What radiator will keep my rx7 the coolest?
10-07-13, 09:58 AM
#1
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What radiator will keep my rx7 the coolest?
Hi everyone hope you are all doing well, i have recently purchased my dream car 1993 fd :p enough about me.. The radiator the guy had in it (for some reason) was not mounted on the left side only the right.. needless to say the radiator bounced around and eventually cracked one of the coils on the radiator. It overheated one morning i was letting it get up to temp. Saw the leak took the radiator off, put on the stock one and new hoses, it then overheated again, so i replaced the water pump and Thermostat. It overheated again, i then got the radiator that was on it before fixed i had someone tig weld it for 20 buck, i put a water hose on it no leaks, i put it on with a expansion tank..( no idea how it mounts) thinking that might have been why it overheated. of course it overheated again.... now I'm thinking i need a new radiator? Just totally lost with why it keeps overheating.
Some other things
*drove four hours home with the car with the radiator not mounted on left side
*the radiator that was welded is a PWR radiator with Mazda Rx7 fans
*I used prestone coolant flush then put 50/50 prestone and have used prestone 50/50 the rest of the time and used non diluted prestone the last time
*The first times it overheated the coolant hoses built up so much pressure it started to swell around the hose clamps.
*now when it overheats it just overheats. no pressure.
*sorry if i forget to mention something vital just let me know if you have another question ill be happy to answer.
Thanks in advance to everyone that tries to give me an answer or help me
have a good day
* i am attaching pictures of the overflow reservoir and how i put it on... don't judge it was a quick fix to see if it was the problem.
Some other things
*drove four hours home with the car with the radiator not mounted on left side
*the radiator that was welded is a PWR radiator with Mazda Rx7 fans
*I used prestone coolant flush then put 50/50 prestone and have used prestone 50/50 the rest of the time and used non diluted prestone the last time
*The first times it overheated the coolant hoses built up so much pressure it started to swell around the hose clamps.
*now when it overheats it just overheats. no pressure.
*sorry if i forget to mention something vital just let me know if you have another question ill be happy to answer.
Thanks in advance to everyone that tries to give me an answer or help me
have a good day* i am attaching pictures of the overflow reservoir and how i put it on... don't judge it was a quick fix to see if it was the problem.
10-07-13, 08:59 PM
#2
It doesn't sound like the radiator is your problem. How hot did it get when the first radiator leaked?
As for how to route hoses from the Air Separation Tank (AST), here's the cooling system diagram from the Factory Service Manual (FSM) to check your's against. And remember, the AST gets the spring cap, unlike the filler neck cap that has no spring....
As for how to route hoses from the Air Separation Tank (AST), here's the cooling system diagram from the Factory Service Manual (FSM) to check your's against. And remember, the AST gets the spring cap, unlike the filler neck cap that has no spring....
10-09-13, 04:21 PM
#3
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It went to 105 Celsius and on the dash all the way up to h. I won't let it get any hotter I always shut it off before 100 now and if it starts to climb on the dash. And oh okay so the filler neck cap isn't suppose to have one...And i checked the diagram i had it on right. Now to find out why its still overheating
Last edited by Gallimore; 10-09-13 at 04:27 PM.
10-09-13, 06:04 PM
#4
105 C. (220 F.) isn't overheating. It's hot, but IMO not overheating. HOWEVER....in my experience if the stock gauge got to 'H', you've absolutely overheated. So I'm a bit confused now.
At any rate, I think consensus is that at about 115 C. (240 F.) the coolant seals can start to degrade.
Have you check your fan operation? ---> Cooling Fan Test Proecdure and FAQ
At any rate, I think consensus is that at about 115 C. (240 F.) the coolant seals can start to degrade.
Have you check your fan operation? ---> Cooling Fan Test Proecdure and FAQ
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10-10-13, 05:35 AM
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My fans do work they come on every time at 83 Celsius and the tstat opens up at that temp too. Okay thanks for the replys, Sometimes when it overheats the dash will stay at normal barely below halfway, and my commander will start to climb instead, then again sometimes it will climb on the dash instead. And i do have white smoke on startup but nothing when it gets to operating temperature, and wouldn't i see coolant disappearing if it was getting into combustion? Everytime it overheats i haven't seen any signs of coolant disappearing.
Should i take it to mazda to diagnose the problem? im calling up there today to see which Mazda near me has a "rotary expert".
Should i take it to mazda to diagnose the problem? im calling up there today to see which Mazda near me has a "rotary expert".
Last edited by Gallimore; 10-10-13 at 05:43 AM.
10-10-13, 09:31 AM
#9
dealerships don't have "rotary experts". they treat the rotary cars as any other car and have no training classes on the engine itself, because they won't allow their techs to actually repair the engine internals as they are only allowed to replace an engine when it is faulty. to understand a diagnosis it is important to know how the part you are diagnosing works.
10-10-13, 01:42 PM
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Well my car is now getting diagnosed by a technician at Mazda, thanks for your response. I am pretty confident with him he has been at Mazda for 30 years and has worked on plenty rx7's.
Last edited by Gallimore; 10-10-13 at 01:46 PM.
