SWAT81

iTrader: (14)

Hi I just recently bought a RX-7 1993 with 64k miles, when I first start the engine alot of white smoke comes out from the exhaust then after about 5mins it goes away. While it smokes the car raddles but after it warms up a little the smoke andf raddle goes away. Is this common or is there problem with my car? Also when I switch to external vent while the fan is on I smell a slight exhaust scent or maybe little burning oil scent. Is this a big problem?

diabolical1

iTrader: (3)

has it started this since you got it, or was it always doing this? i'd check it to see if you can find any more solid signs of overheating ... but i think that it may have overheated at some point before you got it.

also ... on a sidenote, if the exhaust smell in the vents is strong, then don't drive the car like that. it's FAR from healthy. you may get CO poisoning ...

Project84

White smoke= burning coolant
Blue smoke= burning oil
Black smoke= burning fuel (rich a/f mix)

If its burning coolant, then their is a broken water seal in the block, which would be the equivilant of a broken head gasket in a piston engine. Its generally unhealthy for the engine to burn coolant. A friend of mine had this problem and he immediately parked the car. I bought the motor to do a rebuild and the fact that he parked it kept the damage to a bare minimum. Here is a picture of a broken water seal channel. Usually the seal will be dislodged and break, but not the channel. They say its a slight design flaw that causes the channel to break. The one I opened up had a broken channel but I had extra engine plates to replace the bad one.

I don't know how much you know about rotary engines but you have to remove the engine and take it apart to replace the seals.

SWAT81

iTrader: (14)

How much do you think this would cost to get fixed since I'm blowing white smoke during idle. However I do have to mention that the smoke goes away after the engine warms up and it doesn't smoke while I'm driving or parked. Could this still be the same problem?

SWAT81

iTrader: (14)

Well it was like this when I first got it, but as I said the smoke goes away after warm up of the engine. Also if I close the vent the smell doesn't come in the car, but is there a way to fix that problem?

Project84

If its a water seal, then the seal is abut $12.00, but to replace it, you gotta take out the engine, and take it apart. When you do this, you have to take off the external parts and it is safer to replace all the other gaskets and seals for the other parts. I never reuse gaskets or seals. And if you take the motor apart, you may as well replace all the other seals too. An engine seal and gasket kit can be purchase for about $147 from atkinsrotary. S/H will be $7.50 This will have all the water seals, all the gaskets and every thing but the seals for the rotors themselves.

If one of the plates has a broken water jacket like in the picture above, then you have to replace the plate as well. New ones are $250-$450 depending on the year and the plate you need. You can get used ones, but you need to inspect it closely. Look for cracks in water jackets and make sure the machined surface is not gouged, damaged, worn or flaking.

SWAT81

iTrader: (14)

This sounds like a big problem to me, I don't know much about fixing rotary engines except for minor problems, but perhaps my mechanic friend will understand this better when he reads this. Would it be ok if you guide us through some problems when we get back to you on this subject? Also it would be real cool if we can talk to you on the phone since it would be much easier to understand.

Project84

I never worked a 3rd gen motor before, but I know the internal parts are the same as far as the rotors, seals and housings. The external stuff is different from the 12As and 13Bs of the 2nd gens that I'm more used to, but I will be glad to lend as much help and insight as possible. A good thing to have is a haynes manual. You can look through it and see what the job will entail, as well as what tools will be needed. You could also get this video from Atkins Rotary. This could be a little more informative because you can actually watch them do it and they explain what they are doing and why. I only used the Haynes manual cause I been familiar with rotary engines for a while and I'm a mechanic so it wasn't to difficult to figure out. There are only three moving parts, the 2 rotors, and the crank shaft. Then you got the oil pump and counterweight behind the front cover. Thats pretty much all there is inside the block. Here is the link to get the video. Its $29.95

http://www.atkinsrotary.com/enginevideo.htm

Feel free to PM me with as many questions as you want and I'll do my best to answer them. If you want, I can send you my phone number but I'm stationed in South Dakota so it will be long distance.