FilipeA

iTrader: (2)

Hi

I already contact some members over here, but i will tel you my story and hope you can help me as well.

I have a Euro spec FD rx7 with only 25.000 miles on it, this particular car had back in 2000 near 1.5 miles on the clock - its true, all records here, because it was in the middle of a company fall so it stayed near 6/7 years stopped, only time to time someone went there to put it running - them someone bought it, run with it and sold it to me few months ago. Everything was ok, till few weeks ago i started to notice oil on the floor.

I check it and saw the drivers side engine with oil on it, to the top base to the engine mounts. A few questions made and i tought it was the oil filler neck - o ring that was damage.

I took the inlet elbow off and it was jut fine, oil not coming from oil filer neck, them i tought it was the oil pressure sender unit as picture shows, but oil start again to show on the floor.

Yesterday i was at shop and went for a hard ride ( after egine warms up, etc...) and saw again a little wave of with smoke caming from inside engine and them again oil on the floor.

The engine was wash up with high pressure water and clean, it look like new.
My mechanic told me it was the oil filter that was not bolt corrcetly and need a little more on it.

I was glad when he said that, no big deal

Today i took the car to the high way to see if it really solved the problem, but the white smoke came out of the engine again and saw again oil on the floor in mean while white smoke came on the rear LH wheel as oil went through the body - I guess, and it was burning somewehre

I open the hood and saw oil again in LH engine side caming from the top to the base and saw oil on the alternator and on the intake elbow and in the strut bar.

Is it my turbos shoot? Is there a oil tube under the alternator that could be need substitution?

I nottest this when i push the car hard and second turbo came in, otherwhise the engine is dry or clean.

take a look on the pictures and need your opinions please.

Thank you

Filipe

pics show when i stopped

Halfbridge

iTrader: (5)

Im having the same problem. An oil catch can should fix that. It a high pressure leak with to much crank pressure. I think it actually comming from the fill neck.

FilipeA

iTrader: (2)

Iam losing oil, its not too much, because i always take a look on the oil stick, but if you see the engine is with toomuch oil on it and i want to fix this problem, because i have the oil filler neck rings to put it if necessary.

Is this related to Turbos or not? Should i take the intercooler out and see if it has oil on the bottom neck under the intercooler?

Thanks

Filipe

envyforrx7

iTrader: (6)

ouch, so you did replace that o-ring that connects oil filter pedestal right not just tighten the bolts? Second picture shows copper washer just behind the oil filter pedestal - this hose goes to your oil cooler is it tight? and yes while your there there is an O-ring for the oil filler did you replace it? But this is way too much pressure so concentrate on oil filter pedestal. Whats happening is it is blowing by the pressure (good sign of good oil pump) going towards your PS pulley and shooting it upwards I am sure your hood is messy to is it?

gracer7-rx7

iTrader: (16)

Post a picture of the entire engine bay.

Check the intercooler coupler right in front of the elbow.
Check that the intercooler itself doesn't have a split in it.
Try and check if any of the oil metering pump lines under/around the alternator are intact.

Strange

FilipeA

iTrader: (2)

Hi

Iam sorry but my english is - i think is good enough - but sometimes i have to read it twice or see an image

Ok, here goes i did not replace any o rings in the pedestal or the oil filler, as i took the intake elbow out and i didn t nottest that the oil was caming from here. may be a bad tought, but will do the change to clear that.

[QUOTE=envyforrx7;9843756]Second picture shows copper washer just behind the oil filter pedestal - this hose goes to your oil cooler is it tight? QUOTE]

Can you show this by a arrow on the picture so i can see it - sorry that the best way for me.

Is that normal has so much pressure so concentrate on oil filter pedestal?
My hood is very clean, without oil...

Appreciate your help and if you could identify the hoses that youthink i could change to erase each step what this can be...

Turbos problems are out of question or not? anayaway tomorow i willtake out the intercooler and inspect it.

Now i see, that the oil seems to be splash againt the intake elbow coming from may be some hose or an bad o ring located between the alternator and the engine pull out.

Any advices are welcome

Filipe

ttmott

iTrader: (1)

Looks like it may be the turbo oil supply line banjo fitting. It is the tube in the picture going from next to the lifting bracket. Take a close look at this when running and try to tighten the nut. May have to replace the copper gaskets.. You should be able to get to it by removing the oil filler neck.

FilipeA

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the help. Where i can get the copper gaskets?

Filipe

sbnrx7

iTrader: (4)

+1. Looks like the right location. I wouldn't worry about the turbos Filipe, looks like you just have a pressurized oil leak.

ttmott

iTrader: (1)

Those gaskets, for the most part, are reuseable. However, the Mazda dealer will have them for a couple of Euro.

Try taking the joint apart and clean it up. If the gaskets show no nicks or scratches you can reuse them. Assemble dry and clean without any sealant. Tighten the nut per specification; it has a fairly high torque requirement.

alexdimen

iTrader: (13)

Based on the oil pattern on the intake elbow, I would start looking at the front of the engine. It looks like oil is getting on the belts and being slung onto the elbow. Could it be power steering fluid? Is the alternator wet with oil and slinging it onto the inlet elbow?

Common misconception. You can not re-use metallic crush washers without re-annealing them. Copper or aluminum. Both materials work harden and must be annealed to regain their ductility. A propane torch works great. Heat copper washers to dull red.

The only way you will get a crush washer to seal a second time after work hardening is with excessive torque.

FilipeA

iTrader: (2)

Hi

Thanks for the advices, i will take some pics today and dissamble some parts to find the problem.

