Can somone post a picture of your engine bay and show me where the pulsation damper is? I dont see any good pictures of the area of the IMs. Im about to buy a RX7 and i wanto to check out the damper because i am aware of the known problems. Thank you.

 

Just in case no one has a pic for you, find the alternator, and look behind it & down. Should be a little "mushroom" shaped plastic thingy on the front of the fuel rail, right on top of the engine "block". Flashlight will help, maybe... Usually you'll smell the fuel long before you see it if that bad boy is leaking...

 

oh ok thanks

 

Yea, if you smell strong raw gas, that's the first thing to check.

However, it's also not a bad idea to replace it when you have the UIM off for the first time. And carry a fire extinguisher, anyway.

-=Russ=-

 

I'd pay to have a rotary shop replace it right when you get the car, It's a good idea.

 

If the S5 fuel rails don't have the pulsation damper problems... wouldnt it just be easier to put a S5 primary fuel rail on it? That is of course IF it fits... If it doesn't fit, that means I have a S4 PD on my engine.... and that is NO good (S4 block on S5 chassis)

 

Yes, you can swap the S5 fuel rails onto an S4. The PD is not known for having the same problems, but it's still a 10+ year old part with rubber pieces that receive a beating in it.

You can also completely remove the PD and replace it with a banjo bolt. Usually this is done in combination with removing the vacuum rack, so there's a lot more rubber hose between the fuel line along the bottom of the car & the fuel rail. Some forum members swear by this method, others swear at it.

A new PD is $130 or so from MazdaTrix. It's a good investment, IMO, since the cost of an engine fire (if it doesn't total the car) is significant more.

Also, some people "hack around" the problem temporarily by taking the old PD off, epoxying the plastic cap to it, drilling a hole in the cap, and running a hose down & out. The reason the PD starts engine fires is because the fuel leaking from it pools on the engine, and then begins to drip down to the exhaust. It's not hard for the exhaust to ignite gasoline, and that ignites the pooled gas, and everything goes downhill very quickly. If the PD leaks and the fuel is safely directed away from the exhaust, the risk of an engine fire is significantly reduced.

Your call. There are many options, and about the worst of them is to do nothing.

-=Russ=-

 

OK so what is the UIM and what does IMO mean? I keep seeing people write it??

 

Upper Intake Manifold

In My Opinion