Mazda Rotary Club

just wondered if n e one could help me out!
after ringing around and coming to the conclusion that the smell of petrol in im car is an inlet manifold gasket leak, i\'ve been toying of the idea of doing it myself. i understand thats its quite a job but i thought by doing it myself i\'d learn to understand the workings of my car better as i\'ve only serviced it myself and never had to tinker with it!
i\'m not a complete novice when it comes to working on cars but ive never worked on a rotory engine before!
is this a really bad idea? and would there be n e special tools needed?
any guidence would be great!
cheers
:)

Hi,

where dos it comes exactly? From the upper or lower section of the manifold?
Generaly, its a straight job. Nothing special is needed. Just take a look on the workshop manual, (//www.iluvmyrx7.com) to get an idea of the job.

REgards
Iwan

thanks for your help.
i\'ve been on iluvmyrx7.com and downloaded a manual but it say\'s that the file is to large to open and try using another program, any ideas?
i\'m glad you\'ve said its generally a straight forward job but i dont know if its the upper or lower gasket but is it a case of to change one you might as well change both?
the fuel smell accurs when the car boosts and seems to be getting stronger!
thankyou :)

hi,

which program do you use to open the file? Try with adobe acrobat reader (//www.adobe.com).

So, you are not shure where it comes from exactly?! So, how is your engine running? Any abnormality to idle speed? To indicate gasket leaks, use brakecleaner (use it VERY CAREFULLY !) to spray "around" the gasket. Look where it try\'s to suck or flame the brake cleaner.

If your idle speed is OK, the probability of a gasket leak is very low. In this case check your PULSATION DAMPER ! Very danger thing, when the damper is leaking !

REgards
Iwan

Hi Tom, sorry l haven\'t got back to you sooner.

Read the stuff Iwan has posted as this is good info.

Unfortunately especially if you have been running higher than stock boost pre 95/6 cars have a paper gasket on the lower inlet manifold and are prone to popping.

Real bad \'hunting\' will be the symptom i.e. the revs will rise and fall erratically.

The Gasket itself only costs around £30 but it takes around 9 or 10 hours to change it !!!!!!

As  Iwan says no special tools required but lots of patience will be as removing the Turbo assembly is very fiddly but it is quite straightforward to do this job yourself if you have done a fair bit of mechanical work previously.

l will talk to you further if you wish at the pub meet Tuesday.

Hope this helps.

I think mine needs changing too as I occasionaly have a strange Idle level of about 1100 rpm.  After stopping for 30 seconds it goes back to normal.

Could it be anything else - because i just cant afford that much labour time at the moment.

P.S Clive, sorry i havent rung - been quite busy this weekend - will speak to you Tuesday.

Thanks for the replys
the car idles perfectly!
so if a inlet gasket had gone would i almost definatly lose my idle?
if i drove my car totally off of boost it would be fine, other than that it loses petrol from somewhere almost as if if only loses fuel when the induction system presurises!
iwan, where abouts is the pulsation damper located and why is it dangerous?
thanks alot:)

lo @ all

when the idle speed is OK, your gasket should be to 99% OK to.

The pulsation damper is a part of fuel system. When the damper is leaking, the fuel will enter the rotorhousing surface and inflame.  

Attached is a pic of the fuel system.

Please check all your fuel hoses for any leaks or broken hoses.  (cracked or damaged one for any reason) Replace bad hoses ASAP ! Please keep fire extinguisher inside the car to prevent any damage (just for security reason)

REgards
Iwan

thanks alot for your help!
i\'ll get stuck in with it over the next few days and let you know how i get on! i\'ll check all the fuel hoses first!:)

I\'ve had a inlet manifold gasket go with perfect idle before, I\'ve also seen them go with high idle.

rgds

It could also be the injector seals. While you\'re in there, may as well replace them, too.