Ok, im going to give the short version of what happened, since i typed alot twice and got proxy errors and nothing posted..

picked up an FD in Los Angeles, 2 hrs later the AST hose comes off in traffic and loses coolant...i pull over, get coolant and a hose clamp and fix the problem.

continue driving, i make it to Blythe, CA (right near AZ border) i stop for gas, after fueling the car up, it will not start, after letting it sit a while and also jumping the battery after about 10 minutes of trying it starts, lots of white smoke for about 5 mins...then all is good...start to head towards the onramp and steam is coming out from under the hood and the car is begining to overheat...i pull over, its the coolant reservoir, next day it is 115 degrees out and i fix what i think is the problem, the upper tube part of the reservoir is not sealed well at all, and there is a small crack which could also be the problem, i use hose tape on the crack, and 2 zip ties on the top portion where the 2 hoses pieces meet, below that i use a hose clamp. refilled coolant and test drove, everything was fine.

drove about 1,700 miles to Pensacola, FL...in heavy traffic the car begins to over heat, i pull over and the coolant tank is busted. i have it towed to mazda and the tank is replaced. i get the car back and once again everything seems good..i drive another 5 hrs or so and get just north of Orlando, FL where it begins to overheat again. i leave it on the side of the road, get more coolant, walk 4 miles back, fill up, begin to drive and just about 4 miles later it is about to overheat AGAIN! i make it to the same gas station i just bought coolant at. now the car will not start. this morning i have it towed, as its being winched up onto the flatbed, about 1 quart of coolant comes out of the exhaust.

what do you FD experts think the problem is? coolant o-rings? thermostat?

thanks all help is appreciated

 

It sounds alot like your engine wants to be rebuilt. Seeing coolant in the exhaust and overheating are tell tale signs of a water seal failure in the engine. Looks like it is time to pull it out for a rebuild.

 

ahhh, damn...it only has like 49k miles and already it needs to be re-built

 

That's actually not terribly uncommon for that car. Some go longer, some don't. While the engine is out, you should check to see the condition of the turbos assuming you still have the stock ones in there. That car just has a fairly bad cooling system from the factory. As with anything this can be fixed. An upgraded radiator would be a good idea.

 

Why in hell would you drive a car across country with taped up radiator hoses?

The engine is gone, and it most certainly is NOT common to lose an engine this way at 49k. The cooling system had a problem and it was not fixed properly, period.

Good luck with the rebuild.

 

you need to read better man...i never said i taped a radiator hose, the hoses are fine....i stated i "used hose tape to seal a crack on the coolant reservoir tube" and that has nothing what so ever with what is happening now

 

yeah i have read alot on this site, and others about how much the factory cooling system sucks, now i know first hand...i planned on getting a fluidyne, all new hoses, thermostat, a fan controller, better temp gauge....i bought it as a project car so i guess i will have my hands full for a while

 

Orings are gone dude.

 

ok i have a question about my 87 rx7. ok my rx7 leaks coolant ever so often i got a new radaint in my car. but i have to put coolant in reservoir every two days. my brother told me it's the heater core since it's never been replace. but i look under the car everything's fine. my motor still good. piz help me out thanks guys for ur answer's fastzrx7

 

good luck with ur rebuild hope all goes ok with ur rebuild

 

I'm rebuilding my engine and it only puffed a little white smoke when cold (with coolant smell) out the exhaust! O-rings are blown when this happens. If I were you I would not drive it anymore (if you get it started again). You can do even more damage to the engine! The engine was probably ok when you started on your trip. The loss of coolant is what damaged it not the 49k miles.

Do a search for my post from many months ago about my problems with Fluidyne radiator using stock air box.

Good luck with the rebuild.

 

RX7 8U - yeah im not driving it anymore, its been sitting since i got back. i was thinking of maybe buying another engine and swap that in, then i can rebuild mine with 3mm apex seals, and i was thinking of porting the coolant passage also.
the rebuild probably won't happen for about a year since i'll be in TX for a while.
good luck on your rebuild also.


Fastz Rx7 - thanks! i'd offer some help to you but im not familiar at all with FC's

 

Needless to say, its definately rebuild time. You're engine actually suffered pretty good according to the story. My first engine saw a slow death due to one of the coolant hoses to the overflow coming off. I caught it early (at least I thought), but it was enough to do its damage (which started showing up a bit later). Prior to that though, the fan mod, water temp sensor, and Koyo radiator were adequate for monitoring/controlling temps. Depending on what activity your car will see, I'd focus more on making a reliable cooling/oil system judging by the temps in your area, rather than modifying the block as a solution.