fcdrifter13

i just got my 1988 fc n/a and it smokes a ton we have done everthing i know of to fix it nothing really helps

heres what i have done so far
checked for bubbles in radiator
checked compression it was 90 on the gauge without bounceing
oil smells like gas
not losing necoolant

this is my first rotary car and im kinda clueless someone please help i love this car

fcdrifter13

and when the metering oil pump arm is all the way open it helps a little

xtremeskier97

What color is the smoke?

If the oil smells like gas, you have a leak in your engine. You prolly have to rebuild it.

fcdrifter13

ok its blue at start up turns to white then back to blue when it gets up to operating temperature and it constantly smeels like oil all the way throught the revs

xtremeskier97

Sounds to me like you need a rebuild. Rotarys are meant to burn oil, but not a WHOLE lot. And especially if the oil is smelling like gas, there is a leak in your engine.

jhammons01

Coolant seals and oil seals.

The coolant seals being bad are what causes the white smoke at start up. after you burn all the coolant out it stops being white. The front iron in your egine has a very thin spot that sometimes cracks. The coolant seal gives way at that same spot. The white smoke will get worse and worse.

The oil seals are rings on the side of your rotor that dry up and go bad allowing oil to seep into your housings. When I pulled mine apart (had the same symptoms as you) One oil seal had a crack all the way through and another was cracked in two places all the way through and they all (you have 2 on each side of your rotors=8 all together) were hardened and brittle. As was the case with all the rubber items in my engine.

This is an extreme diagnoses. It could be something simple. but brace yourself

2slow4stock

iTrader: (18)

Ditto jhammons01. My thoughts on the dot.

fcdrifter13

up up up how much does it cost to do a rebuild im on a tight budget

Project84

are you going to do it yourself, or are you looking to have a shop do it?

If you do it yourself, and the rotors, rotor housings, and plates are all good, and the only thing you replace are the seals, seal springs and gaskets, it will be:

$548 (plus shipping) for the rebuild kit from www.rotaryaviation.com

$179.95 (plus shipping) for the engine gasket set from www.atkinsrotary.com

fcdrifter13

ok cool thanks

fcdrifter13

and how hard is it to rebuild this kind of motor

Amur_

The white 'smoke' - get back there and smell it. Seriously. Be certain of whether it's burning coolant or just steam. Burning coolant has a distinct, sickly-sweet smell to it. You said your coolant levels are fine, so I doubt your water jacket seals have failed...

But there's no getting away from the blue smoke and what it means.

Regardless, sounds like an engine that is on it's way out (as has been said.)

Doing a rebuild is rather delicate work. You do have other options if you're uncertain of your own ability. Here's arguably the best-reviewed option in the forum: www.rotaryresurrection.com Have a look.

rs_1101

honestly, burning oil wont hurt your motor much, other than carbon buildup, you could try the block weld treatment for your coolant leak, but you WILL need a rebuild, and every dollar you dont spend on that rebuild, you will have to put into that car eventually, so i reccomend, drive it modestly till you can save up for a good rebuild kit, youll probably need new housings as well with leaky coolant seals.

fcdrifter13

welll im a diesel mechanic so i know lioke all the regular procedures for doin a rebuild i just dont wanna take apart my motor and never be able to get it back together

sar

iTrader: (1)

What weight oil are you using? Supposedly you can put off a rebuild due to oil control rings by stepping up oil weight (like from 10w30 to 20w50)

As a diesel mechanic rebuilding a rotary should be pretty simple for you. The rotary is going to be a lot easier to do a complete overhaul on than a diesel piston engine because of the like 3 actual moving parts. You should be able to find tons of results by doing a search in this forum. Typically there are lots of pictures too. *See search on top right of forum tables or master search on the gray bar.

fcdrifter13

ok cool u guys r a lot of help

rs_1101

doing a rotary should be cake compared to doing a piston popper.

just make sure to read up the fsm and a few of the rebuild threads we have and youre all set to go.