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car smoking at high revs

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Old Jun 8, 2004 | 10:13 AM
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car smoking at high revs

hi guys im new here, just got my car off ebay, its a red 1990 rx7 convertible with 140k on the engine, (yikes). when i went to pick it up it was smoking real bad, but the more iv ran it, it seems to calm down on the smoke. the transmission seems to be going bad so, somtimes when im just going up hill for no reason, my trans will slip and my car screams into the higher rpm's. everytime it gets to high revs there's an immense cloud of smoke that pours from my exhaust pipes. duno why its smoking.I thought it was smoking oil but it doesnt really smell like it so i duno maybe i need a new engine , maybe ill get lucky and not. i just want some input from some other people. btw im an rx7 enthusiast, that wants to learn alot more.
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Old Jun 8, 2004 | 10:18 AM
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Oil pressure increases at higher rpm's, so if you rev it up and let off, and you have bad oil seals, you'll see a cloud of smoke. I like to think of it as extra lubrication for my apex seals.
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Old Jun 8, 2004 | 10:21 AM
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Wow...did the previous owner tell you it had all these problems before you bid on it? I wouldn't have taken it if not, or unless you got it really cheap. If the smoke is white, you probably have a blown coolant seal. Sounds like you will need an engine rebuild and a transmission rebuild.

-Joe
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Old Jun 8, 2004 | 10:36 AM
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this is all fine i dont mind if i need a new engine, the car is perfect on all except the engine, i got the car for 2k so i figure im alright. besides this rotary resurection thing advertised on the sight sounds like a good idea. iv i do anything ill probably just get a new engine, and then sell the car and get a turbo II.
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Old Jun 8, 2004 | 12:00 PM
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Oil control rings are weak, use a bottle of "STP stop smoke" otherwise known as motor honey For those that don't know, this has been used by rotary people for years - all it is is very thick oil that will find and seal the brittle part of you oil control ring. Pour one bottle in the car and drive for about a tank of gas without beating on the car. 1 bottle with every oil change kept my car smoke free and running sweet for about 30K. My rings just died a couple of months ago from lack of care (i.e. no oil changes for about a year, had a new engine awaiting install).
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Old Jun 8, 2004 | 12:06 PM
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i started having the same problem at high rpms, a little smoke would come out when id shift high. like everyone else says it prolly needs a rebuild but should run ok for a while, just dont beat on it. i know a few fc guys that had leaking coolant seals and they just keep on truckin until the motor dies.
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Old Jun 8, 2004 | 02:24 PM
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thanks guys i think im gona try and use that STP stop smoke, might as well. i suppose im a little down about it, but i duno what i was expecting. lol a perfect runing high milage rotary engine. oh well gota love em anyways.
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Old Jun 8, 2004 | 02:32 PM
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http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...480591900&rd=1

pics of my car for you guys to check out.
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Old Jun 8, 2004 | 02:57 PM
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Re: car smoking at high revs

Originally posted by mazdarx7conv
the transmission seems to be going bad so, somtimes when im just going up hill for no reason, my trans will slip and my car screams into the higher rpm's.
Auto? Manual?

If its a Man, sounds like your clutch is gone..
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Old Jun 8, 2004 | 03:46 PM
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Re: Re: car smoking at high revs

Originally posted by J-Rat
Auto? Manual?

If its a Man, sounds like your clutch is gone..
i agree
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Old Jun 8, 2004 | 03:49 PM
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guys!.. i was just thinking.. since i add oil to my motor so often.. and so. do i still needa to change oil. maybe only the filter huh.?
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Old Jun 8, 2004 | 06:11 PM
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oh sorry i forgot to say its auto, unfortunatly.
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Old Jun 8, 2004 | 06:14 PM
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as i see it, i just figure ill get a new engine. dont know where ill get the money but oh well.
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Old Jun 8, 2004 | 06:30 PM
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one more question, my car died today and it acted like it wasnt getting power from the battery, cause all my lights turned off right before i tried to start it. so we got out the jumper cables and jumped my car. and it ran just fine so i figured id let the alternator charge or whatever. so we let it run for about 20 min. then we went outside and took off the cables, and it died. we did that same thing like 3 more times and it dies every time. what do you guys think could be wrong. my friends think alternator or battery. (shrug)

Last edited by mazdarx7conv; Jun 8, 2004 at 06:34 PM.
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Old Jun 8, 2004 | 06:46 PM
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Tell me you had the smarts to get a meter on the battery posts while it was running for a quick voltage check...If not, after you jump it again do that- if you get anything around 14 volts dc, the alt should be good...Once you shut it down again, read the battery voltage again...If it's less than 12.5 or so, it's probably bad...If all of that looks good, you've got other problems...At this point I'd guess that the alternator crapped out on ya, then the battery discharged itself to near death; although it will function with a charging source (the jumper cables), it will not take or hold a charge now...
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Old Jun 8, 2004 | 09:16 PM
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haha, you can see the smoke in the pics
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Old Jun 8, 2004 | 11:37 PM
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man i wish my engine looked that good, still not a bad looking car. No one asked what the color of the smoke is? From the pic it kinda looks like coolant seals blown, but that is just a pic.
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Old Jun 8, 2004 | 11:40 PM
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Wayne is right about the alt and batt thing. If you are able to take the wires off the batteryy the car should still run IF the alt is good, if taken off and it dies 99% of the time it is the alt. Just my 2 cents
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Old Jun 9, 2004 | 09:27 AM
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well guys i got it running again, but we'll have to see for just how long its going to run good. my old battery was bad so we got a new one and everything seems to be going good other than its smoking a little bit more than usualy. drove about 1 mile to work and i bet i killed about 6 birds and a few cats with all my polution
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Old Jun 9, 2004 | 11:33 AM
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Sto smoke man, it works. Just drive the car gently until you notice it gets better. You may need 2 bottles the first time you use the stuff. If you don't know what kind of oil you use I recommend an oil change immediately, 4.5 quarts of castrol 20W/50 oil and a bottle of stop smoke. If you don't notice the smoking gets much better within 100 miles or so, put another bottle in. You need the thicker 20W/50 oil that won''t get past the bad seals as easily and who knows how thin and old your current oil is.
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Old Jun 9, 2004 | 11:34 AM
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If this doesn't work, make sure the OMP is functioning correctly.
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Old Jun 9, 2004 | 12:13 PM
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my current oil is 10w-30 i think so yeah i think i might just try your idea. thanks for the input
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Old Jun 9, 2004 | 12:45 PM
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Originally posted by vvhitewabbit
Wayne is right about the alt and batt thing. If you are able to take the wires off the batteryy the car should still run IF the alt is good, if taken off and it dies 99% of the time it is the alt. Just my 2 cents
do you have any idea how quick you will fry your engine computer and other electronics? taking the battery cable off and letting it run like that (and it will die- you are removing the necessary power ground) will cause unregulated power to flow through everything. not smaret, since most of the computers and electronics only run with a few volts, like 2 or 3.
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Old Jun 9, 2004 | 01:08 PM
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thanks for the heads up man
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Old Jun 13, 2004 | 11:47 PM
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hey again guys, i did just like you told me and put some 20w-50 in and also some stp stop smoke and it doesnt really seem to be helping, actually earlier today i think it was smoking worse than ever. im probably wrong but is there any way that this smoke could be from a clogged cat or something. just a friends opinion that i want input on.
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