Cooling System
01-10-2019, 07:28 PM
#26
Like others have said.... if you overfill the overflow bottle when it gets hot it expands and will spill out the extra. If you fill to the mark when cold it should be good. Another thing to watch for is a lot of fine bubbles in the overflow bottle especially when you rev it up a bit. That can mean you have a bad inside coolant seal that is leaking on the combustion side of the housing. Often at the start they don't leak coolant the other direction...so you won't get the white smoke when you start it...
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Rmazda8 (01-10-2019)
01-10-2019, 07:36 PM
#27
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Thanks will look into that, just a thought put pure antifreeze to top up before I drove it a good distance and it seems that it hasn't circulated because the overflow is pure as if it didn't mix with the older stuff although I did put quite a bit in.If the antifreeze is pure would that cause a problem I wonder.Its supposed to be 50/50 I believe.
Last edited by Rmazda8; 01-10-2019 at 09:51 PM.
01-10-2019, 11:25 PM
#28
Thanks will look into that, just a thought put pure antifreeze to top up before I drove it a good distance and it seems that it hasn't circulated because the overflow is pure as if it didn't mix with the older stuff although I did put quite a bit in.If the antifreeze is pure would that cause a problem I wonder.Its supposed to be 50/50 I believe.
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Rmazda8 (01-11-2019)
01-11-2019, 03:43 PM
#29
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It's possible that it was overfilled. Coolant will expand as it heats. If it doesn't have enough space to expand, it'll get burped out the overflow tube.
Let the engine cool and fill the reservoir to the lowest mark.
It's also possible that you're overheating which will cause coolant to boil out the overflow tube.
Get an ELM327 OBD-II adapter and a smartphone app to look at your actual coolant temps (the dash gauge isn't reliable).
It's also also possible that you're getting combustion gasses pressurizing the coolant system causing coolant to burp out the overflow tube.
Get a $30 combustion leak detector (sometimes called a block tester). Follow its instructions.
You can also rent a coolant system tester from most auto parts stores.
Let the engine cool and fill the reservoir to the lowest mark.
It's also possible that you're overheating which will cause coolant to boil out the overflow tube.
Get an ELM327 OBD-II adapter and a smartphone app to look at your actual coolant temps (the dash gauge isn't reliable).
It's also also possible that you're getting combustion gasses pressurizing the coolant system causing coolant to burp out the overflow tube.
Get a $30 combustion leak detector (sometimes called a block tester). Follow its instructions.
You can also rent a coolant system tester from most auto parts stores.
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Rmazda8 (01-13-2019)
01-15-2019, 04:04 PM
#31
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i drained the coolant from radiator and noticed that it sparkled could that be a sign of something or is that just he nature of he coolant .my thought is that it has oil in it..Was thinking that my next step should be to see if fans are spinning
Last edited by Rmazda8; 01-15-2019 at 04:06 PM.
01-16-2019, 01:46 PM
#34
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03-05-2019, 08:19 PM
#35
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hello again, well after finally getting my ELM bluetooth scanner working to test coolant temp ,The temp went to 210 farenheit or so and didnt go any higher .Test was done while idling didnt take for a drive .the only thing is that the exhaust in my garage was terrible and it stayed there for days .the exhaust smell was terrible so suspecting worn apex seals .Still havent checked compression but will soon with a reg compression tester to get some idea .
03-06-2019, 01:13 AM
#36
Smoking turbo yay
hello again, well after finally getting my ELM bluetooth scanner working to test coolant temp ,The temp went to 210 farenheit or so and didnt go any higher .Test was done while idling didnt take for a drive .the only thing is that the exhaust in my garage was terrible and it stayed there for days .the exhaust smell was terrible so suspecting worn apex seals .Still havent checked compression but will soon with a reg compression tester to get some idea .
Do you have a cat? A catless piston car can smell like crap(my buddy has a decatted GTI), let alone a rotary that doesn't burn as efficiently by nature. Also, the car will stink pretty bad on cold starts because your cat won't start working until it warms up a bit.
If you have a cat and it stinks when hot idling, then yeah, I would inspect it for damage.
03-06-2019, 08:02 AM
#37
The smell has nothing to do with apex seals. You can't just say apex seals whenever a rotary has a problem 
As stated above, check your cat. Since you have an OBD reader now, what are your fuel trims at warm idle?
Did you ever get a coolant exhaust gas test? That would tell you exactly whether you have a coolant seal breach or not. I feel like we're getting farther from the actual problem here.
As stated above, check your cat. Since you have an OBD reader now, what are your fuel trims at warm idle?
Did you ever get a coolant exhaust gas test? That would tell you exactly whether you have a coolant seal breach or not. I feel like we're getting farther from the actual problem here.
03-06-2019, 09:35 AM
#38
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hello again, well after finally getting my ELM bluetooth scanner working to test coolant temp ,The temp went to 210 farenheit or so and didnt go any higher .Test was done while idling didnt take for a drive .the only thing is that the exhaust in my garage was terrible and it stayed there for days .the exhaust smell was terrible so suspecting worn apex seals .Still havent checked compression but will soon with a reg compression tester to get some idea .
Agreed. Foul exhaust odor is dead or missing catalytic converter. Nothing to do with apex seals.
