I have a 93 FD with 85k on it. Blue smoke appears when I start it in the AM, and it smells quite rich. After warming up, the exhaust is smelly (pungent). I replaced the O2 sensor and that might have made a small effect, what else can I try?

Thanks,
Corbet

 

What mods do you have on the car? When was the last time you had the spark plugs and fuel filter changed?

 

Blue smoke and rich exhaust smell on startup is normal. After warming up, I'm not really sure. Do you have catalytic converters still on the car? What kind of gas mileage do you get?

 

The car is un-modified. The plugs were changed about a year ago for the last smog check (which it passed with not much margin). The last work done was replacing the intake manifold gasket which had a hole in it last month. At that time the vacuum lines were replaced with silicone hoses. The car has smelled ever since that work.

 

As already stated, some smoke on startup is normal.

The smell however, could be the result of a clogged catalytic converter. You might also have some deposits/build up in the throttle body or UIM.

Did you have any oil leaking or anything which prompted the gasket repair?

 

the gasket repair was prompted by rough idle that wouldn't drop below about 1200rpm. I guess with a leaky intake, the sensors indicated that the car had too much intake air and therefore bumped up the fuel mix raising the idle.

Does a bad catalitic converter smell? It seems to me it's working overtime to catalyze a rich mixture. I suppose if only part of it's bad then maybe what's left is working overtime and stinking. Is this reasonable thinking?

 

I forgot to mention, I haven't any oil leaks that I know of. I have noticed in the last couple of days that I'm not getting the acceleration kick I remember occuring around 3000rpm from turbo kicking in. It's only after 4000rpm that I get it. Will a blocked cat cut power like this?

 

Yep, a clogged cat can cause more turbo lag and a funky exhaust smell.

 

As it turns out the cat is clogged. So who has a cheaper alternative to the $1000+ Mazda converter?

 

Mid pipe or high flow cat is your two best options mid pipe is about 200- 250 not sure on the the high flow but you will feel a diffrence with etheir you said you had e-check so it'd be best to go with the high flow.

 

I'm using the following:

http://www.rx7.com/cgi-local/3catalog.cgi?cat=4&part=1

I've read about people in CA passing emissions with this kit, so it should be just fine if you want to use it.

 

I think hes talking about the pre-cat and not the main cat. just get a down pipe. cost is 300 dollars. and you will still pass emmisions as long as your air pump and main cat are in.

 

I put in a large midpipe generic cat for cheap, but the smell returned within a day.

Drove the car around for a month or two trying injector cleaners.

Upon inspection, the injectors were quite leaky. Those have been rebuilt. Now the car runs great - much more power than before, but still have the bad smell, but not quite as strong. Was the new cat ruined in the process? How do I check if the air pump?