I think I've killed my engine

Discussions relating to Turbochargers, Superchargers, Induction, Engine Mods, Exhaust Mods, and other items specifically to make your MX5 or Roadster put out more power.

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Simonmx5
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I think I've killed my engine

Post by Simonmx5 » Wed Nov 13, 2013 11:05 am

So my engine got a bit hot on the way home last night, didn't quite go to the end of the temp gauge but it got pretty close. There was lots of gurgling noises when I turned it off but no coolant lost. The other Problem is that it's dropped a bunch of oil, looks like it has leaked out the front crank seal area, I could actually see it dripping on to the garage floor and it left a decent sized puddle after being parked for a couple of hours. Any ideas what could be going on and whether these events would be related?
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BRM
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Post by BRM » Wed Nov 13, 2013 11:50 am

Is the oil milky?
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chris
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Post by chris » Wed Nov 13, 2013 11:53 am

Well - lucky for you I have a BP for sale! :D
1 X Primera
2 X Silvia
1 X BMW E30
1 X Audi A6
3 X Mazda MX5 (1989, 1990, 1991)
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Mr. Shine
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Post by Mr. Shine » Wed Nov 13, 2013 12:29 pm

I would guess you have a... surprise, surprise... leaking front crankshaft seal.

That'd probably be the best place to start.
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Simonmx5
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Post by Simonmx5 » Wed Nov 13, 2013 12:37 pm

BRM wrote:Is the oil milky?
Looks a bit milky in the oil cap but I'm told this may be from condensation. unfortunately I haven't had a chance to have a good look at it or even start it up again, pretty much just parked it in the garage last night and left it there.

Chris, yeah I saw that this morning, don't let that thing go, I might need it!
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BRM
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Post by BRM » Wed Nov 13, 2013 12:53 pm

Try the dipstick.

Crank seals are fun to do
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Simonmx5
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Post by Simonmx5 » Wed Nov 13, 2013 1:09 pm

Mr. Shine wrote:I would guess you have a... surprise, surprise... leaking front crankshaft seal.

That'd probably be the best place to start.
Yeah I figured it's probably the seal. I've just never seen one get so bad that it leaks this much oil. It let out probably about 500ml's over a couple hours sitting in the garage.
Also doesn't explain the over heating.
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marcellarius
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Post by marcellarius » Wed Nov 13, 2013 1:27 pm

You posted about a failed coolant hose a couple of weeks ago, did you get that sorted out? Perhaps the oil seal failed as a result of overheating?
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Simonmx5
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Post by Simonmx5 » Wed Nov 13, 2013 1:38 pm

marcellarius wrote:You posted about a failed coolant hose a couple of weeks ago, did you get that sorted out? Perhaps the oil seal failed as a result of overheating?
Yeah I got that sorted. So far I've replaced both heater hoses and both lower radiator hoses. The top hose looks pretty old but it's not leaking or anything.
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Angreal
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Post by Angreal » Wed Nov 13, 2013 4:00 pm

Both radiator fans working? The non-ac one of mine died and caused the car to overheat unless I was moving until it got replaced.
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Simonmx5
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Post by Simonmx5 » Wed Nov 13, 2013 4:35 pm

Only one fan and it's working fine.

Obviously I need to do a bit more problem solving. The overheating and loss of oil at the same time has me quite worried. Maybe it's just a coincidence.
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Angreal
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Post by Angreal » Wed Nov 13, 2013 4:58 pm

Simonmx5 wrote:Only one fan and it's working fine.

Obviously I need to do a bit more problem solving. The overheating and loss of oil at the same time has me quite worried. Maybe it's just a coincidence.
Yeah stop losing oil and make sure that the needle doesn't go above halfway :P
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BRM
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Post by BRM » Wed Nov 13, 2013 5:18 pm

Degrease every thing you can, go for a drive
See where it's leaking from.

If crank seal, expect a solid half day and may aswell change cambelt and water pump while you're in there
(crank / cam seals normally come in cambelt kit)

Overheating..
Check stupid cap hose at the back of the block and hoses around thermostat..

things and stuff.

Good luck have fun.
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Simonmx5
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Post by Simonmx5 » Thu Nov 14, 2013 10:33 am

Well it seems ok now. It was low on coolant last night when I checked it. Got it up to temperature and took it for a decent drive, no overheating... :? Oil level was down just a touch but it doesn't look like oil and coolant have mixed. The front crank seal is leaking, I wonder if the overheating made it leak a bit more.
The top rad hose is now looking a bit tired so I'm going to change that and chuck a new thermostat in it.
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