inghammer

Looking for some help before I bring my RX7 in to a shop. I'm getting smoke from somewhere in the engine bay on the passenger side towards the back. Seems like oil is dripping and hitting something hot and flashing. I just can't figure out where the oil is coming from. No oil on dripping on the garage floor. Everything is stock and I'm the original owner. Any help would be appreciated. I can add some photos when I get home.

Also if anyone know of a rotary shop in Minneapolis let me know.

Thanks

Brekyrself

iTrader: (30)

Photos may help pinpoint the problem, however with all the heat shields in that area it may be hard to see the source.

If it is oil for sure, it would be from the oil either going into or out of the turbos. The inlets have banjo fittings with copper crush washers while the drains have simple metal gaskets. The oil seals inside the turbos themselves could also be bad causing smoking while boosting especially. Any of these could leak over time and all are around the hot exhaust.

Other possibilities could include:
-Bad exhaust gasket(s). There are quite a few and any of them could leak smoke/exhaust into the passenger side engine bay
-If the car is 100% stock it still has the catalytic converter on the downpipe right off the turbos in the engine bay. These could plug up causing immense pressure on the gaskets = leak. Best to replace this with a JDM or aftermarket downpipe without the cat. JDM downpipes are great if you can find a nice one since they have heat shields all around them! Aftermarket ones are larger diameter but should really be ceramic coated to keep heat in the pipe, not the engine bay/car.
-There are also quite a few coolant lines in the area which if any leak on the hot exhaust will also smoke.

Turblown/TurboSource is near you, https://turbosource.com/

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

^+1. I'd be really cautious driving it. Chances are remote, but both oil and coolant can burn if things are hot enough. And a rotary's exhaust parts can get hot enough.

MarcosTacos

I'd try to get it on a lift, or at least jack it up to see under. A different point of view helps a ton to diagnose problems.