10-10-13, 02:06 PM
#11
You're lucky then. I hope he gets it sorted out for you. But I'd bet the vast majority of modern-day dealership experiences with the FD aren't good. The car was only imported in low numbers, for three years...and that ended 20 years ago. Most techs have never seen under the hood of one. Some weren't out of diapers when the FD was still under warranty. Hell, the dealerships probably tossed out the manuals 10 yrs ago.
10-10-13, 04:41 PM
#15
Did it "white smoke" when you first bought it, or did that happen after one of your overheating adventures?
How do you plan to "catch and return" the "unneeded" parts wanting to be thrown at it by your "Rotary expert" when you yourself don't have a strong fundamental grasp of how rotarys work? Sounds more along the lines of you cant really afford the "Financial Disaster"
Usually I cringe at threads like this and move on, but I kinda feel like seeing how this trainwreck turns out.
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How old are you, BTW?
How do you plan to "catch and return" the "unneeded" parts wanting to be thrown at it by your "Rotary expert" when you yourself don't have a strong fundamental grasp of how rotarys work? Sounds more along the lines of you cant really afford the "Financial Disaster"
Usually I cringe at threads like this and move on, but I kinda feel like seeing how this trainwreck turns out.
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How old are you, BTW?
10-10-13, 04:50 PM
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I have a very strong grasp of how the engine works, not my first rotary car... and the owner said it had white smoke just on start up when i purchased the car. The car would not be getting looked at if i did not have the funds.
The only reason i had it looked at by someone else is cause i have already did everything in my power to fix it.
I am by no means able to do major fixes to the car and don't claim to be able to.
Everyone has to start somewhere
You don't just wake up one day knowing everything about FD's
Which is the reason i joined this forum to learn more about my car and figure out why it is overheating.
The only reason i had it looked at by someone else is cause i have already did everything in my power to fix it.
I am by no means able to do major fixes to the car and don't claim to be able to.
Everyone has to start somewhere
You don't just wake up one day knowing everything about FD's
Which is the reason i joined this forum to learn more about my car and figure out why it is overheating.
Last edited by Gallimore; 10-10-13 at 04:54 PM.
10-10-13, 04:56 PM
#17
take it easy, most of this is just coming from the fact that most of the time when someone takes one of these cars to the dealer the result is less than favorable. the car is simply too old and the techs aren't familiar with them so the diagnosis' tend to be all over the board from new cooling systems to new engines with very little info given to the customer.
just be adamate about asking questions, though the service writer is probably going to be the one blowing smoke at the start of the day.
just be adamate about asking questions, though the service writer is probably going to be the one blowing smoke at the start of the day.
10-10-13, 04:56 PM
#18
Well FWIW, based on the information in this thread, you have a coolant seal failure. Probably toward the bottom of the housing/iron near the exhaust phase...I think that's where they usually are anyway. Depending on how long the previous owner drove it like that, the grooves may be rusted/pitted and you may now need another iron. When you get in there, the rest of the important bits...bearings, housings, irons etc. can be checked for spec, but in addition to a new gasket and seal kit, I'd figure new hard seals and springs. If you have the dealership do the work, DO NOT let them use the OEM pan gasket out of the gasket 'kit'. Insist they use a good gasket maker like "The Right Stuff".
10-10-13, 05:02 PM
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Yes i have read so many things saying not to take it to the dealership but i talked to the technician in person, one of the workers walked up to the technician and asked do you think you can work on it in a joking manner, he said yeah i think i can "haha" so clearly he has worked on them before
10-10-13, 05:04 PM
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it has 43 thousand miles(engine and body). and okay thank you for the information i will be sure to call mazda and tell them to check that if he already hasen't and if he cant figure it out ill check it on my own.
10-10-13, 05:41 PM
#23
I don't wish ill will against you, I feel better when people want to keep these things on the road (and do not do swaps).
If I was in your position I would have at least first searched out SOME form of a local independent rotary performance mechanic in your area? I'm going to trust you though. Good if you lucked out on a proper dealership.
As for the constant overheating now, I'm going with/hoping its air after your radiator swap.
If I was in your position I would have at least first searched out SOME form of a local independent rotary performance mechanic in your area? I'm going to trust you though. Good if you lucked out on a proper dealership.
As for the constant overheating now, I'm going with/hoping its air after your radiator swap.
10-11-13, 12:57 PM
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okay so called Mazda today and it seems there was just a big air pocket in it from where i put the AST on and didn't put on the reservoir with it(i did not know that the AST had a place to put another hose on that went to another reservoir on the left side of the engine bay, so it was just pulling in air from where the hose was suppose to go). ill be getting it home and taking it off and just putting a hose straight from the filler neck to the bottom of the radiator and making sure it runs good like that.
READD PLEASEE, Where can i get a aftermarket AST and the little cap with a red thing to release pressure. I have saw a lot of rx7's engine bays on pictures and they always seem to have the black AST wit that cap
READD PLEASEE, Where can i get a aftermarket AST and the little cap with a red thing to release pressure. I have saw a lot of rx7's engine bays on pictures and they always seem to have the black AST wit that cap
Last edited by Gallimore; 10-11-13 at 01:02 PM.