sancho1220

hi, i have an 88 N/A rx7 that i just bought. Unfortunately im completely new to rotarys...just always wanted one So despite this being like a dream come true for me im having some minor issues. The engine was partially tore down when i bought it because the owner was preparing to do an engine swap.... i have a haines manual and believe i have it put together correctly. The car has been sitting approximately 6 months. The previous owner drained the coolant out of it before letting it sit. Anyway the trouble im having is this
- it fires right up first try....but tons and tons of white smoke...and it smells awful...its not blue its not black and it stinks something serious.
- after firing it up it runs at about 1000 rpm then stalls after 2 seconds UNLESS u stay on the gas
-if u STAY on the gas then it runs like a champ....however will stall on decel.

It has plenty of power and my coolant levels are all good..no coolant lose period...anyway im baffled and would really appreciate the expertise of you rotarheads whom i will also subsequently idolize if yall can help....anything is appreciated thanx

sancho1220

also i forgot to add ive checked the last two cats....im wondering if maybe the first precat is clogged and its just killing my engine...the smoke smells awful..and i mean tons of it...ive driven it a total of about 15 minutes before with my foot on the gas so i would say it still does this after warm up....anyway ..any thoughts would be appreciated...thanx

Mechanic

if you arent having a coolant leak, then possibly one of the injectors are stuck wide open. case scenario - my car, its carbbed, when i over pump the gas pedal to start the car i get thick thick thick thick huge huge huge huge amounts of white smoke... but if i get it just right, i get a puff, and call it a day.

another fine example, nissan altima, 2 stuck wide open injectors, all you can see behind the car is big white smoke. after I "cheap fixed" the wiring causing this, the injector 2 injector drivers are no good... the car ran fine, no smoke nothing.

so if you are 100% sure you arent loosing coolant, you might want to check your injectors...
im only 95% sure im not losing coolant, because ocassionally i have to check my rad and it takes one whole tablespoon, and the overflow would take a cup or so.. idk.

this the only other input i can give you before everyone else tells you that they are sure its a coolant leak.

DASUPACAT1

white smoke=coolant
blue smoke=oil
black smoke-fuel

sancho1220

thanx mechanic...ill try that as soon as i check my first precat .....it is a lot of white smoke but seriously im not even losing coolant in my overflow....and the smoke also doesnt have any kind of "sweet" smell like everyone else is describing for a coolant burn....anyway ill check the injectors....any advice on the best way to troubleshoot them?

rd_turbo

iTrader: (4)

There is a possibility that the exhaust system is full of fluids from previous attempts to start/revive a weak engine. Different people use different fluids to soak up a tired engine (kerosene/diesel/ATF). It would be interesting to know why a swap was being considered in the first place. I've rebuilt many engines since the 80's, and it's normal for a car to smoke and stink at first. It's also normal for an engine to not idle at first, but that usually clears up after a few starts and short drives. I realize this is not a rebuilt engine, but it sounds like you're just starting to uncover things on this car. If it starts right away, it doesn't sound like poor compression or a huge internal coolant leak. However, if there is a small leak that fills the chambers with coolant when the engine is off, then there will be lots of smoke on start-up. This will be hard to pinpoint, as sometimes even a leakdown test isn't conclusive, but after a while you will notice some coolant loss, especially if the smoke doesn't clear up. Welcome to the RX7 community and keep the questions coming as there are many people with good experience here. Using the Search feature will often help you find a ton of specific answers - you just need to filter through tons of chatter before you get to anything of any relevance.

sancho1220

they werent gonna put another in that car...they were gonna put the 13b in a b2200..but somebody bought the truck off the guy...but i know at least 3 people who said the engine was very strong before it was parked...but ill look into the compression as soon as i can...and i appreciate the responses...any advice is more than welcome

Cr3pnD3aTh

I feel your pain with the smoking... sometimes I get white smoke pouring out of the tail pipes, shift boot, under the hood.. basically out of everything from the exhaust manifold back... and sometimes she cranks without even a puff. No one seems to know what the deal is, and I've heard everything from coolant leaks to fuel burning... i know white is supposed to be coolant, but i'm not losing it either!

mikeg9876

hey guys new to the club here and just thought i would share what happened with mine just recently which sounds pretty close to whats goin on with yours. first off have you gotten the ecu scanned, i wasn't burning the white smoke but the idleing issue was a big thing, check the maf, if the sensor is gone on the maf it won't idle when warm, just suck in a ton of air and bog the car out unless you hammer the throttle to give her as much gas as possible. anyway good luck and hope it gets up and goin soon.

sancho1220

i talked to the previous owner of the car...he said the smoke was normal for that car at startup....anyway someone advised me to check the tps and sure enough it seems like it has a short in it..it ticks sometimes then u move the wire and it dont...does this sound like it might be the problem to anybody? id kinda like to know before i pay 152.99 for one
thanx