ok I'm getting more and more pissed by the moment here


I keep loosing coolant on my car

doesn't smoke when I start it up
doesn't smoke when I drive it
doesn't leave a puddle when I let it sit
doesn't have a milky look in the oil


does bubble once the thermostat is open inside the coolant... just a little at idle and more once the motor is reved up



do you guys have any idea what can be going on here?

 

whens the last time you changed the rad cap? and what kinda mixture are you running? alot of good info in the cooling board.

 

RX,

If this is on your Wankel, I don't have a clue. I have a basic understanding of the engine operation and some of the quirks, but that's about as far as it goes. If this is on a piston engine, I might be only a little more useful.

 

Your problem might be your radiator. I kept losing coolant and couldnt figure out where it was leaking from. Take it to a radiator shop and have them put a pressure test on your cooling system. My radiator had some small leaks in the core of the radiator. My leaks were so small that it never leaked on the ground. Good luck.

 

it is for my rotary


but you guys give me ideas based upon a piston motor and I can convert it to rotary specs .... or if you know about a rotary give me ideas there


I'm kinda desperate here

and it is just pissing me off though that I can't figure out what is going on

the only thing I have maybe come up with is I might be burning it but then again I would think I would be smoking more.... second it is a leak that only gives way under pressure or when the car is running...... but I can't find any hose that looks like it might be leaking

 

From the few conventions I understand about Wankels, the water jackets are shared between the case sections, and joined by 'O' rings and gaskets much like any other assembly. Since there are no apparent external leaks, and the coolant only seems to be "consumed" when the system is pressurized, and I am a firm believer in the concept of conservation of matter (except in cases of fusion amd fission), then it is almost certain that the coolant is either entering the oil or fuel stream. If the oil level isn't increasing and shows no signs of abnormal moisture, and there are no external leaks (including the heater core), then that leaves little but the combustion chambers. If the rate of leakage is not that great, it might be difficult to detect the additional moisture in the exhaust stream, since Wankels do tend to move quite a bit of air anyway. Unless you can capture and condense (then analyze) the exhaust vapors, you may have a difficult time finding the leak.

I hope that someone that has even a rudimentary knowledge of Wankels stumble in here with a better idea. Unless there is some secret trick or habit of the rotaries that I'm not aware of (and there are probably many), the basic philosophy is that the coolant should remain in the cooling system. I don't understand where else it could be going.

 

found my leak



friggen water pump went out.

if the car was just sitting there it for the most part was able to stay in the system till it was under pressure, but once that pump start spinning it was pumping coolant out through there

it is about 1/8 to 1/4 inch of play inside there so I guess I'm changing that this weekend


but you are right there are coolant seals that hold the water in the water jackets and I thought that was the problem to start with myself but when I started going through a 1/2 gallong of coolant/water mix A DAY just to keep the thing full... I figured it would smoke more then it was


thanx though for the help guys


and if you want vader I can do a write up for you and everyone else here about a rotary



if you will not lock it

 

I would have thought that much (2 qts/day) would leave a puddle, or at least a clean spot. I'm glad you found it.

 

Maybe your neighborhood pets were drinking up the coolant that leaked out so you couldn't find it

 

Why dont you swap a 350 in there while your changin that water pump???LOL!!!

 

saving up for a turbo

thats why

me like small motors

 

well having a belly pan (well more of a nose pan) doesnīt help any either and Iīm too lazy to take it off to look


but it only seems to lose the coolant once that thing is spinning other then that it is just such a small leak you canīt even tell



and you mind if I make a write up as far as the rotary and post it here?

 

If you take the time to write up a technical post about the Wankel, it might actually make a good Tech Article. It always helps to understand the compettition, and besides, knowledge is power.

Any of the subtle nuances or quirks of the engine would be goo to know. Many people understand the basic operation, but have no idea of how the system is arranged, special circumstances, the little oddities, etc. (That would be ME.)

 

don't know if the last msg posted or not but I can do it just expect it to be long