Cooling system Q's
Cooling system Q's
Ok, before the Florida heat kills my rotary, I wanna know what you guys will have to say that could help me out with my car. So far, in the last 3-6 months, that car has had a new water pump, thermo, water pump housing, hoses, heater core bypass (was leaking), and had an e-fan installed. The car ran fine, with the e-fan and coolant leak from the heater core, but since the summer started and temp started rising, the car began to run hotter and hotter. I have an auto meter temp guage on there and the car used to run between 180-190F depending on how hard i was driving. Now its driving at 190-210F during the day and about 185F at night. On the highway it will run at 210F and I'll pull over and wait for it it cool down.
Anyone have any suggestions, or any ideas to what it might be?
Any help would be appreciated.
The car is a 1988 S4 Non-Turbo Convertible.
Thanks
Anyone have any suggestions, or any ideas to what it might be?
Any help would be appreciated.
The car is a 1988 S4 Non-Turbo Convertible.
Thanks
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 29,798
Likes: 128
From: London, Ontario, Canada
Well, fix the coolant leak first. It will cause the system to not build the required pressure and thus the car will run hot.
What kind of e-fan?
Cooling system troubleshooting: http://www.aaroncake.net/rx-7/cooling.htm
What kind of e-fan?
Cooling system troubleshooting: http://www.aaroncake.net/rx-7/cooling.htm
Aaron, I have fixed the leaks that I am aware of, and I am going to get it pressure tested as soon as I can, to try and verify that there are no more leaks. Right now, I no longer am loosing coolant and have not found any other leaks other than the one listed. The E-fan is a 2-speed fan off of an early model Ford Contour (I was unable to find a Taurus one, which I had wanted). I replaced it because my fan clutch went bad and needed a new fan. It covers the whole width of the radiator and is about 1 inch short in height, but still covers most of the rad. It was cooling very well before the heater core failed and before the summer.
thank you for thr link, I'll take a look.
thank you for thr link, I'll take a look.
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 29,798
Likes: 128
From: London, Ontario, Canada
It does sound like it may be a radiator issue if it will heat up regardless of airflow. Even a leaking cooling system should keep cool on the highway.
Sometimes the most obvious thing is overlooked. Is the front of the radiator clogged with bugs and leaves?
Sometimes the most obvious thing is overlooked. Is the front of the radiator clogged with bugs and leaves?
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The car has no emissions, and I removed the air pump. I got a double alt pulley from Mazdatrix and had put it on the alternator. The tension was good last time i checked it, I have yet to check the flow in the radiator, and have not checked to see it there was anything obstructing the airflow. I didn't believe so because keeping the RPM's low doesn't cause it to heat up as much as highway driving, or reving it high, but it's something I'll check once the rain goes away. I'm pretty sure it's clean though, I don't like to have excess amounts of dirt/crap under the hood. I was leaning towards a radiator, but wanted to see if you guys had any other input, or if there was some kind of uncommon problem people have experienced. I'll probably have the rad checked out at a radiator shop when I get a chance next week, on a day off. Thanks for all the input so far guys.
etx4
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: austin, tx
um-- I'm not one of the leading RXperts on these forums, only been an owner for two years now, but one thing I have learned is that with these cars you've got to cover all the bases and all the basics.
I rebuilt the entire cooling system on mine when I first bought it(except for the O-rings insulating the coolant from everything else internally)
The trouble shoot hyperlink above did not mention some of this, but it's the first place I'd start based on my experience:
1. What color is your oil? (you are surely aware that chocolate milk color is bad, and means O-ring)
2. What do your spark plugs smell like?(again- you probably already know that antifreeze is sweeter smelling than 2cycle or "7mix")
3. Are you having Flooding issues? (one time I thought my carb was troublesome,as well as my cooling system; but it was a bad O-ring and it was flooding my combustion chamber----Liquid Glass to the rescue!)
