I have a 88 rx7 se just baught for cheap. Has bad coolant seals. Was wondering if there was anything I could do for a temerary fix? for the coolant loss. I curently I'm geting ready to move and don't want to leave it behind would like to drive it there. I am looking at buying a new motor for it.

 

A few people have had success in prolonging the life of an engine that had bad coolant seals with a product called Alumaseal. I can't vouch for it personally, or comment on what potential problems it could cause when the engine is eventually torn down for rebuild, but it has worked for some.

 

usually it only works if it's puking coolant into the engine and even then only temporarily. i did drive my GXL for several years with a horrible coolant seal failure with some block weld, i did it numerous times though and i do not expect much of the motor when i pull it out which is why i am building a completely different engine for it.

 

So what would you suggest the blockweld or alumaseal? I'm moving and have 8-9 hour drive depending on weather.

 

If the Alumaseal doesn't do the trick, then chances are block sealant wouldn't either. Alumaseal shouldn't hurt anything if you have to rebuild it, but block sealant (I've heard) is a real bitch to clean out of the coolant passages.

The Alumaseal seems to work better on 12a motors than 13b, due to the design of the seal itself.

If you decide to try it (heck, it's a $4.00 investment), then be specific. Don't get anything other than Alumaseal. A product based on copper or something similar could easily score your housings if it gets into the combustion area, where aluminum will simply burn.

As far as it being a temporary repair, everything is temporary if you think about it. I've got 35K miles on mine so far, with no signs of letting up. That's why I say give it a shot.

If you have coolant being shot into the exhaust, then it will work. If you have coolant being forced out of the radiator or overflow, then it probably won't work. Simply due to the direction of flow, and "applying pressure to the wound" when you add the product.

Good luck...



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Just curious. How do you know you have a coolant seal failure? Is your car smoking?

 

Well my car burns coolant extreamly bad. Shifted smoke sweet smell. Also bubbles a lot when running with the cap off. Doesn't hold pressure what so ever when doing pressure test.

 

When you lose a coolant seal, you either end up pumping coolant into the exhaust or you pump exhaust into the coolant (blows out overflow tank).

 

Well its pumping coolant into the exhaust and exhaust out the over flow.

 

Any kind of 'blockweld' is a hack fix and will just cause you problems in the long run. Leave the car behind with a friend or flatbed it.

 

Agreed, blockweld is nasty stuff. Used it before on piston motors, never had any success.

But let's be clear, Alumaseal is not in that category. Alumaseal is a scalpel where blockseal is a sledgehammer. I haven't seen any buildup or nastiness associated with the Alumaseal.

 

Ok well I am going to try the alumaseal. I'm not to worried if it does ruin the motor I am going to buy a new one and put it in. I just love the car too much to leave it behind and right now it is my only transportation I have. Thankyou all for the advise. As far as the alumaseal goes is there any specific brand I should get?

 

What about something like moroso ceramic seal

 

Alumaseal is the brand name. Don't get anything else.

 

I've read this...

http://www.fd3s.net/o-ring_fix.html

maybe it can help you

 

That link is where I started my research. The idea of having to repeatedly rinse the system, use the product (block sealant), drain it, then rinse the system again several times, seemed like a lot of BS to me.

With the Alumaseal, you just put it in the radiator and it does it's thing. Leave it in forever if you like...

 

Try some stuff called blue devil, its almost 40 bucks for a quart, BUT they have say it works or you get all of your money back. Its blue and its like water, no chunky stuff.

 

Rebuild The Motor ASAP

 

I have worked on rotaries since the late 70s,If you take apart enough engines you see all kinds of Tempoary fixes WITH all that (STUFF THAT EVERY BODY STICKS IN THE ENGINE ENDS UP EITHER PLUGGING UP YOUR RAD,OR PLUGGING UP THE LOWER COOLANT PASSAGES of your engine which usually results in More overheating....I don't care who says its good its a lazy mans way of trying to fix a mecanical issue...use it if you want but don't expect your car to be Fixed ,it will let you down when you least expect it

 

Thank you for expressing your opinion. But remember that it is your opinion, not fact.

