I need serious help. i just sold my 1987 porsche 944 and picked up a non running 1986 rx7 gxl. The car has 26,xxx original miles.

I thought this was gonna be a great buy considering the miles and i had a good idea what the problem was. When i first started looking at the car i found out that the cars fuel pump wasnt working and there was powering going to it. So i decide to get it for $750. I tow the car back to my friends garage and i start working on it. I pulled the old fuel pump and replaced it with my friends fuel pump from his 92 mr2.( yes they are they same part)

Once we finished with the car we got it to start. For like 2 seconds but that was with us holding down the accelerator. But when it was running thick white smoke was shooting from the exhaust and a lil from the engine bay. But once the engine died it didnt wanna start and i have followed the un flooding the engine procedures and still no luck. Little bit of a difference but no luck. I must also mention that the car has been sitting for a while. I think the guy said it was a little less than a year. The things i have checked and done so far are the airflow, spark, and fuel pump.

Sorry if this post is to long but its 3:40 in the morning and any help will be greatly appreciated. Ive always wanted a FC RX7 and now that i got one im starting to second guess getting rid of my 944. PLEASE HELP!!!!!

 

Sounds like a blown water/coolant seal. Did the guy ever mention why he didnt drive that car for a year? Try to get as much info from him about the car. Considering you got it for $750. I bet thats why you got it at that price. Also do a search there is tons of good info on this very subject. Good luck!

 

yeah sounds like coolant seals. When they sit for a long time (low miles) they tend to dry up and crack...then when it finally starts again you get coolant going places it shouldn't.

 

Fuel pump only runs if the engine is actually runnning. 2. It runs if the key is HELD to Start.

When it does not run: when the key is just to ON and not held to start.

Just FYI in case......

 

but my main question is would that prevent the car from running? also im very famliar with the fuel pump situation.

 

Try the ATF trick. IF these cars sit for a long time that could spell trouble for your engine.

Any pics of the car? 26k means the car must be in great shape.

 

Coolant pressure test? would find your leaks if you have any. If you cant see any leaks and the pressure holds steady i doubt you have a blown coolant seal but likely not the case. Check out rebuild kits proably get away with a basic kit if no major damage other than just a blown coolant seal.

 

take the rad cap off and turn the car on.if the coolant starts bubbling then yes,the seals are gone.if it seems fine,might wanna drain the tank and get all the old gas out and check for broken vacuum lines.and go from there.

 

Rx7 Ftw~!

 

^ check for champagne-like bubbles with the coolant cap off. Also perform a compression check and see what happens. Keep in mind the thick white smoke could be extra fuel from all the starting going through the system and may clear up after a while. If you don't have an FSM yet, see my sig. Another easy thing to do (with the FSM anyway) is to check the AFM resistances (the AFM has an integral fuel pump circuit that works after starting), and coolant sensor near the water pump (to make sure it isn't indicating max cold - rich mixture). Other than those, I'd then just follow the troubleshooting section. Hope some of this helps.

 

Can we seriously ban the next person who suggests the use of the ATF trick?

Use 2-stroke oil, does the same thing for the engine, with a smaller risk of harming it.

 

If ATF is only used to build up compression for a start, then it's fine. It will burn off and be no big deal. However I still question why someone would want to use ATF. Regular old motor oil works just fine. Fogging oil is even better since it's actually designed for this purpose.

If the car was sitting, then you need to follow these instructions:
http://www.aaroncake.net/rx-7/unstore.htm

If the thick white smoke smells sweet and tastes good, then the engine is burning coolant.

 

Bought a nice $300 rx7 cause it had no compression. The previous owner tried everything to get it running and thought I was stupid for using atf. Well 2 tablespoons of atf and it started right up. I then drove it home.USING THE ATF TRICK WORKED FOR ME!!!!

 

This is a problem with semantics. You are referring to using ATF to unflood an engine, which is not the "ATF trick". The "ATF trick" (what a horrible name...) refers to putting a good quantity of ATF into an engine either through the intake manifold or spark plug holes and then letting it sit for a period of time (usually several days) to "clean out" the engine. Variations include having ATF sucked through a vacuum line by a running engine, using diesel instead of ATF, and a few others.

 

thank you everybody for your help. i just towed it over to my uncles house to have him look at it with me. so hopefully today we can get the answer.