I got this car on a smoking deal, but the problem is that it smokes. So I need your alls help. This car was purchased in both Melissa's and my name, but it is going to be her car. So nooooo don't worry about me destroying another one.


It's an automatic. It's been sitting for about 2 months. The guy who sold it to me knows nothing about rotary's. It drives nice and smooth and runs decent. Again the problem is the smoke. A normal Rx7 Smokes here and there, this one is HELLA bad. It's a white/blueish smoke, a bit hard for me to see though as it was night.
Anything past about 45mph, theres no smoke, but as soon as I let off the gas pedal white smoke billows out the rear end. The muffler and tips are somewhat wet with some kind of fluid.... possible oil?

I was thinking about a possible coolant leakage past the seals, but i ruled that out, as the smoke somewhat smells like fuel. So let me know what you all think we should do.

Other things to note that may help..

Car is in Ellensburg and will be registered there, meaning Emissions are not a worry. Should we take off all emissions? would this help the car run smoother?
The car is completly stock other that the fact that the previous owners buddy punched one of the cats, as it was clogged.

I'm sure it needs oil change, rear diff change, tranny/coolant flush, and all this will be done soon, as well as a good tune up. Inside the car we found 2 NGK spark plugs that were pretty fouled up, also making me believe it's fuel related, or even worse... oil?

 

Sounds like a coolant seal. Rebuild time! Onlyother suggesting is Bars leak block seal, but read and follow "all" directions or you'll plug up your heater core and perhaps your rad. Works well if you use it right, I've seen it plug a coolant leak from a cracked engine head on a v8.

 

Black smoke = tuning, blue = oil, white = coolant. Are you losing any coolant? It doesn't take much to cause clouds of white. You could be real lucky and must be leaking coolant though an O ring on your intake gasket. The reason it smokes more when you let off the gas is that is when the engine produces the most vaccuum (carb butterflies are closed so it will suck in anything it can). With then engine cold, warm it up a little with the rad cap off, hold the rpm's up to about 3500 and see if you get smoke and a simutaneous drop in coolant level in the rad. (don't ever pull the rad cap off when it's hot!!!)

 

go to www.rotaryresurrection There is a Page on how to do a compression Test.While your at it,you willl get to take a look at the plugs That you "suspect" are Fouled.This will give you a better Idea as to what Direction to go to next.As far as the Bar Leak in the Cooling System..Uh ,not unless you have NO Other Alternative,AND you have sourced the problem down to the Cooling System(ie/coolant seal).It's a quick fix(you can also read about that on the site I gave you.).Rotary engines Need all the Cooling they can get,and I would not be chucking in a Sealer into my Coolant Unless the Thing was on it's last legs...Hopefully Others will chime in with some suggestions...you never said if it was EFI or Carbed.

 

^^^ website dont work

 

It's Carb.

Ok, haven't tried the coolant thing. The oil was checked and it's to the good lvl, and not totally black yet.
We checked the coolant, but not while it was running, and the coolant seemed overfilled, but we only checked it from the tank, and not from the radiator.

Would taking off all the emissions help with the vacum leak problem and narrow down any uncertainty about what might be going on?

I'll try the coolant thing, the next time im near the car. I'll have to have it towed back from ellensburg to Seattle though before trying any of this. If I were to drive it over the pass i'm sure i'd get pulled at least 5billion times.

 

The bars leak is great stuff, works well, BUTTT, I would only use it as a last ditch effort to stretch out an old engine and not on one I was planning to rebuild.

 

If its oil related, then do a search on "lucas heavy duty oil stabilizer". I've had great success with that.

 

I guess I should note as well, that this car has 117,713 miles. I've never seen a car with this low miles have a stock engine go out, especailly not one with an auto tranny. I could understand a manual with a kid driving it, but not an automatic.

Would you all recommend I not drive it at all until I figure out what this is? I'd rather not spend a 200 towing bill to get it across the pass (roughly 110miles). It would smoke a bunch, but it rides nice and smooth.

So we've got the Bars Leak, Lucas Oil Treatment, and the rebuild....

