Smoke Screen???
 

Just purchased my third 2nd Gen a couple of weeks ago and loving it. 89 GTU with 125k and in great general condition. It was kept by an older guy who didn't drive it much and probably rarely opened it up. I blew the coolant line the first hard run on the freeway and had it, the water pump and all dry belts replaced.

Problem I'm having is major smoking at times during high RPMs. We're talking major white smoke like James Bond style that blinds everyone in my lane behind me. It usually continues until I let the RPMs come down to under 6k.

Been reading other posts about worn oil seals but not sure if thats it because I've only taken it up to high RPMs 7k+ a dozen times or so and half of the time it smoked and the other half it didn't. Sometimes I'll see a puff between gears at higher RPMs. Can't smell it because its always behind me.

Getting a fuel smell at WOT too and not sure if its related but wife keeps complaining about it. Any help would be much appreciated.

Which coolant line blew, and how much coolant did you lose before you noticed? Any trouble with overheating? Check for bubbles in the coolant, while the engine is warming up too. If enough coolant was lost, the resulting hotspot could have cracked the water jacket, which would let coolant into the combustion chamber. I had this happen to my TII years ago.

White smoke is going to be coolant, but a light gray/gray, which may look white anyhow, will be oil. The oil control rings allow more and more oil to seep past as the engine gets more miles on it. The only cure is to rebuild.

Thanks for the reply. Not sure which coolant line it was that blew but it was towards bottom drivers side of the engine. It was really just a big crack and although I was losing coolant fast, I only had a few miles to go to get to a reliable shop in town. There was no overheating during the incident in fact the temp didn't rise at all. I'll look for the bubbles to see if it could be the water jacket. If it was, what is the fix for that?

I have a feeling its the oil seals though. Not sure why it would leak sometimes and not others. How long can I go if the seals are worn? Will they continue to wear even if keep in the lower (under 6k) RPM range? Will taking it to the higher RPMs hasten the damage? How do I know when the rebuild is needed?

Sorry for all the questions but really appreciate the help.

Driving any distance with a major coolant leak is a very, very bad idea. The temperature didn't change because the coolant dropped below the level of the sensor while the engine heated up fast.

But this does not sound like a coolant problem, more like an oil issue. Check the PCV system just to make sure you aren't pressurizing the crankcase. Your symptoms do describe worn oil rings and as odd as this sounds, I have seen it as an intermittent problem. The engine could continue to run for 100,000 miles like this, or it could start drinking large amounts of oil tomorrow.

if you have the money, get the engine rebuilt. if not , hit up your local autozone and look for this engine sealant callled "alumiseal". or "bars permanent engine seal". im using it now and it works. but still go with the rebuild

Excuse my naivety but could someone tell me what the PCV system is and how to go about checking it to make sure its not pressuring the crankcase?

Has anyone else used alumiseal or bars engine seal? Are these products safe for rotaries?

After just dropping $4500 on the initial purchase and the coolant system repairs, I'd prefer to hold off on the rebuild for another year or so possible as long I'm not causing any permanent damage.

Took it out today and brought RPMs up to 7k in 3rd a couple of times with no signs of smoke today. Still intermittent.

I personally would never use any additive. Others have different methods.

As for the PCV, the Factory Service Manual can be found in the FAQ For FC thread. It contains all this information and more, and is an essential tool for any sort of service work that needs to be performed on these cars.

Additionally, the Haynes service manual for the 1986 thru 1991 RX-7 (both turbo and NA) can be found at most local auto parts stores or purchased from any good bookstore (ISBN number 1 56392 007 7). It is only about $25 and is a great quick reference for things like this. Not only does it contain most of the information in the FSM condensed into an easy to read format, but it includes full wiring diagrams as well.

These manuals will answer 99% of service related questions for the car and if you intend to do your own repair work, you will need at least one of them. Preferably both, since the FSM is a free download.

Well my Oil control rings are not that hot either... I cant really even Hold it at 4k rpm on decel without blue smoke.. If im speeding up its fine. Just cant hold 4k and Higher...

That was till i tried marvel mystery oil. AND this rubber gasket conditioner(I can get the name of it later if interested) i got at napa.
I must say it didnt Fix the problem totaly. However i can now Hold 5 and 6 k for Short periods of time before the blue smoke appears... SO i must give this stuff two thumbs up.

Please note. I did not add all of the stuff at one time. I did half. for a week and did the other half later.. Since i leak oil so bad i put the other half in at the next oil ad..

I think that marvel Mystery oil is alot thinner and gets into places the oil really cant go.. after i added the regular oil that is thicker that's when i noticed that it did work... that marvel oil at first likes to leak past the control rings i think that puffed them up a bit. Plus the Rubber gasket crap i got helped too..

Just my two cents... Alot of people Dont like to add anything to there engine. and run it till its dead.. I think why not try this stuff. Seems to Work for me anyways... Im not saying you guys with oil control ring issues. should try it Just because i have good things to say about it...

But i also did this to my engine i had many years back before the apex seal blew a year later...
I managed to drive without smoke for over a year before i did the engine swap... with positive results....

And everyone i talk to has good things to say about use in Normal Piston engines as well!

MMO is just "wax mud" as Icemark liked to put it. It's not an oil, and there is no mystery about it (see it's MSDS for ingredients).

Any seal conditioner you would have used just swells the seals. I guess there is no harm in that if the engine is already damaged, but expect the effect to be temporary.

Couldn't determine whether it was a coolant or oil issue but either way it seems its probably some worn seals. Added some Royal Purple coolant system conditioner and some Lucas Oil Leak Stop Additive and after just a few trips to work (15 miles each way) it seems that the smoking has been at least temporarily reduced by about 80%. I'm hoping the problem will be unnoticable after a little more driving as the seals hopefully swell a bit more. I'll update the post in a few more days.

Brought it up to high RPMs again today and no smoke. Maybe this stuff works as well as some people have claimed. I'm becoming a believer and hopefully I can put off a rebuild for another 25-50k miles.