Coolant system help (something popped)

agroupuk · May 25, 2007, 11:30:05 AM

Hey all,

Emergency question

I drove to work this morning as per normal.
Usually at the last main road I tend to floor the car to get the revs up to clean out the turbo\'s.
Nothing unusual this morning, car was warm etc etc. I didnt lose any power and nothing beeped at me. I drove the last 500 yards or so fairly normal and parked her up.

HUGE amount of steam from the left of the engine bay (as you look out from the drivers seat) I quickly turned her off, popped the bonnet and ran round to take a look. There was a trail of water going back as far as I could see and the car was dumping the remaining fluid out of the bay at a rate of knotts.

When i opened the bonnet up there was liquid on the right hand side near the rear of the bay (in front of the passenger area) and a bit on the left back. Steam was also coming from the middle but I am guessing this was from spray.

It "looks" like a blown pipe somewhere but I have no engineering skills at all when it comes to car engines. (I rolled the car forward to see where the fluid had dropped and it does indeed look like the rear right of the engine bay - in front (and slightly to the middle of the car) of the passenger area.

Does anyone have a diagram showing the coolant pipes etc? I have the RAC coming after work to take a look but as we all know rotaries do fox them at times.

It would be most apreciated

If anyone thinks they know what to check etc that owuld be useful too. I am gonna feed her a lot of fluid after lunch and try and see where its coming from but I have a touch of trepidation about playing when I know so little.

Thanks in advance.

Edd

nikp · May 25, 2007, 11:34:54 AM

Are we talking FD?

If so, it sounds like the throttle body coolant. There is a pipe at the back of the engine near the bulkhead, that feeds the throttle body with coolant (the throttle body is on the right hand side at the back as you look at the engine from the front). There\'s a supply line, and then a return line. Supply comes from the top of the engine to the top of the throttle body, and the return goes from the bottom of the throttle body onto a metal pipe just below it. Check those pipes, it\'s probably one of those.

Hopefully nothing too serious - but if they have blown, then there\'s probably a reason (Old pipe, blockage, etc, etc)

RemarkLima · May 25, 2007, 11:38:29 AM

It\'s probably the lower radiator hose, there\'s an undertray that will make all the coolant run to the back of the engine bay anyway, so it\'d be hard to tell where without taking this off.

The steam in the middle is where it\'s leaking from, if you\'re lucky it could just be a clip that needs to be tightened up a bit.

Joeh · May 25, 2007, 11:43:48 AM

Wait for the car to cool down, get a bottle of water and put it in the coolant filler. watch where the water flows from.

Sounds most likely the under or back of the throttle body.

agroupuk · May 25, 2007, 01:12:12 PM

Cheers fellas

RAC coming at 5pm - I have just bought some coolant and a 5 litre container with a funnel

P.S. its an FD

peterwolds · May 25, 2007, 02:18:12 PM

Quote from: agroupukCheers fellas

RAC coming at 5pm - I have just bought some coolant and a 5 litre container with a funnel

P.S. its an FD

dont expect too much from RAC (or AA) will look round a few minutes likely to be baffled with a rotary engine

leon · May 25, 2007, 02:24:38 PM

Wheres the cylinder head?! :2Confused

If it is the throttle body ones, theres is a pipe at the back of it on the top side, then a smaller one underneeth the throttlebody that looks like it goes down to the block from what i remember.

they should beable to figure out where water is coming from i do hope though!

nikp · May 25, 2007, 02:32:20 PM

If either of those 2 have blown, then it should be easy to spot: when you start filling up, it\'ll start coming back out of whichever one has blown!!

(I was asked by the AA man a couple of weeks back whether it was a 4 rotor!! I wish!!)

leon · May 25, 2007, 03:21:31 PM

lol yes! the 4 rotor, i got the "its a le man car isnt it" from some guy at work. and yeah both of thoese pipes are quite easy to spot if its going to be ****ing out of there. i know the top one shoots out when you fill the system :rollin

agroupuk · May 26, 2007, 04:54:25 PM

Just a quick update for anyone slightly interested

RAC man fixed it. Well temporarily fixed it.....
Turns out I had blown the pipe attached to the heater matrix (and the engine) or rather it burst open like a ripe melon. So now I have some "temp" pipe with jubilee clips on.

The major problem is that the bakerlite or resin hose connector on the engine is also broken. Looks like the force of the burst cracked/shattered it and now that need sreplacing also.

Anyone know part numbers for these or even if that connector is available without buying a new engine (which would just be my luck...)

Cheers

Edd

arrouk · May 26, 2007, 05:20:57 PM

id give one of the tuners a ring, or mazda.

matt

ro284 · May 26, 2007, 10:55:37 PM

What pressure cap have you got on AST? 0.9 or 1.3 or was it just a grotty hose?
Bob

agroupuk · May 27, 2007, 01:39:55 AM

It was just a grotty hose. I have the WGT ali AST on so thats good

I kept the hose just in case i need to explain which one it is - its all crunchy inside and pretty much just burst open.

I will get Pip @ WGT to replace the whole coolant piping system as soon as payday comes back around i guess.