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12a rubbery smoke from engine

Posted: Thu May 22, 2014 4:10 am
by zxing
Hey boys I'm in desperate need of some help with my 12a s1 rx7

Recently after driving for any length of time, my 7 will be emitting smoke from just below the exhaust manifold. The smoke has a very rubbery smell, almost exactly like a burnt out clutch. I haven't, however had any issues with the clutch.

I spotted a bit of coolant resting at the bottom of the engine. Upon inspection, I noticed that I had chewed through a whole tank of engine coolant in about a week. Furthermore, there is a significant amount of browny red build up inside the tank.

The engine has a a slight leak the whole time I've owned the car, which may have slightly worsened, but I am unsure about this.

For your reference, I live in Australia so my car is technically an sa22c not an fb, not sure if this makes a difference.

Thanks in advance guys, any help is greatly appreciated.

Re: 12a rubbery smoke from engine

Posted: Thu May 22, 2014 8:50 am
by codge
The usual problem with these engines is failure of the 'O' rings which seal the water passage holes inside the inlet manifold (joint to the engine).
The 'O' rings perish & need renewing. A fairly straightforward job if that's what it is.

The browny red build up is a bit more concerning.......but if you've topped up with water rather than coolant for some time maybe the expansion in/out into the bottle would be that colour???

Anyone else got an idea?

Re: 12a rubbery smoke from engine

Posted: Thu May 22, 2014 10:42 am
by A7RXY
Dave I think you have it spot on.

Dibs