well i started working on my 8 this weekend getting it ready for spring. did the normal stuff-put charged battery in, tire pressure, oil change, got it running and then went to flush the coolant.

flushed the heater core first because my heat sucks and it was filthy. flushed the rest of the system and it was very dirty also, rusty color. i did this at my brothers garage who is an ase cert tech but doesnt know that much about rotaries. after the refill i drove it to the car wash 2 miles tops to hose some of the dirt off. on the way back it ran great but as soon as i pulled in the temp gauge went two lines past center and i shut it off right away, i know its just a dummy gauge.

let ti cool down thinking there was air in the system so i tried to burp it. cap off after it cooled defrost on hi and topped off but it was still spitting coolant out of the overflow hose, what a mess. my brother thinks that possibly from sitting all winter and flushing all that crappy coolant that maby the t stat is plugged up. i really need some advise.

btw 04 6spd. 74k on car about 46k on motor

think of getting the upgraded t stat and water pump from mazmart.

thanks in advance

 

a few things to check...

Belt deflection.

Water pump, wheel spins freely.

Test the tstat (place in a coffee mug submerged in water, place in the microwave for 3 mins or so) You should see it pop open.

One of those things has failed and the coolant isn't moving through the system. Do not let the engine overheat once that dummy gauge hits H your engine is 5 seconds from blowing a seal.

 

yhea shady thanks. im gonna go to my bros shop tonight and see whats going on. dummy gauge did not peg. im going to pressure test the system and bring along another rad cap i have. pressure test will tell me if a coolant seal is shot right? if its good ill pull the t stat. will check the pump first

 

sub'd for interest

edit -- fwiw agreeing with current line of diagnosis

 

correct! the seals are thin little rubber dohickeys. Of they are placed wrong, twisted slightly etc they can fail. I'm willing to bet that it is fine and you just have a bad tstat. But testing the pressure first is easier.

 

thanks again ill report back tomorrow on this issue. on the other hand my warranty is up at the end of next month

 

Can't rule out coolant seal yet. Tstat could be clogged. Gonna do a chemical test tomorrow for combustion leak to coolant

 

you didn't burp the air out right.

when was the last time u had coolant changes? rusty **** came out of ur heater core? wow I never seen that in my car and I complete drain it every year (one of those year I did 3 times)

proper maintenance > feel sorry later.

 

care to eloberate on propper burping? is it different than a piston car?

 

Here:

 

thanks will do before i leak test the system today

 

Make sure you aren't leaking out of anywhere when you do the pressure test. It's not to uncommon for a seal to go I just want to make sure that's the issue.

 

See post above

The easiest way to do this is, drive your car to the steepest hill u can find, npse up, open the cap, hop in the car, rev it couple of times to 3k

Add abit of coolant, a little above the max mark is ok. Then finally close the cap, hop back into the car and keep the rev at 2k for 5-7 mintues, then rev to 3k for another 3.

If ur **** boils over, u have a bigger problem than air in the system

You might loose a bit of coolant, but thats normal.

After that drive around for a day or 2, then check coolant again

To get air out easier, lightly tap the upper coolant hose a few times wih the car running

 

While you're at it, run the coolant tank overflow hose down to the bottom of the engine. Stock, overflowed coolant blows right into the electric power steering connectors below the side of the airbox.

 

combustion to coolant leak test passed last night. i will have a new t stat today. gonna check my oil just to be sure theres no coolant in it, r/r t stat, bore scope the wp impeller, flush again, and see what happens. my brother is pretty set on the t stat so a few hours and $30 i will know. ill report back tomorrow

 

if I see rusty **** I will drain (complete drain including the short block, not just rad) fill, warm and flush and drain and repeat couple more times.

 

ripped my coolant system apart today. ordered re-medy t stat, water pump, and overflow tank from mazmart. ordered rb screens and block off and im gonna order a mizu rad but im looking for a 6 piece hose kit that fits without problems in black if anyone has input i would be greatful. the tank was gross and blocked the tstat which is why i had issues. figured while i was at it might as well go ***** deep.

drained some oil and it was brand new looking. the combustion gasses to coolant passed also so im 99% sure thats my issue. flushed every part i could and used my bros fo bore scope and it looked good.

going to straighten the oil cooler fins with the tool for it before i put it back together with the screens. seems like im in good shape but just need to know what 6 piece coolant hose kit fits without problems and where to buy, is the mizu set 6 pieces? any fitment issues like with the first samco kits?

thanks
jesse

 

Stock radiator is the best at cooling for our cars. Mizu is a good bet if you cant afford a new stock one.

 

^ +1. Straightened the fins will make you cross eyed, I did that on both of my coolers. There have been fitment issues with the SAMCO 6 piece kit so be aware. New rubber heater hose for the small hoses is just fine IMO, unless you want engine bling.

 

Any updates?

I'm very curious as to how this sludge/rust built up.

 

I was really surprised at the amount of rust in my motor with only 30k on it considering it had had two coolant flushes within that 30k period.

 

not sure shady but it was in the overflow which didnt get stirred up until i flushed the system after sitting all winter. just waiting on upgraded parts to get here. i figured while i had it apart i might as well replace rad, wp, lines, overflow, t stat, remove air pump, and rb cooler screens. the t stat was pretty shitty lookin

 

Seriously?

Mmmmm.... crap

(pencils in a rad flush next opportunity)

 

Yep, check it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9krpmrx8/6045494743/

 

Doh,
Ok, I will pull the water pump when I do the SSV in a few weeks and check it.

So brown is bad eh?
Why does everyone pick on brown?