Just wondering what are the actual tell tale signs that there is a imminent seal failure on the horizon ?
What i mean is what would the exact symptoms be for this, smoke, coolant loss, bad at starting, bad idle, coolant on the floor, bad boosting stuff like that?
Not for my car before you ask, chap round the corner is new to RX7\'s and wants as much info as possible, also would a compression test reveal the life left in the seals ?
Cheers,
Gurj
Well, i think i have coolant seal failure at the moment, so i shall reply with my symptoms!
Find yourself topping up coolant regularly.
I have had it become more difficult to start when hot than when cold. A couple of times whilst starting cold it only started on one rotor, i think due to a puddle of water being inside the engine. Performance is fine. Lose water out the expansion tank on the odd occasion - especially when she is hot (Hoping that i don\'t have warped rotor housings!)
When the coolant is being lost, there will be no visible signs, unless it\'s from the expansion tank where it can **** out of that sometimes.
I had a water groove/seal go on my T2 and apart from it was bad to start (if i went for a run and got it warm then left it over night it would not start), The Coolant Pipes went hard withing 5 seconds of starting the engine and you could not start the car at all with the Rad cap off (pumped the water all over the place), it used a bit of water (about a pint every ten miles)
The funny thing is as Nikp says it ran fine when it was started with no loss of power, i aslo noticed there was no Visable white smoke when it was running. But as you would expect if i drove it slowly and kept of the Gas the symptoms where live withable (if you kept it toped up and did\'nt go on big trips) but if i gave it some gas it would play up realy badly.
When i took it apart i had a a 10mm section missing from the cold side of my rear plates Coolant seal Groove (Intake/Exhaust port side) so the seal its self was just loose (flopping about).
As for Apex seals, Compression Test is the Best and proberly only way of checking the seals/Springs.
I am sure i\'m going to get flamed for this but i would expect to be Doing a rebuild 60kish through Spring/Rotor groove wear this will show up on a Comp test usaly as inconsistant rotor Results, It is said you can tell of the Idle if the seals are going?, I\'d add that if you buy a fresh import get a Power FC on ASAP and have it set up for our Weather/Fuel.
Basicly i\'m sure you have heard this before but you can\'t beat History!! But a word of warning alot of people Fake it to sell the car for more so ring the garge the History/Recipts are with and ask for there records too just to be on the safe side.
Cheers for the info peeps, a mate has imported a RX7 and was asking to see if theres any obvious signs, car has only completed 30K so should be cool for a while yet we hope.
Will pass the info on. :wave
Surely if you have water seal failure, or suspected, it would show up in a compression test as the compression would \'seep\' into the cooling system, at the seal break point?
Quote from: NobbieSurely if you have water seal failure, or suspected, it would show up in a compression test as the compression would \'seep\' into the cooling system, at the seal break point?
It may do but i\'ve not seen a Water seal go on the Hot side of the Engine yet? If the Seal was to go in the Combustion chamber of the Housing then yes it would show up on a Comp test but i\'m guessing you would\'nt need to Comp test as the Symptoms would be Dramatic. But its more comon they go on the Cold side around the Inlet/Exhaust Ports and you usaly Find its the Water seal groove that goes, there must be a Tech reson for this (maybe the heat diffrence between the Inlet and Exhaust ports??? Duno) but this is why it sucks Water into the Engine (coolant loss) rather than Blowing the Hoses and Coolant all over the Place.
If you do a cold compression test it may show, but when the engines hot the water system is pressurised and therefore a test may hold up.
When you switch the engine off the pressure forces the coolant into the housing to be chucked out again when you start it from cold.
Hot starting is a problem
cold starting ok but sounds rough until the water goes out
Bubbles in the filler neck (when cold and dont over fill it)
Dumps water on the floor cos the more air in the cooling system alters the boiling point.
When you consider it these cars are 10 years approx old and at the points near the exhaust the seals get brittle and fail. It is drivable but if you leave it too long then the point of seal failure becomes vunerable and then the rebuild may unclude the housings as well.
Hope that helps from my experience last year. But hey when it\'s rebuilt you dont have to worry about that any more.
Keith