 

If it runs good, and it's an auto, there's a good chance nothings wrong with the motor. If it's coolant you'll smell it in the exhaust. Odds are, being an automatic, it's never really been abused or overrevved. After sitting for 2 months, the gas has probably started to go bad. When you bring the rpm's up, and spark energy drops, it won't burn as efficiently, especially with bad gas.
I'd either drain the tank, and refill it with fresh gas. Or if there's very little gas in it, just fill it up with good gas, diluting the bad gas. You'll still have to drive it a few miles to get the good stuff run through the carb, but the smoke will most likely clear up.

My only other thought would be a bad vaccum modulator on the tranny, but I'm not sure if these cars have them. That would cause a draw of atf into the engine, and would make it SMOKE!!

Oh yeah. Don't forget to change the fuel filter.

 

Start with the basics. Check the intake o-rings, the mop rod is working and not binding, carb is set right. Lucas will help, I would hold off on the Bars as a last resort. You might try some Seafoam too, pour 1/2 can down the carb, the rest in the tank.

I second the vacuum modulator as a source too.

 

Along with all the other possible causes that have been mentioned, there is another.
I have seen a few engines that smoke heavily after having sat for a bit. Many of these engines eventually cleared up and stopped smoking after having been run for a while.
When I bought my car, it had been sitting in an impound yard for a year, and it smoked badly. A simple oil change, and letting it run for a while, and the smoking stopped.
On the rare occasion that I leave it parked for a week or more, it still smokes a little on startup, and until partly warmed up.
If the car in question is an 83-85 12a, with the beehive oil cooler, the oil control o-rings may be compromised, from the higher oil temp. That is what causes mine to smoke at times. I replaced the oil cooler with a front mount, and will live with the odd smokey startup, since the engine runs strong.

 

I second the sitting as a potential. Started my 85 12a after a couple months and it smoked sooo bad security for my subdivision drove into my driveway as if it were a drug raid... went away after about 30 miles of highway driving.

also white smoke.. no coolant smell... a bit like fuel...

 

i would check the intake manifold o-rings ben, i didnt think of those earlier, but they could have easily deteriorated over the time it sat, and are leaking now.

isaac

 

Ok,

Looks like I get to do some work to it. I think what i'm going to do is this.

I'm going to tow it over the pass to my place of work (oil can henry's) a lube shop. I'm going to have the oil changed, and put some stabalizer in it. Then i'm going to buy and replace the intake seals, as well as the bee-hive seals. I'll then drive it down to an empty lot and just let the thing work it's self out.

When i drove this before it was being driven for probably about 10min max and the smoke did not go away. Should I drive it, or let it sit and idle???

 

Alright,

So we started it up tonight and ran it through the gears, checked the auto tranny fluid lvl and it looks about 2 pints low. We then let it run with the choke out till the choke popped back in and then checked it, still low. We then topped it up to the warm mark. Also noted that the smoke was not as heavy and well it didn't smoke much at all during that, but it really wasn't run to long at all.

 

Better do some research into that vacuum modulator for the tranny. Sounds like that is the most likely suspect at this point... Don't try to drive it over any passes like that.

 

if your getting massive smoke on a decel like that your oil control rings are fuxed. rebuild the motor, dont waste your time trying to find out what it is. cause u arent going to find anyhting

 

You just got it and you allready killed it!! #17 gone... It's either a coolant seal or a oil seal.

 

Even if it is an oil control ring, Lucas can help. I was smoking more than James Bond in the movies and people literally had to pull off the freeway because they couldn't see. Replaced two quarts of oil with the Lucas and no issues since as long as I continue to use it. I've been able to "skip" the rebuild that was needed for over a year now. Engine performs great except for that, so I'm in no hurry to take my car down before I really need to. Just something to consider...

 

oh, yea!
if you gots the blue smoke just remember one word. lucasheavydutyoilstabilizer. works great your rx7 or your thundercougarfalconbird.

 

Very funny.... I bought it this way. Got it for $300.00

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rQabClVk2c