4. Was the gasket that came with the pump paper, cork, or some sort of alternative?(sometimes when the gasket is too thick, the pulley will sit too far out, streching a belt,or "waddling it back and forth" alleviating it of tension that you need; it can stretch too far once it's past its elasticity threshhold[for lack of a better term] Another problem that can arise is tightening the bolts on the water pump too quickly or out of "sync"- they should be replaced with equal torque and evenly distributed like lug-nuts.
5. Was your RTV/ silicon applied evenly when you replaced the pump? (if you used RTV/silicon) or was it heavy on one side or the other? did you use more than was necessary? Did you wait the proper amount of time for it to 'tack up'- and not too long so that it was harder in some areas than others causing bubbles that can burst undermining its purpose?
6. What brand of antifreeze did you put in it?(I prefer Texaco brand- the orange one- in texas the extra lubricating properties make it the best option for me in varying humidity)
7. Has your radiator been flushed recently and what brand of flush/detergent did you use?(I always like prestone, it's non-detergent and will break loose debris better than peak or off-brands)
8. What color is your antifreeze at the top of your reservoir?(oil will float)
9. What is your oil pressure? What is your oil level? Is your Oil pump working?(oil lines that are clogged or partially blocked will effect your cooling as well. The link above addresses this, but not in detail and I've no knowledge of the oil workings that are particular or particularly worthy of posting)
10. Is your coolant level too high? And is your reservoir cap popping off like mine was when I overfilled it the first time, which led to evaporation?
11. What is your dilution rate, or mix ratio of antifreeze to water? And is your antifreeze more that 15-18 months old?(fresh is better!and I mix mine at: 60% antifreeze/40% DISTILLED water)
I figure you probably already looked at the obvious, but sometimes when I have trouble, my friends will ask me a dumb question and I was overthinking the problem that they solved just by mentioning something elementary.
GL with your cooling- let us know how it goes!
I rebuilt the entire cooling system on mine when I first bought it(except for the O-rings insulating the coolant from everything else internally)
The trouble shoot hyperlink above did not mention some of this, but it's the first place I'd start based on my experience:
1. What color is your oil? (you are surely aware that chocolate milk color is bad, and means O-ring)
2. What do your spark plugs smell like?(again- you probably already know that antifreeze is sweeter smelling than 2cycle or "7mix")
3. Are you having Flooding issues? (one time I thought my carb was troublesome,as well as my cooling system; but it was a bad O-ring and it was flooding my combustion chamber----Liquid Glass to the rescue!)
4. Was the gasket that came with the pump paper, cork, or some sort of alternative?(sometimes when the gasket is too thick, the pulley will sit too far out, streching a belt,or "waddling it back and forth" alleviating it of tension that you need; it can stretch too far once it's past its elasticity threshhold[for lack of a better term] Another problem that can arise is tightening the bolts on the water pump too quickly or out of "sync"- they should be replaced with equal torque and evenly distributed like lug-nuts.
5. Was your RTV/ silicon applied evenly when you replaced the pump? (if you used RTV/silicon) or was it heavy on one side or the other? did you use more than was necessary? Did you wait the proper amount of time for it to 'tack up'- and not too long so that it was harder in some areas than others causing bubbles that can burst undermining its purpose?
6. What brand of antifreeze did you put in it?(I prefer Texaco brand- the orange one- in texas the extra lubricating properties make it the best option for me in varying humidity)
7. Has your radiator been flushed recently and what brand of flush/detergent did you use?(I always like prestone, it's non-detergent and will break loose debris better than peak or off-brands)
8. What color is your antifreeze at the top of your reservoir?(oil will float)
9. What is your oil pressure? What is your oil level? Is your Oil pump working?(oil lines that are clogged or partially blocked will effect your cooling as well. The link above addresses this, but not in detail and I've no knowledge of the oil workings that are particular or particularly worthy of posting)
10. Is your coolant level too high? And is your reservoir cap popping off like mine was when I overfilled it the first time, which led to evaporation?
11. What is your dilution rate, or mix ratio of antifreeze to water? And is your antifreeze more that 15-18 months old?(fresh is better!and I mix mine at: 60% antifreeze/40% DISTILLED water)
I figure you probably already looked at the obvious, but sometimes when I have trouble, my friends will ask me a dumb question and I was overthinking the problem that they solved just by mentioning something elementary.
