Lakusta

Hey everyone, I'm a new JDM FD RX7 driver!
Loving the car, most amazing machine on four wheels!

The car has 71,000KM on it approximately, (I am from Canada hahah)
2.5 MazdaSpeed Catback Exhaust is the only mod!

So now for my problem...

Couple weeks ago my "Add Coolant" Light starts igniting, beeping horrendously, freaks me out, so I turn off the car, check the fluid which is FULL, and it had just been serviced two days prior by the Mazda dealership.
So I restart the car, it beeps for a moment as a start driving it stops tho.
The problem keeps arriving, on hotter days it takes longer for the beep to die, on cool nights sometimes I didn't even see it.

The Mazda dealership said something about the gauge for the coolant taking awhile to equalize but I dunno, comments?

So anyways, today I'm driving to a friends house and my oil temp goes off the charts, not quickly but rising gradually, and as I pull into my friends driveway the car starts emitting large amounts of steam from under the hood!

I panic, whip the hood open to see the "Coolant Release Spout" (Thats what I'm calling it sorry for the improper technical terms) is just spraying massive amounts of coolant all over my engine bay in steam form!!

Finally the car cools, steam stops rising and obviously I pushed the car home a few blocks to my house with some help.

So my question is, what could possibly be wrong? (Water pump, coolant hose leaks?)
And how serious!

I also have minor leakage from the oil pan and first turbo gasket which was gonna be replaced later this week but obviously more has happened!

All your help is seriously needed and highly welcomed!

Thanks for all your thoughts ahead of time! I'll be checking in hourly to see what the club has to offer!!


Kevin!

Lakusta

BUMP

Comeon, someones gotta know something!!

rusttoriches

Was it running fine before you get it serviced at the Mazda dealership? If so, then i think you should take it back there, i wouldn't touch anything before hand.

drift slut_fd

check your coolant sensor...(level switch)...same thing happened to mine...its a small black sensor going into your top resivor....with a single wire coming out of it..check the wire really good and make sure there is a full conection there

Lakusta

Oh ya, it was running like gold! Pulling on everything and anything!

I think its my water pump... the wire seems to be relatively in place, doesn't seem out of the ordinary thats for sure!

I'm going to the dealership tomorrow to get it all redone! I was just hoping I'd have a little idea as to whats wrong with her!

Banham

Your overheating would usually be due to:
1) cooling fan(s) not kicking in. Try turning on the AC this should on a JDM car switch the cooling fan on also.

2) When the car was serviced was the cooling fluid replaced? If replaced or replenished the cooling system must be aired to get circulation.

3) as suggested it can be water pump also (pull gently up and down on the water pump pully to see if there is any play)

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

Have the dealership try to fix anything they can find wrong with the cooling system. A coolant system pressure test should be part of that. Test the caps. Have them inspect the coolant level sensor and wiring. You can have them check out the water pump but usually they are not a problem.

Then have them inspect for an engine coolant seal leak. This could involve a champagne-bubble test, looking for coolant in the engine chamber, or hydrocarbon testing the coolant. Not all dealerships know enough about rotaries to do this well, but maybe just maybe yours does. (There were fewer 3rd gen's in Canada than the US, and in the US rotary-capable Mazda dealers are scarce). Take it to a rotary shop if you can find one. Hopefully your coolant seals are good.

DO TAKE CARE WITH OVERHEATING. Do not drive the car or run the engine if the coolant temp gauge rises to or above the half-way point. It should just about always warm up to below the half-way mark.

Also, when you the Add Coolant comes on, check the level at the cap right beside the alternator. The other cap and coolant reservoir won't show you. Be careful to use lots of protection against scalding if you do this on a hot car or just wait till it cools down.

Lakusta

Thanks to everyone! All your info helped a ton with the situation!
I actually printed this thread so I could read things off to get checked!

Thankfully I just blew two coolant hoses and was able to shut it off quick enough to do any significant damage!

My FD is back out and with a vengeance!