Guys (and girls?), now then, now then.... (in my best Jimmy Savile voice!)
:rolleyes:
I\'m guessing that if your 3rd gen dumps it\'s coolant then this is not normal.
Problem... couple of weeks ago after putting the car into the garage after coming home from work I stalled the car and it was a bit lethargic when restarting it. This was unusual as it normally starts on the button first time ( and all the other cliches you can think of :) !). The car would have been hot but I turned it off again and restarted with no problems. Thought it was my imagination and kept an eye on it over the next few weeks. Again no problems.
Now then...
Several weeks later to cut a long story short, and not to put to finer point on it, (cliche, cliche) the coolant alarm went off when restarting after a long run. The expansion tank was full but the engine was empty. Topped it up at a local garage and ran it home. Expansion tank empty, engine full. What can all this mean.:confused:
I\'ve got no obvious leaky pipes. The car starts first time when cold and still sounds good. It\'s going to Rotechnics next week to be looked after but one of the prognosis is that the engine is toast. Any thoughts?
Mike:bandit
Now then, i\'m no expert mate but heres a possible example:
My car was fine until went on a long drive and doh the temp went to 120oC , thought i\'d run out of coolant as not checked, so bled the radiator and refilled to the top making sure of all bubbles/air pockets sorted. Long behold the radiator had been rubbing against the intercooler and had made a hole which is why it was overheating.
I would refill to the top jack up car and turn it on and lie down next to it and watch for any leaks b4 you jump to the worst case.
Worth a shout.:)
Hi Mike,
look at this thread.
http://www.mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5571
Kind regards
Carl
Hi , i had the same problem , but unfortunatly it turned out to be the engine toast !
i hope it is not the same with yours
Carl,
Checked for obvious leaks around the expansion tank and the hose to the rad - this is where the water seems to be coming from! Will check for bubbles later.
Thanks,
Mike
Just had results on a coolant system pressure test. Not good. I\'m told by rotechnics that a ring square seal is leaking coolant into the engine. :(
Bummer.
Now I guess I\'ll be stripping the engine out myself following paul lead over the next 3-4 months whilst I save my pennies. Other than porting it what other mods would be sensible whilst the engine is out?
sorry to hear that mate , i know the feeling
i rebuilt mine myself , but i prob wouldnt recomend it , but if you need any help let me know
Glen,
Why wouldn\'t you recommend it? How difficult was it a were there any special techniques needed. My only experience with engine rebuilds was on a VW air cooled engine that I stuck new cylinders in, blanaced cranck shaft, lighten fly wheel etc. Given that the crack case is made in two bits this was supposed to be difficult. The only problem I had was with the crankshaft oil seal. It leaked onto the clutch and I had to start all over again :p That was really depressing.
Mike
i dont recomend it not because it is hard but because in the end you will prob spend just as much money , i would put the bill for mine now somwhere in the region of £3K but i had to buy all the tools , i did it cos i wanted to and it was an excuse to get all the tools i have ever wanted but if you havent got the stuff and dont plan on doing it again then it will prob work out costing the same as if you gave it to them, if i had it again where i didnt have the tools i would let the pro\'s do it , what i would advise is taking the engine out and giving it to them if you have the gear , it is not overly hard and it will save you a good few hundred (considering a new engine lift is £189 from screw fix), but as i say it is an adventure doing it yourself , and i have enjoyed it, it just comes down to the money thing i guess
but as i said how ever you go about it if ya need anything let me know
Thganks for the advice Glen. My brother in law has an engine hoist so thats no probs. Summer is a good time to do a strip down of this sort and the money I will save will get me a nice carbon bonnet and the like.
It will be nice to bling things up under the bonnet which I can only do if I do it myself. Do you recommend any good rebuild companies. I\'ve just started looking and the variety of apex seals (2mm, 3mm, ceramic etc) is a bit bewildering. I guess I\'ll start another thread on the topic.
Thanks again.
Mike
yeah i dont like the carbon bonnets myself , but its your car , i just went standard with the rebuild , fitting my evc and stuff. but staying quite standard