Hi there! I'm just a bit paranoid about some things in my fd. My mods are downpipe and catback and koyo racing radiator only, and just waiting for the pettit ecu for installing the apexi power intake, still at home My car is running a brand new engine with only 3000 miles All maintenance done; new spark plugs, new plugwires, new oil and filter, new fuel filter, new oil metering lines, new coolant hoses, intercooler hoses, several gauges (oil and water temps, boost gauge, etc), new thermostat, new belts…
So I think a good relliability job has been done. At last i hope so. And here comes a few questions, maybe a little paranoid cos I’ve done a good research in the club, and I think I see straaaaaaaange things

-As i told you, I’m running a brand new engine, but I see white smoke for about 5 minutes on cold start-up. I'm uploading a video in order to all you can see it. I’ve never overheated it, but I don’t know if the previous owner, who did only 2000 miles to the new engine, could have overheated it!! I hope he didn’t, damn. My car is running nice, maybe some little backfire while cold, but it runs like hell. Just only some little 12 psi boost spikes at around 4000 rpm. ****, we’re talking about a brand new engine!!

This video was recorded in a cold start-up in the morning:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCwGQiH_5K0

-At idle i see 20 psi vacuum… isn’t it too high??

-I’ve been running my car for around 1000 miles. Oil mark is the same. Isn’t it supposed these rotaries almost literally “drop” the oil? I think my previous type-R wasted more oil than the FD. Could this be some oil injection related problem?

Well, that’s all. I’m alone here. No any others FD owners to talk in Barcelona (more ferraris than FD’s, sure!) thanks again for your help, guys!

 

 

If it's cold out in the morning that's normal if it's only for a few minutes. It does appear to be the lighter/whispier, whiter, steamier smoke but hopefully just condensation.

The oil level not dropping after 1k miles is not that unusual because the oil also gets contaminated with gas however if there's a coolant problem some could be leaking into the oil as well. If the engine was a reman and not a NEW engine it wouldn't be that uncommon for a shitty housing or a pinched o-ring to cause a coolant issue.

If I was in Barcelona I'd tell you to sell me that POS asap hehe

NICE CAR!

 

There's nothing wrong with your car. Chill out and enjoy it. Due you have an air/fuel guage? You need one bad with those mods. If you lean out when the boost spikes, your motor could be toast. I just installed my exhaust, and there's been once or twice where it leaned out under full boost.

 

Hey! I already have an air/fuel gauge, but it's not a wide band one... It's always on the rich zone while throttle. And about lean problems while spikes... the pettit will solve the problem, I hope...

 

Smoke is normal, happened since new on my fd. Looks to a very nice car. Both my fc an fd seemed to consume some amount of oil - never really monitored it as I changed it pretty often. Looks like you will get a long life out of the car. Enjoy

 

The 12psi spiking does concern me a little bit. If you install a boost controller (manual valve controller or an electronic controller) it should remove the spikes completely. You will definitely need better boost controller before installing any other flow mods.
It's a band-aid, not a solution. Get a better boost controller and put the issue away for good.

That looks like condensation. If you let the engine idle only, it can take a good 5 minutes to clear. If you drive it lightly, it will be gone in a minute. In either case, it's nothing to worry about.

Nope, that is just FINE.

Nope, not a problem. If you're paranoid just do some premix.

 

Thanks, thanks, thanks

 

if you ever get bored and want to see some other FD's, come to Lisbon... 4 here.. but i only know 3 (including myne)

 

mine smokes like twice that when i start it but it smells so bad it will kill anything behind the car...after about 5 mins of idle or 30 secs of driving it is fine. There is no coolant loss or anything. I wouldnt worry at all, all rotary engines smoke a little especially if sitting on a declined hill as oil sits in the bottom of the rotors i believe and is ignited on startup.

 

your motor is blow you should just sell the car to me . j/k sweet car it seems to be running fine

 

so all motors will smoke up when they are new, and after the ecu and the boost controller you should be fine.

 

That video you posted, that is just fine. Looks like condensation to me.

Drive the car for 5-10 minutes, then look at it, it will be clear.

If you car idles like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPbIGPj-EGs

THEN you have a problem lol

 

Hey i can do that...ill jsut drop a few drips of mystery oil lol

 

20 psi of vacuum? Holy ****, your engine would swallow itself whole if it was sucking that much. Are you sure it's not 20 mmHg (millimeters of mercury)? What's the idle RPM? If your idle RPM is stock, that's some AWESOME vacuum. Mazda spec calls for 17.7 mmHg (60 kPa) @ idle speed (700-750 RPM see page A-10 and F-220 of 1993 workshop manual). Sounds like a nice engine you've got there. Have fun with it!

 

Quote:
And about lean problems while spikes... the pettit will solve the problem, I hope...

It's a band-aid, not a solution. Get a better boost controller and put the issue away for good.

Just one question on a comment made. How is the Pettit ECU a band aid for 12psi (spike or sustained) my understanding was if you were going to boost over stock levels this is one of the things necessary for it. After all the Pettit ECU is setup for all bolt ons and 12.5 on pump 93 oct. fuel. So I would say if he's not going with the EBC or the manual one, or at the very least a larger pill in the pre-control as he's over 12psi. before transition and in the waste gate line if he's over 10psi after transition then the ECU is a must.

 

Adding more fuel is necessary for running elevated boost, for sure. But spending money for a piggyback because of a boost spike when running 10psi is not just bad logic, it's much more expensive than a manual boost controller.

But boost spikes are IMHO a different issue entirely, that are *solved* by a better boost controller. There is no way to easily predict exactly how high a spike will go, and there is always the lag between the spike and the corresponding fuel increase. So on a cold day, or if you add a mod, POW it could be bad.

Sure, you'll need more fuel if you continue to mod. But you'll also need better boost control. Solve each issue for what it is.

Dave

 

Thanks for all replies. In fact, as i told you, I'm planning to run more mods in the future like IC or a hf cat. When I said "pettit will solve the spike issues" I didn't mean it was a sollution for it. What i wanted to say is that with the pettit ECU I can safely run around 12.5 psi (I think...) What I'm planning to do is to install a boost controller (avc-r) next week and limit things at stock 10 psi for daily drive, but with pettit installed I'm planning to do an extra mode at 12.5 psi (as I see some porsche in the mirror ). I've heared that with this ECU I can safely run this pressure with stock injectors and fuel pump, so this is what I'll do. As you have said, I think the ecu is a must for what I'm going to do...

 

If you're planning to run more modifications in the future, why not make the jump to an alternate ecu, such as PowerFC, Haltech, etc? I bought a used PowerFC from a guy who blew up his motor and decided to make the switch to a V8.

 

Ambient temp was 37* 9AM yesterday in Dallas, TX. My 7 smoked for exactly 107 seconds (timed)....idle with 20 in of vacumm. Car have original engine with 53K miles...

 

that would be great, but I live in Barcelona... no good tuners here. Sincerely, I dont want to risk my 7. Maybe I will run a little rich with the pettit ECU, but safe...

Tphan; thanks for the info man. Next time I will time mine