GL with your cooling- let us know how it goes!
um-- I'm not one of the leading RXperts on these forums, only been an owner for two years now, but one thing I have learned is that with these cars you've got to cover all the bases and all the basics.
I rebuilt the entire cooling system on mine when I first bought it(except for the O-rings insulating the coolant from everything else internally)
The trouble shoot hyperlink above did not mention some of this, but it's the first place I'd start based on my experience:
1. What color is your oil? (you are surely aware that chocolate milk color is bad, and means O-ring)
2. What do your spark plugs smell like?(again- you probably already know that antifreeze is sweeter smelling than 2cycle or "7mix")
3. Are you having Flooding issues? (one time I thought my carb was troublesome,as well as my cooling system; but it was a bad O-ring and it was flooding my combustion chamber----Liquid Glass to the rescue!)
4. Was the gasket that came with the pump paper, cork, or some sort of alternative?(sometimes when the gasket is too thick, the pulley will sit too far out, streching a belt,or "waddling it back and forth" alleviating it of tension that you need; it can stretch too far once it's past its elasticity threshhold[for lack of a better term] Another problem that can arise is tightening the bolts on the water pump too quickly or out of "sync"- they should be replaced with equal torque and evenly distributed like lug-nuts.
5. Was your RTV/ silicon applied evenly when you replaced the pump? (if you used RTV/silicon) or was it heavy on one side or the other? did you use more than was necessary? Did you wait the proper amount of time for it to 'tack up'- and not too long so that it was harder in some areas than others causing bubbles that can burst undermining its purpose?
6. What brand of antifreeze did you put in it?(I prefer Texaco brand- the orange one- in texas the extra lubricating properties make it the best option for me in varying humidity)
7. Has your radiator been flushed recently and what brand of flush/detergent did you use?(I always like prestone, it's non-detergent and will break loose debris better than peak or off-brands)
8. What color is your antifreeze at the top of your reservoir?(oil will float)
9. What is your oil pressure? What is your oil level? Is your Oil pump working?(oil lines that are clogged or partially blocked will effect your cooling as well. The link above addresses this, but not in detail and I've no knowledge of the oil workings that are particular or particularly worthy of posting)
10. Is your coolant level too high? And is your reservoir cap popping off like mine was when I overfilled it the first time, which led to evaporation?
11. What is your dilution rate, or mix ratio of antifreeze to water? And is your antifreeze more that 15-18 months old?(fresh is better!and I mix mine at: 60% antifreeze/40% DISTILLED water)
I figure you probably already looked at the obvious, but sometimes when I have trouble, my friends will ask me a dumb question and I was overthinking the problem that they solved just by mentioning something elementary.
GL with your cooling- let us know how it goes!
I rebuilt the entire cooling system on mine when I first bought it(except for the O-rings insulating the coolant from everything else internally)
The trouble shoot hyperlink above did not mention some of this, but it's the first place I'd start based on my experience:
1. What color is your oil? (you are surely aware that chocolate milk color is bad, and means O-ring)
2. What do your spark plugs smell like?(again- you probably already know that antifreeze is sweeter smelling than 2cycle or "7mix")
3. Are you having Flooding issues? (one time I thought my carb was troublesome,as well as my cooling system; but it was a bad O-ring and it was flooding my combustion chamber----Liquid Glass to the rescue!)
4. Was the gasket that came with the pump paper, cork, or some sort of alternative?(sometimes when the gasket is too thick, the pulley will sit too far out, streching a belt,or "waddling it back and forth" alleviating it of tension that you need; it can stretch too far once it's past its elasticity threshhold[for lack of a better term] Another problem that can arise is tightening the bolts on the water pump too quickly or out of "sync"- they should be replaced with equal torque and evenly distributed like lug-nuts.