03-06-2019, 03:35 PM
#39
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98 C in summer traffic is normal. That's when the fans kick in on high speed. When idling in summer, the temperature should fluctuate between 94 and 98 C.
Do you have a cat? A catless piston car can smell like crap(my buddy has a decatted GTI), let alone a rotary that doesn't burn as efficiently by nature. Also, the car will stink pretty bad on cold starts because your cat won't start working until it warms up a bit.
If you have a cat and it stinks when hot idling, then yeah, I would inspect it for damage.
Do you have a cat? A catless piston car can smell like crap(my buddy has a decatted GTI), let alone a rotary that doesn't burn as efficiently by nature. Also, the car will stink pretty bad on cold starts because your cat won't start working until it warms up a bit.
If you have a cat and it stinks when hot idling, then yeah, I would inspect it for damage.
The cat is hollow ,the honeycomb is gone
03-06-2019, 04:25 PM
#41
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thats not what i want to hear, I am assuming that PO just gutted it out ,dont think muff is blocked it used to smoke like a chimney when oil was in the intake mani on air filter bcause of over fill ,another thing I didnt mention is that the oil seems to be thin dark and watery looking after driving car a few times after i had changed and put fresh oil ,maybe indicating water getting in , lovely.
03-06-2019, 04:31 PM
#42
thats not what i want to hear, I am assuming that PO just gutted it out ,dont think muff is blocked it used to smoke like a chimney when oil was in the intake mani on air filter bcause of over fill ,another thing I didnt mention is that the oil seems to be thin dark and watery looking after driving car a few times after i had changed and put fresh oil ,maybe indicating water getting in , lovely.
Water or coolant in the oil will make it look milky like a milkshake... so not likely that.
When you change the oil you are only getting maybe 80% change. The rest is in the rotors and the oil coolers and lines. This tends to make the oil get darker a lot quicker than a piston engine that replaces much more of the old oil
What are you using for oil... use at least 5-30. Forget about the 5-20 crap they tell you to put in
03-06-2019, 04:54 PM
#43
In addition to healthy dose of old oil remaining, fuel will make your oil watery. Does it smell like raw fuel?
If it does either you're running rich, or the ignition isn't working well.
So back to the original issue, now that you have your ELM and found that it doesn't overheat or spew coolant at idle. Can you take it for a drive and see if it overheats then? Basically can you get it to over heat? Basically, can we recreate the issue now that you have better monitoring.
And really the answer to your question is a coolant exhaust gas test or coolant pressure test. That will be conclusive.
That pipe you identified as not connected anything earlier in the thread, is that still not attached to anything? You really need to make sure the other end of what that attaches to (under the throttle body, I think), is plugged.
If it does either you're running rich, or the ignition isn't working well.
So back to the original issue, now that you have your ELM and found that it doesn't overheat or spew coolant at idle. Can you take it for a drive and see if it overheats then? Basically can you get it to over heat? Basically, can we recreate the issue now that you have better monitoring.
And really the answer to your question is a coolant exhaust gas test or coolant pressure test. That will be conclusive.
That pipe you identified as not connected anything earlier in the thread, is that still not attached to anything? You really need to make sure the other end of what that attaches to (under the throttle body, I think), is plugged.
03-06-2019, 05:00 PM
#44
Smoking turbo yay
Water or coolant in the oil will make it look milky like a milkshake... so not likely that.
When you change the oil you are only getting maybe 80% change. The rest is in the rotors and the oil coolers and lines. This tends to make the oil get darker a lot quicker than a piston engine that replaces much more of the old oil
What are you using for oil... use at least 5-30. Forget about the 5-20 crap they tell you to put in
When you change the oil you are only getting maybe 80% change. The rest is in the rotors and the oil coolers and lines. This tends to make the oil get darker a lot quicker than a piston engine that replaces much more of the old oil
What are you using for oil... use at least 5-30. Forget about the 5-20 crap they tell you to put in
My car has only used 5W-20 and it works fine. I sent in 2 samples for UOA and neither indicated excessive wear. 5W-30 isn't a bad idea in hotter climates, though, and 40+ is recommended for track use.
03-06-2019, 10:06 PM
#45
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Think I used 10w40 if memory serves me right ,will check that out, yes oil doesn't look milky just thin water like .Will get a coolant tester tomorrow to see if combustion gases getting into coolant , local auto shop will supply a loaner .Didn't notice if fans came on when I was checking the coolant temp, have to check that out also ,anyways late now ,thank you guys for help , God Bless
03-06-2019, 11:28 PM
#46
03-07-2019, 06:20 PM
#47
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I picked up the engine block tester but have a question does the coolant need to be circulating to be able to test for combustion gasses,Im not sure if coolant is circulating or if the fans are coming on .Thanks
03-08-2019, 01:36 PM
#50
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Ok ,so did the coolant test for gasses and the result was negative if I did it properly which I believe I did.The next thing on the list was coolant temp and my results were good I believe.Took car for drive and just driving 40 -60 km
the temp was 79-84 Celsius drove on hi way steady at 84 C @ 100 - 130 kms.
the temp was 79-84 Celsius drove on hi way steady at 84 C @ 100 - 130 kms.