Hey all, just put the turbos back into the car, replaced the oil and coolant and was wondering is there anything special i need to do.

When i turn on the car the idle shoots up high around 3k for a while then goes back down. Then from what i notice smoke starts comming out of the downpipe near the turbos. I just put an aftermarket DP on and it didnt come with a new gasket so i used the old one. Could that be it? The gasket seemed fine to me.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Im so close to driving this car again! I cannot wait!!!

Also, looks like the oil leak has stopped, lets hope it stays this way!

 

Your car shoots up to 3000rpm because of the infamous accelerated warm-up system. Try starting it in 1st gear OR touch the gas pedal right after starting it to avoid the warm-up system.

You say that smoke comes out near the downpipe so if your downpipe aint broken, then it gotta be leaking from the gasket
If you are 100% sure that the gasket is ok and you fitted it and tightened it correctly then maybe your new downpipe has a bad fitment so it won't keep sealed around the gasket.

There is no break-in for a new turbo, just take it slow in the beginning and make sure everything works properly before you start racing

 

Ok i guess ill rip everything apart again and check the gasket. Have you heard of a DP having a bad fitment?

 

Almost all aftermarket downpipes have poor fitment in one way or another.

 

So how do you solve the bad fitment issue?

 

Did you use wd40 on the bolts when taking them off? I used some and the first time I turned the car on it burned it all off and I could see it with the hood open.

 

Ive turned the car on multiple times and each time it smokes. I also smell alot of exhaust.

 

I'd say order a thicker downpipe gasket.

 

Where would i go to get a thicker downpipe gasket?

 

Well, RX7store used to have a downpipe gasket for sale but looking now, it's gone. Mine actually came with the downpipe I ordered from them.

 

Ok, so i just started her up and drove her around the block. Oil pressure seemed fine, at one point it went to about 90 but no higher and didnt go below 20 at all. Coolant temp was also fine. But im getting ALOT of smoke comming from the Downpipe area near the turbos. My question is did anyone else notice when they installed a new DP that it smoked a bit at first? Could it just be something on the DP burning off? Or worse??

Help me out! It was great to finally drive her again but i want more :P

 

Give it another 2 weeks man, I had a film on both my hi-flow cat and downpipe when I first got them in. It just needed to be burned off.

Did you replace the turbos or just took them off for some reason?
When my old turbos blew, it took a good 20 miles of hard driving with the new twins on to get the pool of oil out that the old twins left behind. (And it leaked oil from the downpipe gasket until it cleared up)

 

are you sure you didnt spill any oil or coolant on the turbos? that would make alot of smoke in that area untill it burns off. also if the coolant lines are leaking it will smoke like crazy

 

Mine smoked since I coated it with some anti-corrosion stuff. Some downpipes might have some coating stuff on them, but that would burn off after your first run.

 

Yeah i drove it around a little more today and it stopped smoking so much. But unfortunatly the reason for pulling the turbos in the first place, to replace the oil return line gaskets because one was leaking, was all for nothing...It's still leaking, not as bad but still a good bit of oil on the ground...This really sucks

 

Are you 100% sure that it's the GASKET it is leaking from? If you recently replaced it, then it could be leaking other place(s)....

When it comes down to the downpipe I suggest you take it apart and look carefully at it to see if both ends are flat and smooth, if not then try to level it.

 

Well when i first bought the car i had it checked out by a mechanic who told me the return line was leaking oil. Now he couldve been mistaken but thats where i started. It's not leaking as much as it used to though which is good. Just 7-10 drops here or there.

 

Did you use new crush washers or re-anneal them? Re-installing copper washers is a bad idea, since they work-harden. They won't seal twice unless you heat them to red hot with a torch to make them soft again.

 

install washers where on the DP?

 

No, the crush washers that seal the banjo fittings on the oil feed lines and the coolant feed and return lines.

 

they still have gaskets for sale

 

Ok so im really confused now. The oil return lines had crush washers on them? I dont remember seeing anything like that, just a gasket. (Might be why they were leaking to begin with.)

 

That would have a lot to do with it.

The oil lines have either rubber-coated metal gaskets or copper crush washers. I would buy a whole new set (Ray will know what you need) and when you have it off, you'll be able to see if the exhaust is getting past your downpipe gasket. If that's leaking, get a new one of those too.

Dave