Guys,

Picked up my first FD a week ago, and after running a total of 150 miles ive got a blown o-ring seal, causing hard starting and smoke on startup. I am currently not noticing any other problems with the car at all.

The route i want to take is a full rebuild using the kit from rotoraviation, but i currently do not have enough money for the kit. I i will be able to afford the kit at the start of august, but more than likely just the kit (and not all the other stuff i'd like to do, injector cleaning, redo rats nest hoses etc)

Do you think i will be safe to drive the car until i can perform the rebuild? providing the symptoms do not get any worse, that is. Currently symptoms are using coolant, and smoking on startup. NO noticeable effects whatsoever while driving.

I know you all must think im mad...but id like to get some enjoyment from a car ive had only for a week!

 

If you keep the coolant full, and don't overheat it, you should be OK. Just take it easy.

 

If you plan on doing a rebuild, IMO, I wouldn't drive it anymore. While it may not do much more "coolant seal" damage, I can imagine that the combustion isn't all that favorable with the added coolant (and coolant isn't such a great lube). I imagine you run the risk of blowing more than a coolant seal.

If you are planning to get a reman, then at worse, you end up chucking a seal and losing your turbos as well.

 

im not planning on getting a reman at the moment, this engine has only done 60k so should be ok internally as long as nothing is warped (which i will have checked)

The plan is to buy the kit from rotary aviation and rebuild using those parts, plus new vac lines, injector cleaning - decarbonising and cleaning where i can and going from there.

Shouldnt think this should cause me to chuck an apex seal should it? i would imagine that when running no coolant makes it into the combustion chamber anyway, more combustion gases would be making it into the coolant chamber, so lube wont be a problem. This may cause localised boiling at the point of o-ring failure but at worst this will warp the plates, necessitating a reman engine...

I hate this! A week of happy ownership and its gone wrong already....

 

That smoke that's coming out of the exhaust, that's cooling being burned. Pull your spark plugs when the car is cold, there will most likely be coolant on them.

As far as rebuilding yourself; don't necessarily count on all the parts being useable. Doesn't matter how old the parts are from the prior build, you'll have to check everything for tolerances to see if they'll be useable again. Doing it yourself can sometimes end up being more expensive.

 

Also, it depends on which o-ring seal and how bad it's damaged as to whether coolant is going into the chamber while running or not. It's also possible to damage and outer ring where you are seeping coolant into the oil (as well as adding pressure to the oil pan).

There are many things to consider. Honestly, if you know there is a problem with the engine, you shouldn't drive it. Now whether you drive it or not, is completely up to you.

 

You should be okay to drive it for a while. Perhaps even a long time. Just keep it topped off like Adam said, and if you want to be on the safe side, don't drive it too hard.

Of course, I would get a reman unless I wanted to preserve some well-ported housings. In which case I'd just drive it till it won't run anymore.

 

I bought my car with this problem pre-existing when purchased. i needed time to asve up the money so I did the blockweld treatment. Most of the experensed guy's don't recomend it but I did it any way and drove it for alittle over a year before I found the finances and a low milage motor out of a wrecked car. I've since been running the low milage motor with no ill effects on the cooling system and motor from doing this temp. fix . I didn't baby the car and boosted to stock and on some occassins 12 psi. which may have caused it to fail sooner than it should have. DO a search on the blockweld treatment and decide for yourself. Jack

 

I have also done the blockweld (CRC Blockseal) trick, and it's a tedious process, but it works.

 

Yes it was, the hardest part was getting all the soap out of the system ! ! ! LOL I think if I had to do it again I'd remove the thermostat while doing the soaping part. Jack