1st gen water in the engine

[dickita15]

my car has been in the heated shop since my last race in september. i put some new fuel lines on and turned on the key to check for leaks. while doing this i bumped the starter and turn it over a turn or so. i went under the car and while there were no fuel leaks there was water dripping out of the exhaust where the header bolt to the center section of the exhaust. A check of the radiator finds no water in sight. pulled the exhaust off at the rear of the header and dumped a quart of water out of the center section. the next day i turned the motor over and a few ounces come out of the header from the rear rotor. I pulled the top plugs and the rear one was wet. spun it on the starter and some water blew out of #2. i refilled the radiator and put on a leak down tester. the pressure loss is small, maybe 1 pound in 10 minutes. oil is clean.
I am wodering about the orings between the intake and the block. could this cause this. I imagine everthing else that could cause this is bad
dick

[lateapex911]

Dick, with piston engines, I've listened to find the source....maybe you can try that here with a stethescope?

Lets hope its the O rings.



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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]

[Prince Makaha]

It's rare that it would be the O-rings on the intake manifold but not impossible.

If the engine runs well, a teardown and water seal set would be prudent and inexpensive.

First generation 12-a engines don't have the dreaded water seal groove cave-in that plagues the second generation 13-B engines because they (first gen) have the seal in the rotor housing instead of the side housings.

If a car is continued to run while there is a leak, it will undermine the groove and the housing will need replacement.

Of course, I may never leak again once it's fired up and stays warm.

[moto62]

Hey dickita15! Don't you think it's time to drop off that engine at my place? Hmmm?
Drop me a line or an email.
Ray

[dickita15]

just to update anyone who cares. i pulled the intake and found evidence of water migration from the o ring to the rear intake port on the manifold side of the gasket. installed new gasket and o rings and pressure tested it. held 14 pounds for 24 hours. i have not started it yet because the exhaust and some electrical needs to be reassembled so we will see if it still holds after a couple of heat cycles.
in retrospect this may be why i had a hard starting problem this last year. often it would catch on one rotor and run for 10 seconds untill the other one caught. it always ran fine hot. if a slow water leak was drownding one rotor it would not ignight until the motor spun for a while.
dick

[ddewhurst]

Dick, keep us updated & I hope your issue is solved.

Have Fun
David

[lateapex911]

Good work Dick! Last thing you need is engine issues!

Glad to hear the good news.

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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]

[p99ro]

I do have a stock 12a 81 motor that has about 60,000 miles on it. Is not race set up but rotors and stuff should be in great shape.
Scott Haven former Rx7 Now a girly Honda Guy.
Fromm zoom zoom to Varoom.
[email protected] CT.
want $250.00