5. Was your RTV/ silicon applied evenly when you replaced the pump? (if you used RTV/silicon) or was it heavy on one side or the other? did you use more than was necessary? Did you wait the proper amount of time for it to 'tack up'- and not too long so that it was harder in some areas than others causing bubbles that can burst undermining its purpose?
6. What brand of antifreeze did you put in it?(I prefer Texaco brand- the orange one- in texas the extra lubricating properties make it the best option for me in varying humidity)
7. Has your radiator been flushed recently and what brand of flush/detergent did you use?(I always like prestone, it's non-detergent and will break loose debris better than peak or off-brands)
8. What color is your antifreeze at the top of your reservoir?(oil will float)
9. What is your oil pressure? What is your oil level? Is your Oil pump working?(oil lines that are clogged or partially blocked will effect your cooling as well. The link above addresses this, but not in detail and I've no knowledge of the oil workings that are particular or particularly worthy of posting)
10. Is your coolant level too high? And is your reservoir cap popping off like mine was when I overfilled it the first time, which led to evaporation?
11. What is your dilution rate, or mix ratio of antifreeze to water? And is your antifreeze more that 15-18 months old?(fresh is better!and I mix mine at: 60% antifreeze/40% DISTILLED water)
I figure you probably already looked at the obvious, but sometimes when I have trouble, my friends will ask me a dumb question and I was overthinking the problem that they solved just by mentioning something elementary.
GL with your cooling- let us know how it goes!
1. Last time I changed it, black. had performed the oil change at 3k-3250
2. Fuel and premix
3.Yes, from a leaking injector, was corrected by cutting off the fuel pump and letting it die to shut it off.
4. Got the gasket from Mazdatrix, and was tightend in a star like formation. Turned till they stopped, then gave a half turn to each bolt in the same pattern, didn't have a torque spec if you want to get specific.
5. Only use a slight film to stick the gasket to hold it in place, waited about a minute before putting it on ther.
6. I think it's peak, never had a problem with it before the summer hit.
7. The radiator hasn't been flushed, but it has been drained and filled mutliple times within the last year from the many times servicing the cooling system.
8. Green
9. Oil PSI guage is inop. guage died because the wire to the little black box(dont know the name, but i think its a voltage stablizer for the guage) was ripped and the guage no longer works. Never let the oil go below "L," it has a newer oil cooler since mine cracked and i have the RB oil filter adapter with a oil temp guage, and it sits between 160F-190F depending on driving conditions.
10. Coolant sits at the mark on the resevior.
11. Not sure of the ratio but I know it is not far from 70% coolant/30% water. Used filtered water, didn't have acces to distiled when I was working in the car. The coolant is only a few months old, can't be more than 6 months old.
I also have another question. Will an FD radiator fit the FC? I have a friend who will give me his spare radiator if it fits. Even if it needs minor modifications I'll take it and install it to have a known good raditator, since mine is questionable.
etx4
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: austin, tx
Sounds to me like you have a problem that I am not personally familiar with.
Whatever you do, if you are confident in your mechanical abilities, don't second guess your install. This will cause you to miss whatever it is.
Especially if you have covered all the bases and have already had a second pair of eyes on it. good car friends are invaluable at this point.
Don't worry!!! You can do it yourself!!!! we all do. we don't know how, we go on this website and tell each other how we did it when we were discouraged the whole time.
(you know more about this rotary engine @ this point than your local mazda dealership mechanic does, I'll guarantee)
This website is about RX7 owners that didn't design it, didn't cause problems in it, but found a way to repair or overcome the difficulties of this powerblock that sounds so sexy and looks so good.
If I were you, I'd first consult the 'search' application on this forum, and research in the archives.
I have done this on a number of occasions, and somebody replying (ie: a moderator)will mention a thread that they remember on that specific subject will tell me where to look when I can't find it on my own with my noobish search threads.
RADIATOR ? : i've got no idea if it will fit
Best of luck, that's all I can offer-
-----JO-D
Whatever you do, if you are confident in your mechanical abilities, don't second guess your install. This will cause you to miss whatever it is.
