White smoke / Rain 93 rx7
 

A few quick questions! thanks a lot guys btw great forum. Is it normal for a 93 rx7 to have a LOT of white smoke upon first startup in the morning? I am pretty sure it is due to the water just creeping in. Other than the morning, other idles dont produce that much smoke. Another question, how would I fix the peeling of the dashboard near the windshield vents. They started peeling pretty badly =[. Also, is it bad to leave an rx7 in the rain? San Jose is due for some rainy weather. Thanks!

At first cold startup, the smoke coming out the exhaust could look like its a lot but its probably normal. Post a vid if you like. Water doesn't creep in.

Not sure what you mean about peeling. Post a pic.

Leaving the car in the rain is OK so long as the car doesn't have any leaks into the interior.

not sure about smoke but the dash you can use some contact cement or super glue . no rain is not bad its actually pretty good sideways at about 5500 rpms, no you can leave the car out only bad thing is water spots

Alright, ill post pics as soon as I can! As for the rain, I peeled off my console to install my cd receiver and it looks rusty where the console is. The metal behind the instrumental gauges and console cluster looks rusty and orange. Pretty sure this is rust, but how did rust get in THERE

oxygen cause rust non primered metal is gonna oxidise. clean it with sandpaper and acid etch it then wipe excess acid of after it flashes and paint

yay thanks!

The white smoke is just condensation buildup . Since it is cooler weather it will puff out a cloud of white smoke. When spring/ summer starts and the temperatures heat your car shouldn't smoke at startup.

If your car blows a cloud of white smoke when temperatures are a lot warmer usually it calls for an engine rebuild.

Sweet, I was having the same issue with my car and was hoping it was the dropping temperatures.

Yeah the "smoke" is often condensation, actually steam not smoke. FDs run very hot exhausts which will draw condensation as the hot exhaust runs over the cold exhaust pipes.

On the other hand white smoke can be from burning coolant. That's not good news, so if you're not convinced you're seeing steam, or the car has trouble starting, look up info on coolant seals.

Dave

Alright, thanks for the info. I am pretty sure its steam, not white smoke. If it was white smoke, wouldn't it continue to make white smoke until i shut off the engine?

nah,, white smoke...prob if you rev it really high on a warm day.then yeah but not ona rainy or cold day...

white smoke could mean that the seals in the engine are done for and coolant is leakin into the combustion chamber and being burned off out the exhaust as white smoke. that means its engine rebuild time but it can also be condensation. does the smoke smell have a sweet smell at all?

i think your rigth:nod:

If it does turn out to be a bad internal coolant seal, check out my thread on the easy fix I came up with. Many have tried it, almost all with success. If it doesn't work, you're out 4 bucks. :)

https://www.rx7club.com/1st-gen-archive-71/engine-coolant-seal-repair-maybe-750774/


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:icon_tup:

good info

kentetsu is right, i used block sealant on my second gen but you have to be careful using that because it can clog your radiator and ruin your waterpump if you add too much. it also should only be temporary as you get a rebuild set up

No sweet smell, smells like fuel. I am almost sure it is just water vapor because it goes away after the idle drops.

Yeah more then likely it is just condensation then. Good luck fixing the 7 though!

Hello Friends.
At first cold startup, the smoke coming out the exhaust could look like its a lot but its probably normal. Post a vid if you like. Water doesn't creep in.

Not sure what you mean about peeling. Post a pic.

Leaving the car in the rain is OK so long as the car doesn't have any leaks into the interior.

I'll get a picture up when my sister gives me my camera back haha.

Is it normal for FD's to have harsh startups before normal operating temperatures? My FD has a harsh sounding start up and the body sort of rocks. Of course after it starts its idling it drives like normal. But WHILE it is starting up, it sounds like a fart can

Before I replaced my main cat my car was smoking like crazy. Now with my bonez high flow cat on, there is barely any smoke on cold start ups. Dunno if the cat has anything to do with it but that's what I found out.

Can block sealant clog the heater core as well?

What is normal is a light putt-putt sound from the exhaust that comes and goes. The body should not rock, that sounds like one rotor is not running properly. Could be a fuel issue or coolant seal or something else.

David

Yes

I have only used block sealant twice and both times it clogged my heater core.

Hope previous owner didn't use block sealant and clog up the heater core. . . .looks like I need to flush it or replace.

Just to clarify this, the Alumaseal that I recommended is not a "Block Sealant". It consists of tiny flakes of aluminum, opposed to the big chunks of gunk you find in block sealants.

You are not required to drain or flush the system after use, or clean the system before use. It is compatible with coolants, and can be ran in the system full time.

After I used it a couple of years ago, I just left it in there as a preventive measure. I have never had an issue with my heater core, and believe me, living in Michigan I would have realized if it had. :)

But the thing is after my car has idled up, the car runs fine.

I think you dont have aynthing to worry about...

It could be that you are leaking coolant into the "combustion chambers" after shutting her down. Or maybe an injector is leaking... Either issue could cause it to run rough until it cleans itself out. :)

im having this issue as well....if it even is an issue. it really only happens in the morning after its been in the garage all night.

after work or during lunch when i start it up it hardly does it at all so im going to assume its just condensation.

as for a smell, there is nothing irregular about it. smells like normal exhaust to me.

yea, sort of annoying and seems unhealthy...

With the heater core problem, my AC doesn't work. I haven't looked into it, but any help?

Could my start trouble be turbo related? Maybe a bad seal, and after the engine is warmed up the gasket could possibly seal it?