Any advises for this are welcome

Filipe

ttmott

iTrader: (1)

You are in error regarding reuse provided the sealing surface is in good shape. Agree if "work hardened". It takes quite a few yield cycles to work harden copper. No doubt these are the original seals . Our team reuse copper head gaskets for many cycles without any change in material properties.

alexdimen

iTrader: (13)

No, I am not in error. From my 5 year experience as a mechanic and as mechanical engineering student about to head into my senior year I can tell you that you are wrong and are spreading misinformation.

A new crush washer can be deformed by a bending moment applied only with the fingers. After a single use, a crush washer can only be deformed with a pair of pliers.

This is because strain (aka work) hardening is not dependent on "n" number of cycles. Once the material is subjected to a certain % strain, there is no going back without HEAT to change the grain size and shape.

The reason it is not cycle dependent is because once strain hardened the first time, the same force from torquing the bolt does not produce the same permanent deformation because the ductility has decreased. The damage is done the first time you torque the bolt. This also explains why it becomes harder to make a proper seal. The material does not deform as it did the first time.

DaveW

While work-hardening is a fact, it is also a fact that I have used many copper and aluminum crush washers over multiple times in my work on street and race cars, including on banjo-bolts in braking systems. As long as the washer is not excessively deformed, it is quite acceptable and practical to use them several times. In the 100's of times I have done this, I have only had 1 or 2 leaks - and those leaks were due to damaged mating surfaces, not the pre-used condition of the washer.

Now, having said this, if the location in question is very difficult to access, or a slight leak would be disastrous, the smart thing to do is to use new crush washers, even though the use of a new washer is not a 100% guarantee against having a leak.

jd to rescue

iTrader: (3)

Though it does not explain the oil on the inlet elbow, you should probably check/replace the o-rings on the oil filter pedestal. Based on the actual age of the engine, they have probably dried-out and need replacing. This could be the source of some of your oil. Looking at your center picture, you can see the end of one of the bolts that holds the pedestal base just to the left of the filter. That bolt and the one on the opposite side need to be backed-out from below and the o-rings are right there.

FilipeA

iTrader: (2)

Hi

I think i found the problem, but need your help and advices on that. I also found something that i think its missing something there.

I took out the intake elbow, search for oil on it and it has a little, but that is just normal.

Part of the oil was gone, but still has some there and i search on the intercooler and here is what i got, the lower intercooler hose is breack

I don`t think that is from oil pedestal o rings, but i have them and i will chage them.

Please see the pics

Picture 1 - engine bay

Picture 2 - wrecked intercooler hose, and i think thats for here that oil goes out, remenber that is only after hard rides of more them 120 m/ hour it happens
i think it pass through alternator tho the top engine, them goes through the rotors or transmission if going to fast as i was yesterday.

Picture 3 - complete set wrecked hose with oil in the alternator wich i clean it superficial before pic.

Picture 4 - Combustion chamber or admission, is that normal having a little oil on it?

Picture 5 - Inside intake elbow - durty???

Here goes more pictures on next post

FilipeA

iTrader: (2)

HEre goes more pics

Picture 6 - Intercooler hose to intake elbow

Picture 7 - Inside wrecked intercooler hose, you can see the bottom of the intercooler its clean with no oil amount on it.

Picture 8 - durty alternator

Picture 9 - Now thats what i think that is missing some pipe i guess, in the second rotor, there is somekind of pipe that doesn has nothing on it and i guess it had because it was and is shinny, pleasee picture 9

Picture 10 - Another angle the same pipe

Please help me on this. The only thing that is giving me to think is that the oil seems so clean on the rotors and if it was from the wrecked hose it should be more durty or not?

Advices are welcome

Filipe Azevedo

pomanferrari

iTrader: (1)

A copper gasket can be reused as good as new if you heat it up with a natural gas torch until it's glowing a dull red uniformly. Let it cool down and wire brush the carbon away. The copper is now soft again and ready to be work-hardened again. Learned that trick from a race team 20 years ago.

jd to rescue

iTrader: (3)

Looks like you've found the main problem. The presence of oil in the intercooler piping is completely normal as long as it is not too great an amount. The fact there is a large split in the lower rubber hose is the likely source of the oil being thrown around on the engine, either from the belt flinging it around or just the blast of air escaping your hose.

FilipeA

iTrader: (2)

Hi

Anyaway i will replace the 0-rings that i got from Ray. I will replace the intercooler hose too.

So anayone can tell me why in the last 2 picture there is a metal pipe in the intermediate rotor housing with nothing attach on it, is that just like that, is doesn`t need any hoese there?

Thanks

Filipe Azevedo

alexdimen

iTrader: (13)

I shouldn't have said you can not use them without re-annealing. Should not is a better way to put it.

I used strain hardened crush washers multiple times on banjo bolts on my FC. Most of them worked, but I didn't know any better... and some joints leaked.

This falls under the do it once; do it right category for me.

Just so you're clear on what I was saying, we are in agreeance;

FilipeA

iTrader: (2)

Is that normal?

Thanks

Filipe

Banzai-Racing

iTrader: (11)

The nipple needs to be capped on the intermediate plate. Not all REW engines have it.

It does not explain the oil forward of the filler neck, but it would cause the oil over the rear half of the engine.

You should be able to see the oil feed line banjo bolt and determine if it is leaking just be reving the car, with your hand on the throttle.

FilipeA

iTrader: (2)

Hi

Thanks for your help. how can i capped the nipple?

Thank you

Filipe Azevedo