The start up is crapping out on me. I'm assuming it's a blown coolant seal, but if anyone has any other thought, please let me know. The car is fairly stock for the most part. no engine codes. Runs and sounds great after the start up fluttering and smoking without any power loss.

Main issue: smokes a lot on start up after the car is warm. it will flutter or stutter and will need some gas to make it stop. Same thing on cold starts

I just installed a new air temp sensor this winter, new spark plugs today (april 13 2025). Coolant is topped off. Oil level is good.

Video:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1G6D...w?usp=drivesdk

Any help is much appreciated 🙏

 

Did you do anything mentioned in your last thread about this exact same issue?

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generati...video-1168211/

 

If that is the case, you should be losing coolant. Have you?

 

I did, you actually helped think about temp sensors and such. thank you for that

 

ok.... did you act on that thought?

 

Just the air temp sensor for now

 

on cold start while the motor is sputtering check the exhaust. if you have a breached seal you will smell and see (white cloud) coolant.

you could also pull a lower plug after a cold start to see if it shows coolant.

i do suggest you do an engine coolant pressure test. Autozone offers a test unit you can rent for a deposit.

 

Is this a JDM car? If yes what year?

 

yes, 1995

 

From the video it looks like your car is a version 4 car.

If you changed the plugs did you hook up the leads correctly.

For version 4 and newer FD the coil position was changed. You need to make sure you hook up the harness and or plugs correctly.

How cold is it where you are atm? If below 40F you are going to see water vapour in your exhaust for a while, just like when you breath out when it is cold.

Is there any chance you overfilled the oil?

It should be not more than half way up the cross hatching on the dip stick. Oil overflow can end up in your front turbo and then in your intake,

If it is a coolant seal you'd smell a lot of coolant in the exhaust, or see coolant in the oil or see oil in the coolant.

 

It might be late 1995. Does the vin start with "4"?

Your gauges look like they are from a version 4 car (black circles around the gauges/ 6;40 tach starting point.)

 

Yup. I just hook the T with T and L with L. It's 60f here right now. I will do a full oil inspection next weekend. I believe at this point the oil level is a little bit below the max. I usually fill it up when I think it's low

 

Does your oil filler neck venting pipe still connect to the elbow in front of the front turbo?

 

You also have to check the short harness connecting the coils to the ignition/engine harness. The three plugs can get attached in the wrong order.

 

This is the coil harness hook up for version 4 and later FD. Sometimes people will reverse the black and white connectors.

 

next time I open the hood I look for this. is this under the intake hose? I still have the air pump so idk if that'll be in the way

 

Under the big intake elbow (connected to the throttle body).. Problem is, people reach under that intake elbow and hook up the coil harness by feel. Easy to make a mistake.

But if your "1995" is a version three, your car would have the older coil mounting order, with the double-plug coil in the middle.

 

This issue only started happening fall 2024. From Spring 2023(when I got it) to fall 2024, I never took it to a shop and it ran without the start up issue. Do you still think it could be this? I guess it's still worth checking out

 

What number does your Vin start with?

It is less likely if your Vin starts with a 1,2 or 3.

Another test you can have run is a smoke test. This may reveal if there are any leaks in your air/vacuum systems.

Vacuum leaks do not show up in codes.

Failed vacuum lines can happen at anytime in an old car and result in a sudden decline in performance.

Your oil is at or below the half way mark of the cross-hatching, right?

Also don't discount the possibility of bad gas. Does your gas still smell like gas, or does it smell like water?

If you pre-mixed, did you use the correct ratio? Some persons have got mixed up and put in way too much premix oil.

 

It starts with 3

 

Your coil set-up should be the prior (original) set-up, unless someone did a major change.

Your instrument cluster may have been modified. it looks like a version 4 cluster.

You can run an autocheckjp.com test for about $30. it will give you a paper history of your car while in Japan,