Recently I've been having a problem with my rx7. When I take a short ride it decides it wants to act up. After I turn it off and to about my buisiness, when I try to crank the car up it won't start. When I pop the hood I am greeted with a blast of gas fumes. It never fails. Besides this problem the car runs pretty good. What the process of elimination start? I admit I'm not motor head but I do learn really quickly.



Any ideas?

 

could be a fuel presure regulator leakin, pull vacum line and see if there is gas in it, could be a faulty pulsation dampner or leaky injectors.

 

Will do. Its still something that throws me for a loop. I only live less than a mile away from my job. When I drive home for lunch and try to start the car an hour later it won't start. But if I drive for a longer distance it gives me no problems what so ever. I do need a tune up bad, could this have anything to with that?

 

The classic RX-7 flooding scenario involves a short trip, one not long enough for the engine to warm up fully. Combine that with old, dirty injectors and you compound the problem. Need a tune-up? Compounded again.



Also, if you have a strong fuel smell, you'd better take a good look around the engine compartment. A leaky pulsation damper or other fuel leak will ruin your day in a hurry.

 

Has this flooding problem been around since the beginning? Thats odd... I may have exaggerated a bit, the smell of fuel isn't as strong as I may have previously described. it smells just enough to let me know its flooded. I had the fuel filter changed (which was clogged) and had the injector cleaned (which were also in bad shape).



I checked my spark plugs, they looked terrible but where giving out a good spark.



Question: Could too much coolant cause a flooding problem? I actually got home a turned the car on and let it warm up for a long time. It began to spit out coolant. When I checked the level of the reservoir it was at MAX. I guess it was getting rid of the excess. The needle on the temp gauge evened out and it didn't heat up again. Weird?



I knew when I bought this car that I would problems here and there and I understand this is going to be a serious undertaking.



I love this car, I'll never get rid of it!

 

Flooding problem: Let it heat up fully before shutting it off. Yes, this problem has always existed, even the RX-8s have the same problem (from what I've heard).



Coolant problem: Make sure you have a good, Mazda thermostat.

 

Will a MAZDA dealership have a thermostat availiable? Where a good reliable source for OEM parts?

 

Yes, call your local dealership. If they don't have one in stock, they suck worse than most dealerships, and you should tell them so.

 

Hahaha ok. But only because youre a fellow xboxLIVE subscriber. I'll tell them that Baldy sent me. I'll let you know.



Any idea where I can find those rubber strips thats on the doors? Their name totally escapes me right now...

 

Dealership should be able to order those as well. If you autocross (or any other type of sanctioned race) 2 or more times a year, you can apply for Mazda Motorsports discounts, which have much better prices than the dealership.



Mazdatrix has decent prices on many stock and aftermarket parts, but I don't think they have stock exterior parts.





Oh, and a note on changing your thermostat. Many times the bolts holding the thermostat housing on can be very corroded. Use plenty of PB Blaster on them a day in advance, then soak them again before trying to remove them.