LAMEtHIng

iTrader: (1)

I just bought my Rx7 today from a guy couple hours from here. When testing it there it started fine, and just idled a little low like around 650 but seemed okay after a little while.

I drove it home around a 2 hour drive and she drove like a charm except for the occasional gas/oil mixture smell coming when I accelerated (around when the turbos spooled) the turbos seem to run fine, or well at least the first one does. Can't really tell on the 2nd turbo. That is the first problem.

I got home and it reaked of oil/gas and I could hear oil bubbling under the exhaust manifold...but I didnt see any oil on the tar.

Then later like (25 min) I took it for a ride with a friend, it wasn't cold or anything started up great. Took it for a nice spin (5 min spin) and go to shut it off, let go of the clutch and it just sat at 3000 rpm. Shut it off turned it back on, same, rev'd it for a sec., same, shut off started it in gear (supposedly bypassing AWS), still sat at 3000 rpm.

Oh, and she loves to backfire repeatedly when I let off the accelerator.

First day with an FD and I guess my ignorance of the rotary engine bit me in my ***. I'd appreciate any help. Thanks

LAMEtHIng

iTrader: (1)

Welp, this morning it was doing the same thing revving up to 3k rpm when I first started it (in gear). Drove it for a little bit then when I got to 5th gear then put in the clutch it didn't do it anymore and was fine until I shut it off then it did it again, so I threw it in 5th and boom fixed. What the hell?

Cosmo Donk

So when you put it in 5th gear it doesn't do the 3K rev? Maybe the switch that shuts it off is not working right or something.

As for the turbo, there may be some loose pipes on the oil fittings somewhere that you should check out. It sounds like you need to do some reliability mods to that thing like the vacuum spider. You should change all of the vacuum lines to silicone because I bet there are plenty of cracked ones under there. It is a messy job but boost problems are common occurence with the original lines.

LAMEtHIng

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, it seems like something gets stuck then for some reason comes unstuck. It happened again just a few minutes ago, and I tried putting it in 5th but that didn't work and it just stopped revving to 3k like 5 minutes later.

As for the turbo that is probably it. I am bringing it to the shop soon here, should they/I be able to tell if the hoses are bad by just looking at them?

Also, normally can you hear the 2nd turbo spool? or not really because they are sequentially set up?

Thanks man, I know I have a lot of questions....but I would really like to learn.

Cosmo Donk

Well, on the second gen and even the Cosmo I have, there are a few things that control the 3K rev you are talking about. One is mechanical and is attached to the TB (Throttle Body), that is the thermowax and opens up the secondary plates a little to add more air when it is coold. When the coolant reaches a temp it closes the plates. That is why there is coolant running to the TB if you were wondering.

Another idle item is the Advanced Warmup Solenoid (AWS). I am pretty sure the FD has one as well but that is the thing that is probably the culprit. I am not sure where it is on the FD but I would check around the TB and maybe find an online manual and then just unplug it and see what happens. It won't hurt anything just to test it. Maybe it just needs a cleaning.

I haven't driven an FD much so I am not sure if you can hear the turbos. If they are working right you should be able to FEEL them and see it on your boost gauge if you have an aftermarket one.

As for the vacuum lines, you can probably tell they are cracking by looking close but even then they may look okay. You will see how bad they are when you replace them.

LAMEtHIng

iTrader: (1)

I had it diag'd today. Bunch of things wrong, apparently one of the turbo's is leaking a LITTLE oil but that is not good. As for the high rev, randomly, apparently there is a leak, the injectors need to be cleaned, and there is a bunch of o-rings that need to be replaced. Not very familiar where they are on the rotary. I am going to do a search for them here in a sec. They also said there was oil gasket? that needs to be replaced that is leaking. Fuel filter needs a change, and new plug wires, and the vacuum lines are pretty brittle. Looks like the guy that had this before me wasn't so keen on maintainence. Oh, well they said they would fix the fuel problem, and the vacuum lines as for the oil gasket and turbo definitely not in the funds right now.

LAMEtHIng

iTrader: (1)

I mean they would fix the fuel problem, and vacuum lines for $800.......that sound alright? Replacing a bunch of o-rings, replace the vacuum tubing, put on new plug wires, and clean the injectors......$800...

jgrts20

i see where ur goin' with this i just spent $100 on performance wires and plugs!! little by little this thing is really becomin' a beast!! hehe!!

LAMEtHIng

iTrader: (1)

Hahaha. Alright now after reading some more, these damned o-rings = engine rebuilt. They couldn't have meant to rebuild for $800. I figured my problem out though, I brought it to a Mazda deal. I committed a sin. There is NO coolant leaks, how the hell could I have a blown o-ring. Man, I thought I had no idea what I was talking about. THe damned Mazda dealer must be 2x as clueless. Thats sad.

Cosmo Donk

Well, there are plenty of different types of o-rings so I don't know which ones they are talking about. Most people don't call the coolant and oil seals in the engine o-rings because they really aren't an "O" I bet you just need the replacement of a bunch of external seals, like the oil pan, maybe some intake gaskets, change the vacuum lines, clean the electrical plugs, stuff like that.

$800 to change the stuff is resonable because it is a PAIN in the ****. One thing I would do though is supply them with some silicone hose and tell them to use that stuff rather than the stock Mazda pieces. I would shop around and maybe see if there are some Rotary nuts near you who would do it for you if you pay them or something. Or even better, if you have time, do it yourself

LAMEtHIng

iTrader: (1)

I have been looking around all over for some rotary specialists, but no luck. One of the guys at the Mazda dealership closest to me had an '93 RX7 so he knows them pretty well, " he claims ". So I am going to go with him, better than nothing. I'd love to do the work myself, and am planning on doing it myself but my first speed-bump is a lift, or jack. I need to get my baby in the air, so I can check things out. Where is the best place to get some silicone hose....rx7store?

Cosmo Donk

www.hosetechniques.com

I personally like the thick walled stuff because the hose I bought from www.bakerprecision.com collapses when I bend it sharply.