Lilrx7chic

Hey everyone...i'm Lilrx7chic...i'm new to this site..so first off i'd like to say...Whats up!!???
I have a problem with my rx7...a couple of days ago i tried starting my car and it turned on but after it started going down rpm's, it started shaking and making this weird noise..and smoke was coming out of the right muffler...last night i turned it on again and it made the same noise but smoke was coming out of both mufflers this time.....does anyone have any idea what it could be?????

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

first of all ... welcome!

okay, i guess that means you drive a Gen II car. well, you'll have to be a little more specific with the "weird noise" - that's just open to way too much interpretation. also, what color was the smoke?
you said that it started to shake as it went down in RPM, but did it stay idling, or did it stall out? does it keep doing these things you describe when it's hot, or just when it's cold?

i'll start with the simplest and then we can take it from there, when was the last time you got a good tune-up?

sorry for the bombardment of questions, but hopefully it will lead to a solution to your problems, if not through me, then through someone else that reads this thread.

chin up, and again ... welcome!

Lilrx7chic

First off, thanks for replying..i didn't think i was going to get one so soon.
The smoke...the color starts off white but then it gradually turns blue...the car doesn't stall..i can drive it around..i'm just afraid to drive it around while it lets out so much smoke...today i went to check it and there was NOO coolant..but i had put some in 2 weeks ago and today it was completely dry..i added some more, turned it on and smoke only came out of the right muffler..
the sound...i really don't know how to specify with the sound..it sounded the battery was trying really hard to keep it on..a raddling sound..something like that...
I wish i knew more about it..my dad said that i probably blew the head gasket..if i did..wow...i might as well get ridd of the car...you know? And others are saying that maybe there is a leak where the coolant is and its leaking onto the exhaust pipes...dunno...
did that help at all? lol

rxtasy3

iTrader: (2)

there's no head gasket to blow, but it does sound like the water seals are leaking coolant into the combustion chamber, unfortunately the only solution is a rebuild.

Lilrx7chic

What do you mean it has no head gasket to blow? I thought rx7's had gaskets..don't all cars do?
*lol* that shows i really don't know much about my own car..
i asked a friend of mines at work what the problem may be (i told her what was going on with the car) and she said that it may be that i cracked a hose...which hose? don't know...i guess the one that is connected to the exhaust pipes..
i'm contacting a mechanic tomorrow during work to ask what it could be and what it will cost me..
Hopefully its not costly..i don't want to get ridd of that car..

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

Rx-7 have rotary engines. That's why they are so cool! That's also why a lot of people don't know how to diagnose, fix or maintain them properly.

It's two 3-faced rotors rotating on one shaft which creates 6 working combustion chambers. That's the simplest explanation I can give without getting too technical. Bottomline is there are no cylinders and therefore no cylinder head and that means ... no head to get blown. However, your water o-rings are pretty much the equivalent (rough analogy) ...

Anyway, let's get on to your problem ... rxtasy3 sounds right on the money. Sounds like you need a rebuild. White smoke may signify antifreeze, and the blue smoke is more than likely oil getting past the rotor o-rings. Either way ... sorry to say, you'll need to pull the motor and rebuild it, or get another one.

In terms of cast, buying a used engine may cost less up front, but I personally wouldn't advise that avenue simply because you sound new to the rotary game and unfortunately, people WILL take advantage of you. The second thing is with a rebuild, if it's done right, then you won't have to worry about engine troubles for a good long time ... because you know everything is fresh. As long as you maintain and care for the car, it own't let you down. With a used engine, you never how it was cared for before you get it, and there will therefore ALWAYS be doubt.

There are many places in FL to get quality rebuilds. I just don't know much about the central FL region. But you can PM me if you need info and addresses for South Florida. I'm about 2 hours from you.

Oh yeah ... one more thing. I also would not recommend driving the car in that condition because you'll just end up damaging more of the parts that may otherwise be re-usable in your rebuild.

