FD3S w/ 44000mi, manual.

i was recently driving to work, when i arrived at work there was smoke coming from under the hood. i popped the hood and found it was on fire. i was able to get the fire out before anything serious happened.

i had recently filled the oil, spilled a little, so the smoke coming from under the hood didnt surprise me, luckily this time i checked the smoke, and caught it before it was too late.

so i got it home and let it idle a while with the intent of burning off the excess oil. it still smokes quite a bit even now, which leads me to believe there is something leaking. my brake fluid, power steering fluid, and oil are fine though. and i ruled coolant out immediately since its not flammable.

it takes a few minutes for the smoke to appear so every thing is warm at that point.

any ideas? the smoke is coming from above the turbos. i have the IC piping out of the way and part of the Y-pipe and still cant see where its coming from. the smoke is not really visible until like 3 inches above the turbo, so it is difficult to see where its coming from.

at this point all i can think is that the fire was from spilled oil, and there is an exhaust leak from the turbos, and its merely a coincidence and the 2 are unrelated. but if it were an exhaust leak shouldnt it be immediately? not after warming?

 

where was the fire, what part of the engine bay.,..

 

same place as the smoke, on top of the turbos, under the IC piping

 

sounds like you have a fuel leak. Check all your fuel lines and rails before you set it on fire again >.>

 

does any one have a fuel line schematic?

 

Check the FSM, section F should have the fuel line schematics.

 

Whats FSM?

 

.

 

I think they are pointing you to this: http://www.wrex-racing.com/html/fd/9...hop_manual.zip

 

I wouldn't be too quick ruling out a coolant leak. Coolant residue is flammable and the location and symptoms sound like a leak in one of the turbo coolant lines. The most common cause of coolant leaks in that area are the soft turbo coolant hoses.

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/coolant-leek-question-651380/

For a picture and replacement how-to see:

http://www.rx7.org/Robinette/turbo_lines.htm

 

You need the read the FAQ section and the TSB bulletins.

 

Factory Service Manual.. There are a few copies (one of them a searchable pdf format) that are on here in the faq/sticky section. Download a copy of it onto your computer. This is not the last time it will come in handy.

Most all the fuel lines will be directly under the Upper Intake Manifold. There are a few items under there that are prone to leaking with age. Could you ever smell fuel in the cabin while driving? If not, then it may not be a fuel leak.

 

what does the smoke smell like?

 

going to bed now. will do some more observing tomorrow. it will be late as i work until 8.

 

The coolant hose to my turbocharger was about to burst but had been leaking for awhile. Made alot of smoke since coolant was dripping down on the turbos. Check out the red outline in the photo for the hose location.

 

i had seen this pic before, that was the first thing i checked. no dice. i will replace it any how. the smoke i have found it comes from between the engine and the LIM.

 

Could be a bad FPD... I wouldn't drive her around until you get this straightened out or else you might not have an FD anymore.

 

Sounds like fuel to me too. I never heard of coolant catching on fire, though I'm sure it will generate a lot of smoke. You can jump the f/p top ground in the diagnostic port with the key on to look for fuel leaks. I keep a fire extinguisher in my car.

 

It surprised me too, but apparently coolant is flammable. Well, ethylene glycol coolant anyway...

http://www.croberts.com/coolant.htm

 

DO NOT turn the car back on if it was on fire - Fire meaning flames and not just smoke.

The Fuel rails are above the turbos behind the Lower intake manifold. One common part to go bad in the fuel system is the Fuel pulsation Damper. When this goes bad it spits fuel out of the top of it and it sits in little pockets on top of the block right next to the LIM. This is a dangerous spot for fuel to sit and can cause fires.

Take the UIM off and look inside there with a flashlight - if you see pools of fuel - then you know when the problem is.

 

what is FPD. and dont worry bout me driving its up on jack stands.

do you have a pic of which port this is? and a step by step instruction?

i will try to remove the uim, but im going slow as i dont want to mess up the throttle body or throttle cable. and it is stuck somewhere.

 

FPD = fuel pulsation damper

F/P and GND in diagnostic port (says diagnosis, driver side of car). Look here:
http://www.rx7.org/Robinette/release_fuel.htm (look under "How to prime" section)

Removing the UIM: http://www.rx7.org/Robinette/manifold.htm

Enjoy.

 

thanx i couldnt find any uim removal instructions anywhere, i must have looked for 2 hours.

 

No problem, it's relatively straight forward. Just remember to unplug the IAT directly under the UIM before yanking up on it. That's the thing I always forget.

 

You really shouldn't need removal instructions it's easy. 5 8olts on the uim to lim on right side of engine bay.(if sitting in car) then one near the throttle body. A ground strap on the back and some elec connections and vacuum hoses. Then pull off the throttle body elbow or if you're lil plastic canister is removed you can just take the front intercooler pipe loose and keep the elbow attached