hstahlin

On Sunday my 87 (Non turbo gen 2) had a white cloud of smoke (steam I later figured) come out of the exhaust. My temp never went above the 1/2 way mark (which is the hotest I have ever seen it) on the gauge. I added a gallon of water (cause it was all I had w/in walking distance) to the system and watched my temp go down and it quit steaming. I has run normal temp and performance since, and there is no signs of a coolant leak or milky oil. I am in Ft Myers Florida and I can't find anyone who knows rotary engines to talk to or take it to to make sure it is OK. The general concensus of the mechanics I know is that the thermostat got stuck but I just want to make sure the engine is not going to go on me. Any thoughts or does anyone know a rotary guru in my area??

drschwinn2002

iTrader: (12)

your ok dont worry just drive it. half way mark is no hot at all.
ways to see if your water seal is broken
1)is to pressureize the radiator and wait 2-5 hours and see if it still has presure.
2)take radiator cap off and run the engine and see if there is alot of bubles then that could be bad
3)also let sit for a day or two and then pull your spark plugs and look for water
hope this helps

Supernaut

iTrader: (83)

I don't think milky oil is a sign of a problem, just a sign that your car isn't being warmed up properly before shut down. Its pretty innocuous. Hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

moosejaw

iTrader: (6)

check the shop list in the SE Section of the Forum. There are rotary shops in Tampa if not Fort Myers

drschwinn2002

iTrader: (12)

he said that he dose not have milky oil
and your wrong milky oil is bad realy bad. milky oil means there is water in your oil and thats not good to have water in your oil. it is normal to have some water in your oil from the morning dew but that is ony a small amount no enof to turn oil into a milky looking ****. so like i said just drive it the car is fine no need to wast hard cash for a mechanic to look at it. because half way mark is not hot enof to harm anything

hstahlin

drschwinn-Thanks so much for the info and for the record I am a she, single mom trying to save my self a heavy mechanics bill...I know my way around a normal combustion engine (oil + water in any engine gas, diesel or rotary is bad news)...rotary short circuts my brain though...I got the car for 1K engine & trans factory reman from Mazda 25k miles on each when I bought it, and a one owner car...I know rotary runs for ever so I figured how could I go wrong...for a grand right...I drive it like an old lady...its a daily driver....no long trips or racing.....I dont think I have tached it past 5K. Thanks again for all the input

FelixIsGod29X

iTrader: (50)

Sweet! But like they said "a redline a day keeps the carbon away"

drschwinn2002

iTrader: (12)

your welcome. just for more info put 8-10 oz of marvins mistory oil also mmo in the gas tank at every fill up and this will keep the carbon down and lubercate the seals. and your car will last a LONG time just keep driving like a grandma and it will last you. high RPM means more rotations per second withch = more wear on your parts. Low RPM and lots of freeway miles = lots of carbon bildup and is bad also. so put mmo in or fuel injector cleaner works too orth the etra time and cash.
Not not a must to do at evey fill up but still a good idea.
o and the engine dose burn oil so it a must to add oil at evey or every other fill up because if you dont it will git low and low oil level = high stress on oil and engine parts.

leftcoastdrifter

iTrader: (17)

don't rely heavily on the factory water temp gauge, it's not as accurate as you think. normal operating temp in a S4 is around 180 degrees. with my autometer gauge it will read 150 degrees before the factory needle even starts to move. i've also had the the autometer needle tacked to 250 degrees at a couple drift events and the factory gauge only showed about halfway.

also, you can go to your local parts store and if they have a "Rent-A-Tool" program you can rent the coolant system pressure tester. make sure it fits "Import Style" radiator necks and then test the coolant system. i'd do it just for reassurance even though a reman motor from mazda should last quite awhile.

hstahlin

You guys ar great thanks so much