Here are some facts:

1. Installed used 12a and found that it had bad coolant seals.
2. Faced with choice of pulling motor, rebuilding, and reinstalling. Pick your cost, anywhere from $800.00 to $2,500 plus the downtime. Not liking that choice at all.
3. Investigate other alternatives, including documented method for use of Block Sealant. Block sealants suck (I know from personal experience), and the method for application was ridiculous (drain, rinse 8x, add product, drain, rinse 8x, cross fingers and hope for the best). Not liking that choice either.
4. Decide that the best method simply hasn't been found yet. Begin my own investigation. Bought $4.00 bottle of Alumaseal. Poured it in, idled car for 30 minutes, all traces of issue gone.
5. Procede to drive car for next 3 years/35,000 miles with absolutely no problem. Travelling to Georgia for the Mitty, I put on 3,500 miles in 8 days. Seriously, no issues.
6. Over the next couple of years, assist dozens of others through threads and PMs. Success rate on 12a's is about 90%, the rate on 13b's is about 30%.

And yet, despite all of these facts, I still have to politely listen to other people stating their opinions as though they were facts, which they are not.

So, this is a forum where people come to help each other out. I have found a great solution for one of the most common reasons for engine failure, and it only costs $4.00 So when I read about somebody else who is in my situation, I tell them about my exerience and help them out. Which is exactly what we should be doing, right?

So, I try to keep my patience when other people have opposing ideas. Maybe dropping a couple of grand on a rebuild would be the right thing for you to do. You would have an engine that would perform without issues for years, just like I've got. But maybe those extra $2,496.00 that you spent were worth it in peace of mind alone. But hey, I've got a wife and three kids, and I do not put my car before them. Which is also right.

Big hugs for all...

 

Well my 13b didn't like the alumaseal. Got a bad over heating problem now. Didn't let the temp. Go above half but only took 2 blocks down the road to get above normal. So now I guess she sits till I get me new motor.

 

Now that you know the ...TRUTH...Rip out the Engine ...and Tear it down ...and look at what happened . then either repair it or replace it as time and money dictate ..you may be able to repair it cheaply or sell the good parts off to ofset the replacement cost (new rebuild or used ) either way you got to also find out why it overheated and failed ..It may be anything from a bad cat/converter or a leaky Rad or waterpump/bad cap ...regardless here is where you can learn something about your ........ RX7 and its engine.. also If you need any help let me know.......................

 

Well it was worth a shot. Besides I planes on buying a new or used motor. I will defanetly tear the motor down if anything I can rebuild it in time and have a spare.

 

Sorry it didn't work for you, but it's tough with the 13b. Something to do with the design of the seal area, which causes them to fail in a manner which shoots exhaust into the cooling system. Since the flow is the wrong direction, the Alumaseal won't have the pressure needed to form the repair.

When a 12a fails, it tends to force coolant into the exhaust, which applies the pressure the Alumaseal requires.

Still, it was worth a shot. Best of luck...

 

I have confirmed my coolant seals are leaking via the "champagne" test. So I am contemplating trying the alumaseal. However this is a 13B, which as I understand has seen about a 30% success rate. So I am throwing an idea out there for feedback and opinions. So here goes:

If I were to add the alumaseal to a cold radiator/engine and start it with the radiator cap off and let it run until running temp, then shut off and put a coolant pressure tester on it and pump the pressure to around 15-20 PSI and let sit until almost cool then release pressure and restart then get to running temp, re-load pressure and let sit again what do you think would be the outcome?

My thought process is this, the 12A typically blows the seal and coolant flows into the combustion chamber. The flow allows the alumaseal to flow in the right direction to seal the hole. So if I recreate this pressure in the 13B, in the same direction of flow, wouldn't that stand to reason this would give more chance to success? I understand the temps wont stay as high as if running, but maybe the direction would help??

Ok, on with the arguments....jk