Okay so I am new to the site but it has helped me out a lot with my decision on what rx7 to get.

So here goes the problem I am about to buy this rx7 if I can figure out the issue and how to resolve it. The car starts and idles great does not smell bad or anything.
After waiting a little while you can smell a little fuel but it's not to bad. A few min later and the turbo will glow red very faint but I turned it off as soon as I saw that.

I have a link to the ad to show what mods it has.
http://elpaso.en.craigslist.org/cto/2000907061.html

to be honest this is my first rotary and I don't want to screw it up I have always wanted a rx7 and would really like to pick this one up I have worked on a lot of other cars so I can do work just looking for guidence on what I should do and how I should do it?

If you can tell me what's wrong or what I can change to check what's wrong that would be awesome. Thank you

 

Not sure about the turbo glowing red but how are you going to register it w/o a title?

For anyone new to rotaries, I always recommend buying a well running car to start off with unless you have a GOOD rotary shop near you that can fix the issues if you can't figure it out.

 

well the title is not a problem it has the paper work to register it and everything. so im not worried about that.

Im not to sure if there is a really great rotary shop but i do know of a place around here that works on everything and last time i was there they had 3 rx7's so i assume they know what to do.

So nobody knows why its glowing red though?
(also i do have another car so its not like buying it will put me out of commission) just want a project that i can learn on too so one with a problem if not to big should be cool.

 

^Check the oil/water feed to the turbo, the only reason it would be glowing red like that (at idle) is that it most likely is not getting oil/water to the turbo causing it to overheat. To check it, take out the EGI fuse under the hood, remove the oil and water lines, and have someone turn the engine over and watch the lines to see if they are supplying fluids to the turbo. Make sure you have something to catch the fluids so they do not go all over the engine bay, also make sure you replace any fluids that are lost while doing this. As soon as you can get a good look at how much flow each line is putting off make sure to have your friend stop turning the engine over.

Few things to help you get started on this forum, when asking a question always include the year, mileage, mods, ect. To give everyone a good background on your car, that will make it easier to answer your questions. GL with your new toy!

 

Thank you very much yea i just talked to a buddy and he hooked me up with a shop.
He is really close to the owner and so i was able to talk to him.

What i was told was almost the same just not how to check it he said it seems like its not getting enough or no oil.

and if it is then its just a time issue so now that i have that straight im going to pick up the car tomorrow and work on everything this weekend.

Ps sorry about that i should have said what year and everything.
Its a 87 turbo II with a s5 manifold.

 

You say you can smell fuel?
That is a bit Concerning.If the car is leaking fuel then It would be a 'fire trap".That needs to be looked at.
The smell of fuel Leads me to believe that the car is running Rich and Too much gas is making the turbo Run RED.
(although after a Good run,you can make the Turbo Glow like a damn nite-lite!)

 

Smelling gas is really bad. In S4's they are notorious for the pulsation dampers, and injectors leaking fuel onto the engine and catching fire. The first thing that I would recommend is sending the injectors off to have them serviced, and replace/mod the fuel rails.

That being said, an FC with issues such as this one I wouldn't offer more than $1,000-$1,200 for it.

 

Yea i think its fuel i mean like i said i haven't ever worked on a rotary and i have never had a engine have fuel problems.

But the up side im actually just trading my miata. So i dont think its a bad deal.

Also i talked to a mechanic who has looked at the car because this guy had brought it to him and he says everything is great except the time. So we will see on that when i get it here, and last he has the papers for the engine it had only 45,000 when he got it and he hasnt put much on it.
The body is what has the miles on it but is still in good shape besides the motors for the sunroof and windows.

Thanks everyone for your help and when i get it ill try and post some pics of what i do to fix it or whats wrong.

 

Is there a diagram that shows how the turbo and all the lines to be hooked into it i think if im correct this guy was wrong on how he hooked it up.

If someone can point me to one that would be awesome.

 

well oil and water lines are easy to spot and figure out what goes where. There should be 4 lines connected to the turbo. Oil in, oil out. Water in, water out. Oil out goes directly into pan, and oil in is on the direct other side of the turbo from oil out. Then follow the other 2 lines to see where they come from. Those are water lines.

 

It will have nothing to do with the oil and water lines.

The turbo is glowing red because of too much fuel or not enough timing. Since the original ad has been deleted, there isn't much info available. What mods does the car have? For example, if they just put in a high flow fuel pump with no other way of controlling fuel, the exhaust will glow red due to the rich mixtures.

 

Yea im starting to think its a little of both issues due to the oil out line is a crappy line and leaks a tiny bit.
Also the fuel pump was replaced with a walbro 255, So maybe that might be the issue?
Is there a way to adjust this?

 

SO i am going to pick up a fuel regulator and new lines for the turbo and try and get a diagram of the vac lines.
Also im going to set the time as soon as i figure out how on this car should get it going i think
If anyone has a diagram or a thing for setting time on this car i would greatly appreciate it thank you.

 

lol i would help but im in the same situation but this info is helpfull

 

I agree, no way should the turbo be glowing red especially at a lower RPM.