i just bought a 1988 RX7 for $2500.00, driving it home drove real good. but i notice there is alot of gas smell coming out from under the hood i haven't had any time because of work, but i will plan on going over the car over the weekend. the previous owner told me that i needed to change the fuel filter. but i can't imagine that is the cause of it being the smell is too strong. can any of you guys can tell me what to look for this weekend before i put her on the road.
i currently driving a company car so i'm not in no rush toput her on the road. any suggestions would help...

 

..do a search for Pulsation Damper and check it carefully.

..I'd also check over the rest of the fuel system... ...and a new fuel filter wouldn't hurt

 

First of all, does it still have the cats? Im not sure how much cats effect it, but my car without them has a major gas smell in the exhaust, and I think that about all rotaries are similar. The gas smell coming from the engine bay is most likely some sort of exhaust leak. My car is the same way at the moment, and Im 99% sure thats what the prob is.
Good luck and welcome to the forums. You can find answers to just about any questions you have here.

 

check this first...

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...hreadid=240606

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...n+Damper+check

...where to look...


More good info...

 

thanx autocrash & sideways7, this info will help me alot.
i'll try to post some pictures & give you guys the update...

 

Is the exhaust really, really loud? I bought my FC and drove it off the lot, but it was loud and had a blown exhaust gasket between the header and the race pipe. Poured fumes into the car and made me lightheaded at times. $3 later and 15 minutes of my time (I am slow), it was all better.

I also had gutted cats for a short time and it smelled like gas inside the car all the time. My gf at the time used to tell me I smelled like car whenever I visited her, forced me to take a shower first thing upon arrival.

The fuel filter idea isn't bad at all, I change mine once a year. New plugs ever 9k-12k miles, depending on how much city/highway it is. Clean the air filter (K&N drop-in) every other oil change or as needed (checked at least every other oil change).

Do an oil change right away. Never trust what the previous owner "claims" when the last one was. Spend $12 on a new filter and oil and do it yourself. Can't hurt and isn't a huge monetary investment.

Otherwise, all the standard checks when buying a used vehicle apply as well. Belts, brakes, tire condition, tranny fluid, diff. fluid, etc. etc.

Welcome to the forums!

 

welcome. and yeah, what they said.

 

welcome to the club and i'm with everyone else

 

I was gonna add something about the exhaust gasket, but I noticed my house was flooding, so i kinda got sidetracked. Anyway, the thing audiofight said is exactly what my car was like when I bought it, except the whole friggin exhaust flange on the race pipe was warped. What all is on the car? Is it stock, aftermarket exhaust or intake, etc. That will help in the diagnosis. If its stock, I don't know about most of the emisions stuff, since its all gone on my car. In fact, I'm pretty sure that pic is the first time I've seen a NA car that still had the air pump and ACV. That looks so cluttered compared to my car.

 

you are right with my problem. it is leaking through there real bad...

 

Definately fix that then! You don't want to have your engine bay on fire

 

yes stop driving your car and fix that NOW!!!!!! don't have your car look like this!!

 

First welcome to the club! Please post pics of your ride! Now first make sure your pulsation damper is ok, you don't want your car to catch on fire and look like the car above! Next could be exhaust leak, or a mod to the exhaust, such as no cat. With my experience, these cars NEED a cat. Otherwise they are too damn loud (yes i like loud cars but they are just too ******* LOUD without one...i mean almost to the point of ear bleeding with open downpipe!), and they smell like gas. Don't worry whatever the problem is its not a big deal (well pulsation damper is $100-200 ($150 i think) and a cat can be anywere from $60-200, but if its just gaskets or something those are cheap as hell like under $5)! Good luck!

 

Welcome to the club. I just got my baby a month ago and am having a blast working on it.

 

OMG! poor baby!

 

thanx guys, i still have my company truck & my wife owns a 1998 Mazda 626 decked out w/Rims & Loud muffler... (she hates the muffler...) i will make the repairs while it sits in the garage. also i am looking for a trim where the radio &a/c vents go, theprevious owner had an aftermarket radio & the bastard rip it off to get it. so if any of you Gents have one for sale i would be gladly pay for one... i will post picture when i figure out this camera i brought for the computer...

 

WOW!!! that looks a lot like arson to me.

 

hahaha! I've seen that pic on some website (im like 99% sure it was that exact picture) and it was confirmed that the cause was PD related. I'll see if i can dig it up, but my computer recently crashed so my bookmarks are from like 4 months ago and it was prolly lost. Oh well a lot were DSM sites anyway .

 

http://www.cardomain.com/member_page...966_1_full.jpg[IMG][/IMG]

 

Dont drive that thing until you fix the pulsation damper. The FAQ's listed this as a big problem and a must replace item on new purchaces of fc's. your probably lucky it has gone up in flames already.

 

nah... THIS is what arson looks like.

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...hreadid=251967

 

that had to a been a honda owner that did that...