Especially if you have covered all the bases and have already had a second pair of eyes on it. good car friends are invaluable at this point.
Don't worry!!! You can do it yourself!!!! we all do. we don't know how, we go on this website and tell each other how we did it when we were discouraged the whole time.
(you know more about this rotary engine @ this point than your local mazda dealership mechanic does, I'll guarantee)
This website is about RX7 owners that didn't design it, didn't cause problems in it, but found a way to repair or overcome the difficulties of this powerblock that sounds so sexy and looks so good.
If I were you, I'd first consult the 'search' application on this forum, and research in the archives.
I have done this on a number of occasions, and somebody replying (ie: a moderator)will mention a thread that they remember on that specific subject will tell me where to look when I can't find it on my own with my noobish search threads.
RADIATOR ? : i've got no idea if it will fit
Best of luck, that's all I can offer-
-----JO-D
I found a wet spot under the car after leaving the movies a while ago. The spot was directly under the radiator. So I guess I'll need to get it fixed, or straight up replace it.
Also etx4, I had to pull the plugs tonight to clean them, they fouled out after abuot 20k miles lol. They had a stench of premix, and a nice amount of carbon build up on them
Also etx4, I had to pull the plugs tonight to clean them, they fouled out after abuot 20k miles lol. They had a stench of premix, and a nice amount of carbon build up on them
etx4
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: austin, tx
I premix and my metering pump works too --extra oil only makes me smell bad.
I cannot afford/don't have the ***** for a complete rebuild- I figure all the help my Apex seals can get, the better for them. Since I bought this car I've learned a lot, but I don't know it all YET!!!!!
. A chevy 350 is nothing compared to settting the timing on this 'block'(not really a block) setting the flow and CFM for my 1150 on a Holley 1150 V8 DBL.PMP w/ a 1.158 CFM SUP is nothing compared to t rying to crayon mark the gears with a broken down rotary motor. to stab it blind like I used to do with my DIST.s on my piston racers.
******when racing- dont use more than 2 electrodes on your NGK- or they better be NGK if you wanna drive this car for long- as with any motor , after twin contact electrodes, you're wasting money. three or four electrode grounds don't make a difference on most motors unless you have upgraded coils and ground wires and all kinds of BS. to start with, just follow the instructions on the 'smart peoples' posts.
The spark and ignition speed with a multi-recept plug would be next to nothing as far as better for burning thick syn-blend oils like Castrol GTX.(All I use is Castrol GTX) This is mostly regulated by how much flame your ignition system will send to it.
[again im in an FB] so I don't know what will and won't work for you ;.
Somebody else on this forum may be of more help than me: I hope they are{
Good luck again-- if you're subscribed, then you'll know when somebody comes up with something i missed....
--ETX4
jody
I cannot afford/don't have the ***** for a complete rebuild- I figure all the help my Apex seals can get, the better for them. Since I bought this car I've learned a lot, but I don't know it all YET!!!!!
. A chevy 350 is nothing compared to settting the timing on this 'block'(not really a block) setting the flow and CFM for my 1150 on a Holley 1150 V8 DBL.PMP w/ a 1.158 CFM SUP is nothing compared to t rying to crayon mark the gears with a broken down rotary motor. to stab it blind like I used to do with my DIST.s on my piston racers.
******when racing- dont use more than 2 electrodes on your NGK- or they better be NGK if you wanna drive this car for long- as with any motor , after twin contact electrodes, you're wasting money. three or four electrode grounds don't make a difference on most motors unless you have upgraded coils and ground wires and all kinds of BS. to start with, just follow the instructions on the 'smart peoples' posts.
The spark and ignition speed with a multi-recept plug would be next to nothing as far as better for burning thick syn-blend oils like Castrol GTX.(All I use is Castrol GTX) This is mostly regulated by how much flame your ignition system will send to it.
[again im in an FB] so I don't know what will and won't work for you ;.
Somebody else on this forum may be of more help than me: I hope they are{
Good luck again-- if you're subscribed, then you'll know when somebody comes up with something i missed....
--ETX4
jody
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