Lilrx7chic

I called the mechanic today about my car and they said that they are going to tow it around 2 or so and bring it to their shop to check and see what the problem is. Man..if its true that i will need to change the engine all together...thats a big job that is going to cost money.
a friend of mines has an rx7 pretty much the same as mines..same year...same type...and he had to get his engine rebuilt because his engine died on him...he more or less paid 3 grand...but he had it modified a bit..so maybe thats why it cost that much..but i know its going to be somewhere in the "grand" area...does not sound like a small job..which in that case, i'm screwed..lol
I also found out that the dealer where i got my car from has sold a lot of rx7's in the past that has died within that month of leaving the lot...which really pisses me off!!!! >:o
Well anyway...thank you for giving me the input on rotaries...if i DO have to get a new engine i will contact you for the addresses to those places u were talking about...until then...Thanks. ;-)

Lilrx7chic

Well..i found out the estimate on how much its going to cost to fix the car.....1500 dollars. they said that it had something to do with the motor...so i don't know what the hell to do now...

OneBad7

Did you take it to a machanic that knows anything about
rotarys ? It would be cheaper to get a motor out of a juck yard. What year is yours ? If its between 86' to 88,
get one between those years. If its between 89' to 92'.
Get one between those years. Does sound like coolant
is leaking past the the water seals like rxtasy3 said.
You can probably find a used one for around $500.
Hope you keep your 7. Good luck.

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

are you paraphrasing or quoting them? "it has something to do with the motor ..." if that's exactly what they said, get your car and take it as far away from them as you can!!!!! $1500 for what exactly???? you need to be told exactly what they're going to do, and also how many times they've done it ....

this is the point where you should become very, very annoying and ask them for a detailed description of how they plan to fix your car. get a pen and paper and write as much as you can, then post it here. if they are going to ESTIMATE $1500 (which in rip-off-artist-speak is the same thing as "we're going to start at $1500 and see how far you'll let us take it ...") for that money, a rebuild better be involved ... if it's anything less, keep looking.

Lilrx7chic

I'm so mad!! Yea they said that its going to cost 1500 to repair it. (not an estimation)They didn't tell my dad much..they basically said that they have to open the motor and re-seal some areas.
I'm not leaving my car there..i called the place where i bought the car and they said that there's no way it should cost that much...thats a new motor right there...ya know? I'm going to call them when i get home (i'm at college right now) and ask them what is wrong exactly...write it down..call around and ask what i can do..where i can find it..buy it myself and just pay the mechanic for the labor...i;m going to bring my car to the mechanic that usually fixes my car and have them do it. They said its going to be cheaper if they do it..those other guys just want to take my money...1500..thats crazy.
There's no way i'm giving up that car..its almost 13 years old so i can't expect it to last forever without having a few problems here and there...its in good shape and its a good car...she just needs some work.
I'll keep everyone posted on what is going to happen..

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

keep in mind that if these people are the types of morons that i believe they are ... they're diagnosis may be far from correct. you can't just open the motor and blindly "reseal some areas" and then put it back together ... that's doing it half-***. everything needs to be carefully checked when it's apart.

my best advice to you would be not to rush this. i know it's hard to not have the car, but in the long run it's best. post this in the Southeast forum, and see if anyone there is in the Kissimmee/Orlando area that can refer you to good, reputable, "ROTARY-SPECIFIC" shop that can look at the car and either fix it, or point you in the right direction. because if you go to guys that work on shitty commuter cars or hillbilly trucks ... they will be telling you stuff based on their knowledge of piston engines and before you know it ... you've dropped four-grand (piece by piece ... 500 here, 300 there) and your car still doesn't work correctly.

but yes ... at least, keep us posted.

OneBad7

Have someone do a coolant system pressure check.
If the coolant isn't leaking out any hoses or other
external area from the engine. But the the coolant
system can't keep pressure. Its defently a water
seal. If it isn't you'll see it leaking some were else.

Don't give up, keep in there.

Lilrx7chic

i got my car out of that mechanic. I called my mechanic (the place i usually go when there is something wrong with the car) and i had them pick up the car. Tomorrow they're going to let me know what is wrong with the car and if its true what the other mechanic said.
I'll let you know whats up as soon as i find out...till then..Bye. =)

OneBad7

Good Luck.

Lilrx7chic

Man i miss my car...i keep seeing rx7's everywhere i go now...when i get out of school (thats where i'm at right now) i am going to call the mechanic to see if they know anything yet...hopefully what those other people said was complete bullshit...what i think the problem was...was that the little container where you put the anit-freeze in has a leak..and it was leaking into the exhaust pipes causing the mufflers to let out smoke and causing the motor to overheat because there was no antifreeze going to the motor...so what i think they need to do is clean out the exhaust pipes..and re-seal the antifreeze hose....maybe..i'm not much of a car-tech...lol but i don't see where they get 1500 from all that...****...
well anyway...i must go now..gotta finish an assignment..i'll let everyone know how the car is doing..
ByeBye! =)

OneBad7

We'll hopefully its something easy. Have your regular
shop do the cooling system pressure check. That
should work. Good luck.

