Mechanic Recommendation in NOVA? Traveling Mechanic?
 

Hi all,

Did a few searches on this topic but hoping there may yet be a few stones un-turned.

I just recently purchased a '94 FD - for anyone interested, here's my intro thread:

https://www.rx7club.com/introduce-yo.../#post12213893

The car was just delivered this past Labor Day weekend on Saturday the 2nd. On Sunday, I gave it a wash and drove it for approximately 40 miles, mildly spirited at times just getting a feel for the car, and then parked it.

On Monday (Labor Day), I didn't drive the car, but keyed it on to roll up the windows in the garage, which (I assume) primed the fuel system, after which I started to smell a strong gas odor in the garage through Monday, & by Tuesday morning had to push it out of the garage due to the smell.

I'm guessing that I cracked the fuel pulsation dampener or a hose to it - with the recent rain I've just been able to stick my nose near as I could get under the upper intake manifold and picked up some strong whiffs of gas.

So, given my current budding rotary knowledge and skill as a new owner, I'm hesitant to tackle this repair myself by getting under the UIM, and equally hesitant to drive the car for any long distance to a shop with a fuel leak.

*Can anyone recommend a competent mechanic in the Fairfax, VA area - or, by chance, is there anyone in this area that would be willing to work on the car on-site for a fee?*

I ordered some tires before this happened which will be delivered to a Curry's (come to find out is now branded Mr. Tire) nearby later this week, but I'm not too excited at the thought of having them do anything more than install the tires and do an alignment if they're not experienced with rotaries.

Thanks in advance,
David

Where exactly in NoVa are you? there are quite a few guys in the area that know their way around an FD. It could be something super simple..

Nearest rotary mechanic (shop) though will be quite a hike... You're looking at Angel Motorsports down in Hampton Roads, IRP up in New Jersey, or possibly Speed1 in PA (the old owner that made Speed1 great has stepped back from what I've heard, so no idea how that shop is doing these days..)

I'm in Fairfax, and thankfully already in touch with an area FD enthusiast that takes side jobs who may be willing to come out and take a look. I'll be sure to update with progress to make sure I'm sharing a good resource if it goes that way.

On the topic of area shops, I'm also aware of Unique Precision Rotary in Westminster, MD - if anyone has any input on them. Seems to be a smaller shop with solid reviews.

Does the local enthusiast have a name? :lol:


Never heard of that shop in MD personally... I'd just be sure to stay WAAAYYY away from anything associated with a guy names Ray Wilson (if he's even still around), he used to run a shop up in Frederick and fucked a bunch of people over in the process of it closing down..

First and foremost, do not drive it until you get the leak fixed. It could be the FPD or a leak in your fuel hose and is a real fire hazard

Replacing the FPD itself is easy, the hard part is getting to it. It's been a while, but you need to remove at minimum the UIM. You may also have to remove/loosen some of the rat's nest. Same goes for the fuel hose. It's buried as well. It's not hard, it just take some patience to deal with

As Fendamonky said, there's a lot of folks around with knowledge to assist, just not sure if anyone would be willing to do it for you. If you want complete piece of mind, I recommend IRP. I've hauled mine up there several times.

Oh, and when you are in there, there's opportunity to address other things if needed (vacuum hoses, solenoid valves, check valves, injectors, etc.)

SOOOO MUCH THIS!!! We watched a beautiful FD burn while leaving for a fall cruise once because of a fuel leak (I'm pretty sure that was the root cause). It's a really horrible thing to see, and I'm sure it's MUCH worse to experience as the owner.

Username is max_spd. He came over today and in a matter of hours completely transformed the car - it turns out that the FPD seems fine, the issue being that I wasn't used to the stink of a catless, rich-running rotary :lol:

New Bönez midpipe and plugs installed, compression test performed (with healthy results), and some boost leak/vacuum hose issues resolved. The car drives so much better now and I'm much happier with it than I was last weekend on the first drive after delivery.

He said he'd welcome PM's if other NOVA owners needed some help with their cars. He definitely knows his way around these cars and was well worth the $ outlay!

Yeah, I like Vlad. He's a pretty good dude, I haven't chilled with him in a while though... Should call him up now that I think about it.. :lol:

Thanks for the good rep David, and Levi, you prick, you have been in NOVA for how long now and i received ZERO calls from your ass! Great Friend you are! :-/

:rofl: Yeah... I've been super reclusive.. I've still got the same number though!! ;)

For real though.. I need to remember to have you over.