A few simple questions

[<--rYaN-->]

Right i've just got a few simple questions to sum up some of my other posts etc. These might sound a bit stupid but i just want to maintain my car to the best way i can. bear in mind that this car is pretty much standard except new engine around 2500 miles ago, and an exhaust system

1.
oil, need to put some engine oil this weekend. just part filled it with the oil i bought it with which was castrol (gtx i believe)
is this good enough on its own without any additives? just a case of pouring it straight from the bottle concentrated?
synthetic or non synthetic oils?

2.
Petrol tank oils, heard a lot of talk about putting oil in the engine tank, i have 3mm apex seals and heard them mentioned and how it helps, will there be noticable advantages to putting oil in the petrol tank? what oil should i use for that???? Concentrations????

3.
had 3 probs with my car the other day, first after driving down the motorway, turning my car off and trying to restart it a few mins later it took a good 10-15 seconds to get it started. spark plugs???? secondly i noticed my oil pressure was low on the factory gauge, between first mark and 0, could this be related to the starting prob? when i lifted my bonnet i noticed a sort of bubbling gurgling sound coming from around the engine area, something to do with low oil, hot engine????? filled it up with a bottle of castrol and the oil pressure went up to 4 on the gauge. but over the past few weeks (had the car a few months) i have noticed a popping sound from the exhaust and at the same time as the pop the car jerks and stutters, mentioned this in another thread, so with all these probs does it sound like a combination of spark plugs and oil? i never noticed it when i first had the car, so detonation probs would not suddenly develop would it?? somebody suggested that it could be the fact i have the exhaust system and not enough fuel could be supplied. but i think i would of noticed this when i first got the car as it would have scared me silly haha. so its something thats started recently. any ideas??

4
heard that driving with your parking lights on during the day and if you leave it running keeps the engine cooler as it turns the fans on earlier. any truth in this????


cheers

ryan

[bnaellis]

Ryan let me skip half of your questions a second and concentrate something you said.
(1) When you iflled it up with oil the other day was it the first time you had put oil in since the 2.5 months you've had it ??
(2) In one of your post you said you put half a bottle in, is that half a bottle of a 5litre tub ??
(3) where was the oil on the dipstick when you checked it the first time you iflled it up ??

rgds

Brian

[<--rYaN-->]

im afraid to say its the second time, the first time was done by a garage when i got a new radiator fitted near the beginning then it was off the road for about 3 weeks while i was away

i dont think it was a 5 litre bottle, sure it wasnt it fits in one of the storage compartments in the boots so cant be that big.

after reading a lot of stuff on rx7s recently and this recent prob i realised how much care they need so a very strict maintenance schedule will be kept to from now on!!!!

and as for the on the dipstick i couldnt even see the dipstick in the dark and thats why i only put half a bottle in and not a full one till i can have a good look at it when i go home this weekend

[bnaellis]

Check you oil weekly never let it get below half way.
Don't put additives in your oil.
There is quite a gulf in opinion on whether to use synthetic or mineral oil, opinion is not signed and sealed from Mazda it's just my opinion, and that is if you use good synthetic oil which nowadays oil is your car would be fine and if you use mineral you car too will be fine. Synthetic when it was tested years ago when oild was not as good a quality as it now is was suspected not to burn too clean and would leave deposits that would in time affect apex seals and lead to engine failure. I use mineral at present, but the castrol 10 w 30 mineral that Mazda used to recommend is no longer made. They now recommend a semi- synthetic which I will have put in my car for the first time on Monday coming.

As far as putting oil in the petrol tank again this is just my opinion.
I don't really see it as needful especially with a newly built engine. As long as you oil metering pump is working as it should be then all should be ok.

Dealing with you rother problem when new engines are being run in they have lower compression so may be a little more difficult to start than normal, yet after 2,500 miles I would of thought your compression should be ok now. Rx-7's in rx7's aren't the best hot starters in the world, yet i'm suprised you cranked it for 10-15 secs before she fired up.

The gurgling noise is common on a fd a sit runs so hot, when you turn it off and listen you will often hear that familar sound.

Oil pressure gauge is unreliable sometimes cleaning the connection works sometimes it don't, but more importantly check your oil, 10 second labour could save you a lot of dosh.

As for your popping and jerking etc, as I stated before take it too a garage, and you didn't confirm if you had just a catback exhaust or whether it is the full system ?? I saw your post on the u.s from sometime replied to you with aload of nonsense that if you have a full exhuast the popping is becaus eyour running rich not lean. That's absolute junk. My reply is the same as it was the other day take mine and Glens advise get the oil checked first asap and then take it too a garage. If you have a full exhaust system you will be running lean full stop. The popping is normal on a fd but the jerking and lack of power is not.

rgds

Brian

[<--rYaN-->]

well that does solve a few worries

i am planning on getting a full service in the next few weeks at wgt so i will explain it to them and get them to have a good look. i just dont understand why this would have recently started since i have had that exhaust since i've had the car and i've always driven it fairly hard. and as for if it is the full system or just a back box i honestly dont know. it may just be the midpipe and back box, but i cant go over speed bumps due to a pipe at the front that always bangs on the ground so this sounds like a full one does it not??
and do you think getting the fuel injectors cleaned will help??

[richrx]

RYB dont drive your car unless its to WGT, if the popping is detonation it could cost 5000+ to fix i.e new engine(if its detonation then it doesnt matter how new thr re-build is)

Have a look under the car, its fairly obvious what type of system is on it, if its shinney all the way back to the engine the chances are that its a full system, if it only goes back about half the car it'll be a cat-back system

[<--rYaN-->]

right so if i had the full system it would remove the catalytic converter?? and this is needed to pass the MOT, am i right so far?

now i know its had MOTS done since, so if this is the case then it would prob be a cat back system.

i'll have a good look underneath this weekend but does that sound about right?

[Steve Burnett]

So what is the main causes of detonation then? Letting the car run lean & letting the oil get to low.

P.S. should find out if im getting my RX7 arounf the 7th of April:D :D :D

[bnaellis]

Hi Steve the main cause of detonation running lean, but the possible reasons a car runs lean are many.

rgds

Brian

[Fish]

Rich, £5k will build the mother of all engines. I have been quoted around £4.5k for something able to push out around 450-500BHP, which is more than enough on rwd.

Dan

[<--rYaN-->]

i thought that was a bit pricey, rotechnics do a new engine for 1900odd and 750 fitting. still a lot of money i'd rather not spend though!!!!

[Robertio]

Originally posted by Fish
something able to push out around 450-500BHP, which is more than enough on rwd.

Dan

:eek: Only planning on taking the car out in the dry then Dan? :D

[richrx]

i said 5k because i went to see a car which had just had a rebuild after detonation funnily enough and the recipts were for 5k.

[Rx7Ray]

tons of things can make it run lean mate........fuel filter, dodgy chip, ECU, dead plugs, etc

not heard of an exhaust doin that tho, then again im coming from a N/A car. i am new to the rx7's and really know nothing about em, but im ready to lap it up lol

i had an engine detonate on me down to a certain performance chip.......it was making it run so lean the thing just blew......im still taking the engine appart to see whats what inside - gota have a good ol gander at the pistons etc.

but yeah, alot of stuff can make it run lean and pink


Ray

[johnf]

Pistons ??????????????????????????

[Fd3BOOST]

wErd