Lilrx7chic

Well i talked to some people today and i told them about what happened to my car and they said that blue smoke means an oil problem..but i checked the oil and i don't need an oil change..and its clean...so i don't know what the problem could be now...
Well tomorrow i should know what is wrong with the car and how much it would be...hopefully its not too expensive..
I'll let everyone know what happened..byebye

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

well, i hope you get a "good" diagnosis when your mechanic checks it.

just so you know ... blue smoke represents oil burning. now, by nature, rotaries burn oil (they need it for their apex seals) but the amount can vary from a quart every 2000+ miles to a quart every 100 miles (like my last 12A ) ...
my point is, checking it and finding it clean doesn't mean that you don't have an oil problem. your best gauge would be to see how many miles go before you have to add a quart of oil, or you could check your plugs for oil (but the plugs are not the most acurate method) ... but that's the sort of thing you'd need to do.
a good rule of thumb for a rotary is if you start to burn a quart of oil in 500 miles or less, then you probably need to start preparing for a rebuild.

do you have any diagrams of a rotary engine?

Lilrx7chic

:: lol I've been told to change the oil every 3000 miles...thats the only thing i've been keeping track of concerning oil...which in my situation was NOT enough obviously...lol
Tomorrow after school i'm going over there to the mechanic and have them run through with me what the problem is..what caused it..and what they're going to do about it...unfortunately, before all this happened i've had no time to learn about my car's specific engine type..i guess now i better if i want to prevent this from happening again...maybe you can help me Diabolic you seem to know your stuff..unlike MYSELF...
Well i'll let you know what happened..
Til then...GOOD NIGHT! =)

OneBad7

Go here to look at some animated video's of the rotary engine, the New Rx8 coming out in 03', and some rx7
history.

Just hit video gallory when you get there.

http://www.mazdausa.com/rx8/gallery/....asp?sniffer=1

Enjoy.
Luke

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

changing your oil regularly is a very good start. unfortunately, it's not ALWAYS enough ... if you learn nothing else about maintaining your Rx-7, just remember this: "HEAT IS THE ENEMY! it is not the only way that you can kill a rotary, but it is probably the easiest. just make sure you take care of you oil changes, your OMP (or premix) and cooling system religiously. don't ever skimp on these things. chances are you'll have your motor healthy for a long time. if you drive hard or race, well then a few adjustments have to be made in terms of maintenance, but you can handle that some other time.

as far as helping you is concerned, no problems there. i'd be the first to admit that i don't know EVERYTHING, but whatever i do know is free for sharing whenever you wish. you can PM questions, or just post them like you did. i will try to remember to see if i can get some threads that may be useful to you ... then i'll just post some links.

hope everything works out.

Lilrx7chic

Well..i called the mechanic (the one that i usually go to..they picked up the car yesterday) and they looked it over and said that the whole engine is bad..they have to replace everything and put in new parts and that they'll charge me a thousand dollars instead of 1500. Even though its 500 dollars less, its still a grand and that is going to kill me!! The only good thing that since its going to be a complete engine rebuild..it won't give me problems later on as long as i maintain it in good shape..now i just have to come up with 1000 dollars..

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

how many rebuilds has your mechanic performed on a rotary engine? also does that price include removal and installation labor? i'm just curious because it seems too good to be true for a thousand flat ...

at any rate, good luck with it and let me know as things progress 'til you get it back on the road.

Lilrx7chic

The 1k includes the labor...thats why i'm wondering why the heck its so cheap...the mechanic has worked on other rotary engines before..all he works on is rx7's.
I have no idea how i'm going to come up with that type of money..i need that car now..i can't keep on relying on my mom and my boyfriend to take me around..i hate that..lol i like being behind the wheel...
The mechanic ALSO said that the reason why the car did that..the smoke...was because i was driving the car while the engine was overheating..but the thermostat (or whatever its called) never showed that it was on H. IT was always in the middle..and i told him that..so i also told him to look at that too..because that wasn't my fault..and i always added anti-freeze when the light would turn on...
ARGH!! =( this is really frustrating...
Well anyway..i'll let you know what happens...until then..Take Care. =)