khoney

I know this is an '8 forum, but since the oil seal is common to both the 7 and the 8, here goes.

My '87 RX-7 TII sat outside without being started for about 2 years after I got my 8. I had it towed home, and it's sat in the garage for about 8 months now. I decided to look into getting it started again, so the first thing I did was pull the plugs and inject about 2cc of oil into each leading plug hole. I turned the rotors by hand, and about 20cc or so of black oil came out the rear leading plug hole. The only reason I can think why this would happen is some seal went bad.

I'm toying with the idea of really putting some money into the car, but if it looks like I'm getting in in over my head, maybe I won't. I don't have a lot of specialized tools, so I'm not sure if I could handle an engine replacement.

Need some advice now - what should I do? should I drain and replace the fuel and still try to start it up, or are there some other diagnostic procedures I should do? BTW, my coolant reservoir looked really sludgy, almost like there was oil in the coolant. I removed it and cleaned it out.

TRZ750

You don't have a rear seal problem. That leaks out from the bell housing.

The rotary's have two main problems. Cooling issues causing internal failures. Check with a radiator tester.

The other is high oil consumption. If the cooling is OK try to start the enngine. If started, after any residual oil is burned off, oil smoke (slightly blue and hangs around a long time) during on off throttle is an indication of bad seals. Once fully hot the convertor can burn all oil smoke up, so smoking on the second cold start can also be an indicator.

Just sitting for 2 years can cause internal rusting and later engine problems. So unless you just want to drive it for a while before you do a full rebuild or replacement, plan for this. The rusting will cause the oil seals to wear quickly. etc.

khoney

Sorry I couldn't respond earlier - work's been hellish. So where did the oil in the chamber come from?

khoney

Another observation - the last time I drove it, I thought I smelled coolant coming in through the vents when the heater was on. So, any takers on where the oil in the rear rotor might have come from???