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97FD turbo prob after warm up.

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Old Jan 5, 2005 | 09:25 PM
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Exclamation 97FD turbo prob after warm up.

I just got my car today.
It's a japanese 97' RX7 41k stock
I bought in an auction a few month ago.

When I got the car it was almost out of gas and the batery was dead.
so I went to gas station a couple of blocks from the customs docks.
filled it with gas and dropped 1/2 ounce per gallon of 2cycle oil in the tank to help lubrication since it was sitting a long time.

it was working fine, turbos were pulling awsome, I drove for about 30 minutes perfectly. Had lunch and when I got back in the car When I accelerated the boost will not go, as soon as it marked 0 on the gauge it willmake popping and backfire noises.
So I went to a garage to check it out. checked the gas filter and it was dirty. so it was changed. that took maybe 2 hours. when for a 10 minute drive and it was great again.
as soon as I left the garage the prob was back again.
so we check the gas tank and the pump. the pressure was at 40 psi and dropped to 30psi when acceleration. talk to another rx mec and he said that it was bad.
change the pump to one that was 40psi and when acc. when up to 45psi. and the prob. stayed.
Checked the hoses, reset the comp, all the same.
going to check tomorow morning if when cold works ok and then after warming goes to hell.
I'm going to change the spark plugs also tomorow.
If you have any ideas please help.
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Old Jan 6, 2005 | 02:58 AM
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Perhaps your pump is picking up the oil sitting in the bootom of the tank. Its heavier than the fuel as you would know

Keep filling fuel into it & no further oil.

See what happens
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Old Jan 6, 2005 | 06:15 AM
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no more oil in the gas and drive it until the tank is empty next time its running well. run some fuel system cleaner through it. i get popping sometimes when i let off the gas after a few ups and downs through the boost range too, so as long as its not excessive (everytime and lasting for 30 seconds or so at a time) i wouldn't worry about that too much. are you positive its a stock ECU? if its not perhaps its time to replace it, if it is, perhaps its time to replace it... i don't know if these things go bad but it is electronics ya know? last thing i can think of is to have your vacuum lines checked... its intermittant so that's probably not it but you just don't know if certain scenarios can set one loose or pop air out a small crack while others work just fine. good luck man
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Old Jan 6, 2005 | 07:09 AM
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Make sure to check map sensor, check plugs.. you may have fouled them.. Do 4-6 oz per full tank of gas from now on
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Old Jan 6, 2005 | 08:12 PM
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It took 15 galons and I only putted 6 oz.
It did it again today
good on cold start runs god for 20-30 minutes run.
stop for 10 minutes
when I started again it goes to hell
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Old Jan 6, 2005 | 10:02 PM
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Make Sure You Dont Have A Sticking Injector, You Did Just Buy The Car From An Auction!
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Old Jan 6, 2005 | 11:16 PM
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Ill check the inj tomorow. thanks
yes the car was bought thru a dealer in japan. us$8,000.00FOB.
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Old Jan 6, 2005 | 11:48 PM
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reset the ecu

Try resetting the ecu by disconnecting the neg. of the battery terminal and letting the car sit for 2 minutes + press on the brakes a few times. You will know its reset when the trip meter reads zero. Also, check the map sensor connected to the firewall and make sure the hose connected to it is in good shape. Be careful removing the hose if you have to since the nipple on the map sensor is plastic and very brittle. check the electrical connector on it too.

I had the same symptoms as you but it didn't go away and come back, it was constant. I'm pretty sure that there is nothing wrong with your car physically. It is most likely a bad electrical connection at the map sensor or the ecu harness.

let me know if that works...
-hrach
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Old Jan 7, 2005 | 11:23 AM
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I Just Looked At The Paper Work From Japan.
There Is A "certificate Of Cancelation Of Motor Vehicle Registration" Dated 2004/2/3.
So I Guess This Car Has Been Sitting Around For 10 Month.
If That Helps Any Of You With A Diagnosis.
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Old Jan 7, 2005 | 11:35 AM
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Originally Posted by jose-rs1
I Just Looked At The Paper Work From Japan.
There Is A "certificate Of Cancelation Of Motor Vehicle Registration" Dated 2004/2/3.
So I Guess This Car Has Been Sitting Around For 10 Month.
If That Helps Any Of You With A Diagnosis.
sounds to me like you got some crap in your tank, cause when the fuel filter was changed it ran good for like 10 mins then is back to the problem. I would change the filter and drain the tank. If its not getting more pressure its probably a reflection of it not getting enough volume. Hopefully it didnt clog up anything past the fuel filter if this is the case. It makes sense as the the car is still getting some fuel and idles well but as soon as it needs more it cant get it. Do you smell fuel at all under the hood? Check fuel pulastion dampener. It could be leaking. they are prone to leak. Its definatly going lean. This could be catasropic so be careful.
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Old Jan 8, 2005 | 01:13 AM
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I FORGOT TO SAY.
tHE BOOST GAUGE ITS GOING UP TO1 KG/2" THATSABOUT 17 PSI
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Old Jan 8, 2005 | 10:01 AM
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Actually that is more like 14.2 PSI but anyhow...

