I start my car when its cold i get some vapor out of the tailpipe that I swear smells like coolant. I put my hand over the tailpipe and then quickly smell my hand and its definitely a sweet smell. The vapor goes away after, say a minute, probably faster if I drive away but I can't tell when I'm driving. The strange thing is I don't have any other symptoms. Never hard to start, although hot starts tend to be easier than cold starts, it seems like all cars are like this, never uses coolant, doesn't stumble when I first start it, no coolant light, nothing like that. Coolant levels at all 3 points are always exactly the same, that is, full to the brim at the AST and filler neck, and the overflow neck is 3 bars from the top, exactly where it was when I got the coolant drained and filled last summer. Just a mist out of the tailpipe. It has also done this since I got the car about 2 years ago, although I never bothered smelling it until, maybe 6 months ago. The funny thing is i'm 99% sure the smell is a coolant smell. I know gas has a syrupy smell but this definitely is sweet. Any ideas what is going on?

Let me guess this straight now cuz I'm not completly convinced from your last 200 posts about this. Rikki, are you saying that PFS ports good motors??? ;)

None other than Mr. David "The Master of The Indestrucible Apex Seal" Barninger himself :D

Dave said he was trying to get the company to make the seals the way they used to and sell to him. Hopefully he can pull it off.

I can't tell you the peace of mind I have knowing that my motor will never push coolant again :)

You better knock on wood. ;)

Mr. Three Quarter Ryan, I suggest you go drive your v6 Camaro and leave the FD RX7 talk to those who have some first hand experience. Have a nice day, Joisey Boy :D

The address is 7 Franklin St. It's right behind the Hess gas station. Hmm... give me a call. I might head up there w/ ya just for the hell of it. (617) 407-0901.
I hope the weather permits though. My car hates the heat. It's been fuckin hot and humid all week!!!

low blow!

Do tell......... :gay: :bigthumb:

You have some sick and twisted fantasies. Next time you come back to NJ I'm gonna make you cry like the little sissy Army Boy you are! :p:

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Nathan Kwok
[B].

Are you serious???!!!
Dammit!!! I wanted those when I first heard about em. DAMMIT!!!:mad:

Well, shoot 'ol Dave-o an email (kdrotary@enter.net) and ask him about them....I know he was trying to get another batch made up.

I would tell you to call him (610 614 1214) but you prolly won't have much success in getting in touch with him...he's a little busy due to the lack of quality rotary shops on the east coast :)

nobody seems to know much about Rotorsports Racing here in Charlotte, but I have heard great things about them

http://www.rotorsportsracing.com./

Rotorsportsracing is the shop that is building me a new engine. I have delt with them before and I really like them. They always do what they say they are going to do and you always get what you order on time.

Chris