60000 mile on a fd

[Madden]

Hello going to look at an rx7 tomorrow its an 1993 type r.   I have seen it before and driven it but had a few props wanna check with you guys to see it they are normal.  

Firstly started up fine and didnt smoke no noises and went to fast idle.   Oil pressure went up to about half way.   Let it warm up but it didnt come of high idle.  Went for a drive in it pulled up to some traffic lights and the idle came down to 750 800rpm any ideas?

Then i noticed a hose had crack the one that goes to the plenum nothing major just cut it back and stuck it back on.   But then water started to slowy leak out of  from the front drivers side corner .  What is in that location is it the air sperator? And when i turned it off souned like the water was bubbleing in the header normal?

But the car never over heated and the fans did kick in quite a few time.  


If you can help me out would be most gratful

Cheers jamie Madden

[davegttph1]

Not an expert so dont really want to comment, maybe the bubbling was due to an air lock in the system... drivers front corner is the "filler cap" not that people fill it up from there IIRC...

to be honest your best bet is find a local member who knows what theyre doing and slip them £20 to go have a gander with you, least you\'ll get a better idea although any rex at 60k miles thats not already been rebuilt should be close to one in the near future

Good luck

[Martiny]

The idling sounds normal to me. Mine comes down quite a while after the temp gauge says normal.

Right front , by the wheel arch is the radiator overflow, or more correctly called "Expansion tank".

I will let other people comment on the bubbling.

[Oedipus Rex]

idle sounds normal, agree with martin there.

Water out of the expansion tank and bubbling from soolant system..... hard to say, could be overpressurising from a knackered seal, could be a dodgy AST cap or another problem with the system

May well be nothing wrong with it other than a knackered cap but I would get a sniffer on the coolant system before parting with any cash for definite, as it could well be needing a rebuild.

[Carl]

Drivers front corner is not the filler cap.The filler is just behind and to the left of the alternator when facing the engine bay from the front of the car.
Drivers front corner contains the expansion tank in the inner wing behind the headlight.
Regards
Carl

[Madden]

Well the dealer said he has fitted a new rad and a water pump all done by mazda.   How can you tell if the engine is nackered apart from doing a compression test?

[Oedipus Rex]

if the water seals are gone then it won\'t show on a compression test.

The water seal is a rubber o-ring that runs around the engine, this prevents the coolant seeping into the engine as it circulates around, taking the heat away.

Eventually this rubber can corrode allowing either coolant to seep into the block or combustion gassses to enter the coolant system or both.

What you could and I repeat could be happening is that the combustion gasses are entering the coolant system and over pressurising it, forcing it out of the expansion tank. The bubbling your hearing could be the combustion gasses passing through the coolant system.

On the other hand, like I say, there could judt be a dodgy AST cap on there.

What you need to do is get a garage to put a sniffer in the coolant system. This involves taking the filler neck cap off the coolant system, firing it up and then using a sensor that garages have to test for combustion gasses in the coolant. If this comes positive (meaning there are combustion gasses in the coolant) then the engine will need cracking open and the water seals replacing ---- in other words a rebuild.

If it comes negative get them to replace the AST cap and try again.

If that solves it then you know what the problem was, if not then personally I would walk away unless the dealer agrees to resolve the isssue before you buy it.

[Madden]

it only made the bubbling noise after if was turned off like there was air trapped in the system or something

[Oedipus Rex]

yeah, you wouldn;t hear it bubbling when it wa running but whe you switched it off you would. The combustion gasses would still be in there and needing to escape IF that was the ptoblem.

Split AST cap or AST would give the samew symptoms.

[adib]

hi i had water coming from drivers side under car it turned out to be a hole in metal pipe that go to turbos you have to take torbo off to get to it if its the one at the back

[Oedipus Rex]

hi i had water coming from drivers side under car it turned out to be a hole in metal pipe that go to turbos you have to take torbo off to get to it if its the one at the back

I take it that was further back though, rather than the front corner.

[Madden]

When it warmed up it started to leak after leaving it idling for quite a while. it was coming out of the drivers front corner