Be careful, at that level I would imagine your problem could be anything from fuel cut to fuel starvation. It's possible that the double throttle control is keeping boost down just enough until the car is fully warmed so that you don't experience the probem at first. Before driving the car further with full boost I would make sure to determine the cause of that level of boost.

Also, if the car isn't set up for that level of boost, by use of at least a new computer and probably some enhancements to the fuel delivery I would worry that the engine is gonna go boom.
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Old Jan 8, 2005 | 10:18 PM
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the car does have an open exhaust. everything else looks stock.
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Old Jan 8, 2005 | 10:39 PM
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So, no cat, just a mid-pipe?
I would get a boost controller asap. I would also put a restrictor in place in the exhaust. Either by using a smaller diameter gasket between the exhaust/mid-pipe connection, or getting an actual cat. Even with a boost controller, you could experience boost-creep because the stock wastegate might be unable to divert enough exhaust flow away from the turbos.
Also, check the vac lines from the turbo to the wastegate/precontrol actuators and make sure they're on properly.
Above all, don't hit WOT, until you made sure it is safe to run that level of boost, or have a way to control it at a safe level (10 PSI, or maybe 12 for a 97?. I'd err on the safe side, and stick with 10).
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Old Jan 9, 2005 | 09:30 PM
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Thats correct no cat. a strait pipe maybe 3'' diameter from beneeth driver side all the back to a 6'' round muffler.
Should I put the stock muffler back in?
It came with the car.
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Old Jan 9, 2005 | 10:40 PM
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whats the correct fuel pressure at idle and a full throthel?
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Old Jan 11, 2005 | 12:34 PM
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do any of you think that because the car has been stored for so long(1 year) whith almost no gas can make the fuel pump to go bad
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Old Jan 11, 2005 | 01:50 PM
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Right heres a little one ive noticed no body point out,,, that to me sounds like a car in limp mode. See if the ECU is pulling any error codes (limp mode does exactly what you describing, wont let boost go over 0,, and causes the engine to kick back).
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Old Jan 11, 2005 | 09:07 PM
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yes LIMP MODE its the correct term for my prob., but this only happens when I start driving the car after is been driven a while.
when the car is cold it works fine. with a little backfire some times.
Could this be a rich or lean prob.?
The car its 1/2 tank now, I'm thinking of filling it up and running a little while to see what happens.
I have reseted the computer a couple of times and its the same.
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Old Jan 15, 2005 | 05:11 AM
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restrictor pill for wastegate

the restrictor pill for the wastegate might be clogged. when this line is closed, the boost is not vented by the wastegate...very dangerous. Based on what you said - i.e. the problem not appearing when you first start driving the car - i think whats happening is that the double throttle system is keeping your manifold boost low until the car warms up and it opens, at which point the manifold sees the full boost and the ecu cuts off at the programmed 13 psi. this may or may not be the wastegate control actuator, but its wise to check. And as mentioned by others...do not WOT if you see boost at those levels, you could easily blow the engine.
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Old Jan 17, 2005 | 12:30 PM
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the car was check today and there are no error codes on the computer
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Old Jan 17, 2005 | 01:24 PM
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The boost gauge was change for another that meassures in psi. the boost is going up to 20 psi. how can I lower the boost pressure?
it appears the car had another ecu and it was change back to the stock when it was sold.
I'm thinking of putting back the stock exhaust system. what else?
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Old Jan 17, 2005 | 03:47 PM
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Unhappy Mechanic time?

It sounds like you have a serious problem. Guessing at it without the right tools and diagnostic knowledge sounds like a slow and possibly unsuccesful process.
Throwing old parts in it doesnt sound promising unless it is the computer doing you in.
I would think that if you really went into Limp mode, there would be error codes; so you may not have been in that mode. Somebody else can verify that.

I like fallenengel's guess. Take that guess and the money you saved on the purchase to a good Rx7 mechanic and test until right problem is found. Replacement engines are expensive.
If you can't find a good Rx7 mechanic in the DR, you might find a Mazda dealer mechanic willing to moonlight on a 97, if the dealer won't touch it.
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Old Jan 18, 2005 | 06:10 PM
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Your pretty close to Puerto Rico how about getting one of their mechanics to check your car?
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Old Jan 21, 2005 | 09:39 PM
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I'm going to look for an ecu to see what happens
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