i have a 83 rx-7 and i don't know if ive overheated it or not how can i check that. right know i have coolant leaking into the rotor housing and i need to know if its from overheating or a bad seal

 

Obviously, if you have coolant leaking into the housing, you have a bad inner water seal. The only way to check for damage from overheating is to tear the motor down and use a straight-edge and a feeler gauge. Also, a dial indicator for checking the stepped wear around the oil control rings. If it was overheated, the metal of the side housings (end plates) will be hardened on the lower thrid of the housing, and thus be warped.

IF you merely overheated the engine, an there is no coolant leaking into the housings, then don't worry about it. Unless it was completely out of coolant, the combustion side never got above 220d celcius.

Since you're dealing with a bad inner seal, make sure to check the actual metal that holds the seal in place. I've seen more than a few engines that've had the metal actually corrode away. That caused their coolant seal failures.