hi guys,

so in my other thread i had stated that my car is idling like a piece of crap and the revs surge like crazy. well i used the butane method and found the leak. and it was confirmed by my auto mechanic today.

he said its a big job to replace this paperish gasket with a stainless steel one and its the lower one. is that true? the labour alone is going to cost about 700, for 8.5 hours. plus the cost of the gasket.

is this project able to be done by myself? how much will this gasket cost? where can i get it? i think i would want to replace both while i am at it

the car runs like junk, and it just CHUGS gas. a full tank of 94 octane in about 5 days, jesus.

thanks for the help along the way for troubleshooting guys, i really appreciate it for helping me figuring out the problem

 

Big job for a newb with an FD. Unless you know a LOT about auto mechanics, have all the tools AND a shop manual, you'd better leave this for the professionals. Besides, the lower intake gasket is not all you need to worry about....it's all the solenoids, hoses, wiring harness, studs, etc that gets broken reaching the work area.

While they are fixing it would be a good time to replace other items that may become an issue later. Like install silicone vac hoses, fuel pressure dampener, clean the injetors - hell it may not stop.


later.....and good luck

 

i had my LIM gasket go on my first FD. $700 worth of labor sounds about right...

as badddrx7 mentioned, there is a lot of stuff to get out of the way just to get to that gasket. definitely a 1 or 2 day job for someone who knows what they are doing.

 

i actually changed the lower intake gasket myself, man that was a huge pain in the *** (no mech skills at all). If i was going to do it again, i wouldn't, 700 is cheap compared to the time i spend on it. I even ended up spending more then 700 after getting a downpipe, new hardware, cleaned fuel injectors, new lines, new solenoids, the list goes on. If the guy can do it good and for 700 i would pay for that.

robb

 

I can tell you right now if the mechanic breaks any solenoids you will still have to cover the cost of replacing the parts (it won't be included in the labor charge) down pipe gasket alone is $90

 

i had the same problem right after i got my fd. i got it when i was 18 and had no experience with the engine. i did a full vac hose job on my own, and it went fine. just label everything when you take it apart!! cant stress this enough. i think you can handle it, if you have a friend with some mechanical experience this would also be a plus

do your research and it should go fine. and make sure you order a metal gasket the plastic ones are crap. ray crowe at malloy mazda is the man to see for that. 700.00 is to much to pay for something so simple

 

Ehhh.... I had my LIM gasket go a few years ago, and it didn't cause THAT big an idling problem. Check a few hoses and visible solenoids before you rip that deep into it. I waited about 6 months before I replaced mine, just because I knew I'd be taking a bunch of other stuff out then anyway.

 

You're looking at spending some serious cash. I'd listen to badddrx7, he gives very good advice.

 

how often does the lower intake gasket fail? every 50K give or take? is it an annual repair?

 

it actually depends, but most if not all 93 rx-7 came with a fiber-gasket for the lim and eventually constant pressure, heating and cooling, not to mention oil breaks down the gasket.

 

Mine went in my FD about a month ago, cost me $1400NZ for labour and parts all up. I just couldnt be bothered doing it myself and had a RX7 mechanic do it for me.

We also replaced all the exhaust/turbo/downpipe/intake gaskets with the newest ones avaliable, and also replaced the studs and nuts etc. Runs a lot better now. I would look into replacing as many perishables as you can whilst the work is being done, good preventive maintenance. See the cost as an investment rather than a bill

 

^
thats crazy, so glad i could do it myself for free

 

do you meen fuel pressure regulator?

 

The replacement gasket is metallic, installed properly you'll never have problem with it.


Paul

 

No.

The reg is on the secondary rail. The FPD is on the primary rail, and over time it will leak, cause a fire, and burn your FD to the ground .

 

not a real easy job had it done once under waranty still cost me a lot for they said I had to replace all of the fastners. Did it myself the second time

 

Goodeye Rich.....Hopefully our advice will "take"


later

 

I noticed my UIM gasket and AVCR gaskets were both metal...does this mean the LIM would be metal?

 

AVCR? your apex'i has a metal gasket ?

I assume you mean ACV, air control valve. I would think that if your UIM gasket is metal, your LIM gasket will be as well. It's hard to believe that there are still FDs running around with the original paper gaskets, but I've seen it recently with my own eyes.