Ok, so my car when I drive it has the smell of gas... Inside the car and outside. Like its burning too fast. I got a new (used) air flow meter and that has made it better but it still is burning and smelling like gas. What could it be?

Side note - I took it to a mechanic and he told me that the air flow meter was bad and this is why it was burning a lot of gas. But it still continues to do this. Any ideas...?? Thanks.

Also my car is a 1986 RX7 N/A

 

I would check your pulsation damper on the fuel fail. It is prone to failure and when it fails it can cause engine fires because it drips right down onto the exhaust manifold. I would check it out ASAP.

 

Can you post a picture? I dont know where that is. and where could I find one?

 

It's on your fuel rail. Cant remember which one since I dont use one. But it's the number one suspect. Get it checked unless you want to see your car in flames.

 

Its located under the upper intake manifold. You need to pull it off, then you will see the primary fuel rail right there, the pulsation dampener looks like the picture posted above, threaded into the fuel rail, mazdatrix.com sells these new for not too expensive.

Consider yourself lucky you don't have an S5 which has the PD built into the fuel rail, very expensive replacement.

Check this out ASAP as it WILL cause a fire if you leave it leaking....

 

Thanks guys.. I will park my car till I get it replaced.

 

^the very fact that s5's PD are built in is the reason it wont leak. if i recall s4's are much more prone to fire because of its threaded pd. which is very well probably the reason for the switch to built in.

 

first thing is to check for leaks and abnormal fuel consumption. next, check the charcoal canister. it should be solid inside and you should not be able to hear chunks inside when shaking it. vacuum lines to it should laso be intact and free of cracks.

 

+1 on suspect PD

Don't drive it until you fix it. I learned the hard way. this forum is littered with engine bay fire stories and pics

 

Actually, I can tell you first hand the s5 PD's will leak just as much as the s4 PD will from first hand experience, none is more susceptible from leaks than the other. I would much rather have an s4 PD with separate fuel rail instead of the integrated all in one solution which cost $$$ just to replace one faulty component.

 

^ +1. PDs tend to leak through the diaphram, not past the threads. On S5s, that just means you have to replace the whole rail rather than just screwing a new PD into it. I've had 2 PDs that leaked this way.

On US-spec cars, the PD is on the primary rail. On J-spec cars, the PD is on the secondary rail.

 

Where is the Charcoal canister? I am sorry but I am new to this and do not know much about it. Could someone post pics and instructions? Thanks for your help.

 

The charcoal canister is the black plastic cylinder located behind the passenger-side strut tower.

 

here's a pic of the engine bay in my 10AE. best pic i have for reference at the moment. the charcoal canister is located directly behind the right strut tower and is black in color:



to remove it, all you need to do is disconnect the vacuum lines and slide it straight up and out o fits bracket. its job is to trap excess fumes from the tank. it will do this mostly when the engine is turned off. however, i replaced my canister because i was getting heavy fuel vapors with no leaks and found that the canister was bad. fwiw, i didnt pay any attention to fuel consumption because its a TII..

 

+1 for s4's

 

Would the malfunctioning of the charcoal canister smell wors than the dampner? And I also read that there is no real use for the dampner on the s4? Is this correct?

 

I had a really strong fuel smell that was my fuel pump gasket leaking. Just another spot to check out.

 

Also could be fuel injector o-rings or grommets. These can be hard to find because the hot engine will vaporize the fuel when it leaks out.

 

Ok so here are some pictures of my cars motor. Can you tell me where that dampner is located? Also I see that there is some wet areas near some plastic looking hoses that are coming out of the motor see the last picture.

Is this the pulsation dampner in the middle? Also how do I take it out?
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And these are the plastic tubes I was talking about.

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And here is a closer view of where those plastic tubes connect. I can tell its very wet there by the color..
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Just an engine shot:
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Pulsation Dampener is located on the last picture and first and second picture.

using the last picture for reference, it is located right below the TPS under the big black harness looks like the "UFO", but it is still above the thermostat housing. Between both the thermostat housing and alternator.

On the first picture below the black harness with the green wire. The UFO shape. Run the engine and check if it leaks at that rubber diaphram in the middle of it or if you smell fuel around that area.

I had a clamp that was loose on my line that runs to that fuel rail that leaked, so pulling the upper intake manifold to replace the fuel lines and PD is a good preventative maintenance.

 

Those plastic tubes and oily thing is your Oil Metering Pump (OMP) and OMP lines.

 

lots of writeups on pd replacement... just gotta get off upper manifold and runners

 

So I looked for a how to thread for the PD removal and had no success. Can someone send me the link.

 

I checked my car out thoroughly and found that there is no leaking from the motor at all. The smell is coming directly from the exhaust and its really strong. What could this be...???

 

id say its normal... u prob dont have any cats...mines the same way