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Hey
i know there is a lot of posts regarding this, but I can’t seem to find an answer.
my ‘07 automatic rx8 got 125k miles, the engine was rebuilt at 96k.
about a week ago I notice the temp needle go above the middle. When I stopped the needle went even higher!!! And it would move back and forth, as I drove faster. This made me think it was one of the fans. When doing one of the flushes, I heard the fans started working, but I could see through the air box and coolant reservoir that one of them was stopped, I couldn’t see the other one, but I heard it. I bought an aftermarket fan shroud, just waiting to install that.
When I got home, I did a coolant flush, it came out brown, but nothing came out of the engine block (plug above oil pan) I unscrewed the radiator drain plug and dirty coolant came out, a lot of it.
I have done 3-4 flushes so far, water doesn’t seem to be getting clearer, still very brown. I did a pressure test at 13psi and the system seem to be able to hold that pressure for at least more than 5min. I disconnected it because i didn’t see any leaks from under the car
when I start the car, and turn on the heat at max, I started to notice a puddle under the “transmission pan?” I put water in the cooling system to do the flush, and I believe that is what was dripping from it. It was clear water though, not dirty.
I will keep doing flushes to see if water becomes any clearer, and I will install the new fan shroud; other than that anyone knows what can be causing that leak?? Or my overheating problem?? Leak under transmission pan
Hey
i know there is a lot of posts regarding this, but I can’t seem to find an answer.
my ‘07 automatic rx8 got 125k miles, the engine was rebuilt at 96k.
about a week ago I notice the temp needle go above the middle. When I stopped the needle went even higher!!! And it would move back and forth, as I drove faster. This made me think it was one of the fans. When doing one of the flushes, I heard the fans started working, but I could see through the air box and coolant reservoir that one of them was stopped, I couldn’t see the other one, but I heard it. I bought an aftermarket fan shroud, just waiting to install that.
When I got home, I did a coolant flush, it came out brown, but nothing came out of the engine block (plug above oil pan) I unscrewed the radiator drain plug and dirty coolant came out, a lot of it.
I have done 3-4 flushes so far, water doesn’t seem to be getting clearer, still very brown. I did a pressure test at 13psi and the system seem to be able to hold that pressure for at least more than 5min. I disconnected it because i didn’t see any leaks from under the car
when I start the car, and turn on the heat at max, I started to notice a puddle under the “transmission pan?” I put water in the cooling system to do the flush, and I believe that is what was dripping from it. It was clear water though, not dirty.
I will keep doing flushes to see if water becomes any clearer, and I will install the new fan shroud; other than that anyone knows what can be causing that leak?? Or my overheating problem?? Leak under transmission pan
I would replace the thermostat for sure.. If the block is completely empty that isn't a good sign
You could have a leak from a heater hose or high on the block that will drip down there... you also could have a frost plug that is leaking in the rear iron....
Just don't drive it if it is overheating... you might have gotten lucky this time, but they don't do well getting that hot
Brown coolant sounds like rust, which means whatever was in there was either suuuuper old, or straight water rather than coolant.
Definitely don't drive it until you sort it out.
If the A/C is on, you'll get a condensation drip around the trans pan, so be sure that's off.
With the A/C on one fan will turn on. If the coolant goes about about 200F, they fans will turn on low speed, and at 212F they'll go on high speed.
Can you determine if it overheats more/faster while standing still or while driving? Maybe get an OBD reader so you can get exact temperature data, rather than watching the gauge. The gauge doesn't move until like 230F which is way too high.
Alright
yes, I will replace the thermostat as well
i also order an OEM used radiator from eBay that was cheap enough in case mine is broken.
I will try to get an aftermarket radiator but most seem to be only for manual transmission.
Thank you for all the help!!
I will post and update when I get those things in the car, and I’ll be sure to get an OBDII scanner for the temp.
Be real careful with used radiators, including the one on the car now. The top plastic nipple for the overflow is really easy to break.
I don't know that the rad itself is the problem. Usually it's either the airflow through it (fans or plastic undertray) or coolant performance (fthermostat, proper coolant, proper pressure)
Hey guys
after digging around, I found a leak
it is on the block, under the ignition coils
it looks like a hole, that is supposed to be there, but surely coolant is not supposed to come out of there
anyone know what is this, where it goes or how to fix it? Or if it’s something more serious than a simple leak
Ok, so
looks like there is a crack on the housing
this means engine rebuild doesn’t it?
Can this be fixed at home with the right tools, by that I mean like seal it
or do I have to take the engine out to replace the housing?
Took this picture from eBay Under the N36h3 number, there is an aperture, like a circle, mine has a hole, that’s where all the coolant is leaking out. Fixable????
Any idea how much the dealer would charge me for this?
Loga, The pipe that you circled is the oil return from the oil coolers to the engine. It runs alongside your A/C compressor (shown in 1st pic) back... and connects to the base of the oil pedestal (2nd pic).
- 1st pic: you can just see it (upper, left corner). (Note the "MAZDA" blocking atop the front housing.)
- 2nd pic: shot of cooler oil return connecting to the oil pedestal base (Note the "MAZDA" blocking atop the rear housing.)
Ok, so
looks like there is a crack on the housing
this means engine rebuild doesn’t it?
Can this be fixed at home with the right tools, by that I mean like seal it
or do I have to take the engine out to replace the housing?
Took this picture from eBay Under the N36h3 number, there is an aperture, like a circle, mine has a hole, that’s where all the coolant is leaking out. Fixable????
Any idea how much the dealer would charge me for this?
Loga, It looks like you have a leak at a freeze plug. They're intended to allow some coolant expansion and contraction..., but can rust & leak over time. They are plugs, which c/b extracted, and replaced. Whether the engine needs to come out or not depends mostly on the location of the F.P. , i.e. simply a logistical matter...can you get to it to do the job.
I encountered, resolved, and posted about this very issue. See my build thread.... , Curt's Gr8t 8 Turbo Build, where I deal w/ this ...among other things... beginning at post # 178 thru post #204.
Ok
first of all, thanks for all the help guys
to make this short, I THINK I can access the faulty freeze plug without removing the front cover of the engine, but it’s a really tight space so I’m not sure.
Now removing the front cover will make this so much easier, BUT if I do this, would it make things harder??
i mean like, I’ve read around and watched some videos, they all remove the engine completely.
i want it to stay in the car, will removing that front bolt, the one that connects to the inside of the engine; will it damage the internals of the engine?
i saw this one guy pressing the clutch in order to maintain pressure in the eccentric shaft, then removing the front bolt. (not really sure how this works yet, trying to figure out how exactly the engine connects to the transmission, and all these names don’t help, English is my second language)
but I have an auto, I can’t press the clutch pedal.
I apologize for my ignorance on this topic, this is kinda my first car xD
so, yeah.. if anybody know how to safely remove that bolt I would really appreciate that.
Is the leak at the freeze plug just to the right of that bolt in the picture? If so, it looks like you have enough room to work to pull it out without removing the cover or that bolt. What you can to get a bit more room to work is disconnect the engine mounts and jack the engine a BIT higher or lower to give you more working room. Put a nice wide piece of wood under the oil pan to spread the load and not pierce it with the jack. This carries some risk but as long as everything is properly supported and you're checking clearances while jacking, you can do it.
Careful getting the plug out, you're working around aluminium which you don't want to gouge.
07-20-2020, 08:31 AM
