NTIMD8

Hi guys,

I had been looking to buy a 3rd Gen RX-7 and found what I thought was the perfect one. A 1993 with only 48,000 km’s on it (29800 miles).



I traveled the 5 hours to get to this dealership to test drive it. I did all the checks that I read to do and everything looked good. Started it and let it get the temp up and again everything looked good. Went for a drive and it drove very smooth, good power, second turbo engaged good. No smoke at all out of the tail pipes. Engine temp was always good.



1) Went back into the dealership where my friend hopped into the drivers seat to take it for a drive to see if I missed anything. 10 minutes later they pull in and while the turbos cool down (car idling) I decide to take some pictures. 5 Minutes later the sales man backs the car up in its parking spot and shuts the car off. We talk for a couple of minutes and am just about to go inside to sign when my friend looks on the ground and notices a puddle of engine coolant on the ground. It was dripping from the front right (passenger) side and looked to be maybe the overflow but it was just too hard to see where it was coming from for sure. I went in the car and put the key in to see if the car was overheating but the Temp gauge showed that it was not overheating at all. I started the car and let it sit for a few minutes and the temp gauge did not indicate overheating and it didn’t look like it was spewing out anymore coolant. This was a good amount of coolant (I would say at least one cup worth) that leaked onto the ground. It was late in the day and the dealership had no mechanics left there so they couldn’t put it on the hoist for us to look at where it was coming from. So I basically went home disappointed not wanting to take any chances. He said he would call me on Monday to tell me where the car had leaked the coolant from but I am not prepared to take their word for it since it can be easy for them to tell me it was just a loose hose clamp or something.



From my knowledge of cars the only time coolant will leak is if it over heats and comes out of the overflow, if a hose cracks or comes loose, or a gasket goes (usually from overheating).



Not knowing much about RX-7’s and the rotary engine I thought I would register hear and see if any of you experts have any thoughts.



2) When we started the car for the first time that day it started right up but there was a fair amount of white smoke (not blue or brown/black) that was coming out of the tail pipes. It did not smell like coolant. Not sweet at all. It smelt more like gas and it went away after the car was idling for a couple of minutes. The car had also passed emissions test with flying colors. Is this something to me worried about?



Here are some pictures of where I think the coolant was coming from but it may very well be that it is only where some coolant had puddled.











Thanks for any help.

herblenny

I would be worried if I also saw the coolant..



But it could be that the seller over filled the reserve and it started to over flow as car warmed up.



I would go back, check all the coolant level and let the car warm back up. If it over flows again, I would say its the coolant seals..



Coolant seal failures are pretty common on these.. especially mazda remans..

NTIMD8

Some people were also mentioning something about the AST cap and how they may leak. The dealer is looking at the car and the Shop Forman is going to call me himself with his findings. Hopefully I wil be able to tell if he is BSing or not given I am not new to high-performance cars.



Thanks, J

herblenny

AST cap could leak or it could be bad. Which will cause it to over flow in the reserve tank. The pressure cap is very simple to check and cheap. It might be worth it for you to just pick one up and replace it and check the car (less than $10 USD).

NTIMD8

Well the dealership called and they said they didn't even need to put the car on the hoist to find the problem.



They told me when they checked the coolant level it was overfilled and what must have happend is when they changed the coolant when they got the car they must have put in too much coolant. This makes sense but I have no way to verify if it is true or not. I asked them that once they changed the coolant again to run the car, drive it and then let it sit for a while and see if it leaks again.



We shall see. Would be nice if this is in fact what the problem was.

amp

eye spy cym...

NTIMD8

LOL, At first I was like what the hell is CYM? After a second of thinking I figured it out... Comp Yellow Mica. Here is the thing.. the car is actually Montego Blue right now because when the original owner (who is the one that just traded in the car) bought it in 93 he didnt want yellow and they couldnt find another one in town seeing there were not many imported into Canada.. So he bought it and took it straight to the body shop to get it painted. It is the only thing that bothers me about the car since the paint job is not that great, (although it is 14 yrs old) but given the car has hardly no mileage it is a small price to pay. I will just get it repainted at a later date. PS, what also hurts is CYM is my favorite color on the FD.

herblenny

NTIMD8,



I would make sure about the coolant seals before purchasing this car. Otherwise, you buy it and you would right away pull the engine to get it rebuilt. Also, make sure they give you some sort of warrantee when you buy a car from a dealer. Might be even worth it to buy extended warrantee if its available.. Good luck on your purchase!

Signal 2

A quick way to check the seals is to test the coolant for hydrocarbons, which is a simple and quick check. I don't think the test kit is expensive and can be bought at most auto parts stores...NAPA etc.

I'd also ask for a compression check.