Standard starting procedure / choke setting Q-jet

Discussion in 'The Venerable Q-Jet' started by srb, Jan 24, 2022.

  1. LARRY70GS

    LARRY70GS a.k.a. "THE WIZARD" Staff Member

    Ethanol eats the commonly available accelerator pumps. Remanufactured carburetors are put together from piles of parts. Most rebuilders won’t touch them.
     
    pbr400 likes this.
  2. srb

    srb Well-Known Member

    Nope. I've even cranked my new battery empty.
    I uncoupled the choke now. Let's see how it goes this evening.
    Strange, with my first start attempt it did work and it ran well. Although that was without a choke as well. For city traffic that is, haven't taken it any further.
    Wasn't really looking for rebuilding a carb, but perhaps I have to...

    Now you start questioning everything; this is my typical cranking speed. Is that ok? On Youtube I see some cranking faster.
     
    Last edited: Jan 26, 2022
  3. Dr. Roger

    Dr. Roger Stock enthusiast

    Crank speed sounds about right, maybe a little slow. Got to be careful not to burn up your starter cranking it until the battery dies.
     
  4. srb

    srb Well-Known Member

    It's a little bit faster with a full battery, but good to know. I always start in short bursts, so I think my starter can handle that.

    I pulled the plugs and they were all black and wet. And I forgot to gap them, so I did that now. But that means it runs too rich.
    The idle mixture screws were a little bit more out than the manual two turns, but not shockingly.

    Perhaps too rich with the choke on? It was sold to me as stock so I expect the jets are stock too and no fancy oversize..

    The carb was sitting on my shelf for a couple years, packed in plastic, but it is a used one. Could it be that after one run something went bad inside? We're just weeks away from moving to a new home half a mile away and I want to move it there driving. I don't really have the time now to open up the carb.
     
  5. LARRY70GS

    LARRY70GS a.k.a. "THE WIZARD" Staff Member

    There is no telling what you have there. Re manufactured Q-jets have a very generic tune, if they are tuned at all. Each Quadrajet was calibrated for the engine line it was meant for. Like I said, the Re-mans are put together from piles of parts.
     
    pbr400 likes this.
  6. Dr. Roger

    Dr. Roger Stock enthusiast

    2 turns out on the mixture screws might be a little much to start with. I typically start with one and work my way up. Usually around 1 1/4 turns gets pretty close depending on how the engine/vacuum go, but every carb/engine is different. If plugs were wet, sounds like it might be flooded. Make sure the vacuum pull-off is working correctly.
     
    srb likes this.
  7. srb

    srb Well-Known Member

    It's wet.
    I think the carb just failed on me.

    20220127_124822.jpg 20220127_130508.jpg

    Float wasn't stuck, but I pulled it.
    Let's look for a rebuild manual. I don't want to ship it across the Atlantic twice, so hopefully I can do it myself.

    Oil also has a gasoline smell to it.
     
  8. Briz

    Briz Founders Club Member

    If you've been having issues the plugs may be fuel fouled and will not fire no matter what you do from that point.
     
    Max Damage likes this.
  9. Cliff R

    Cliff R Well-Known Member

  10. 12lives

    12lives Control the controllable, let the rest go

    Put new plugs in and go back to the holley for now. At least you can get the car moved!
     
  11. srb

    srb Well-Known Member

    Aha ok. Great. That's not really helping me. I just bought it.
    Is there a rebuild guide somewhere? I see a ton of Youtube films, but no idea if they're any good. And how to tell if I have Cadillac parts mixed? Apparently that's happening.

    I'll start disassembling it this evening. Sigh.

    Hehe, that thing is shot as well, but yeah... I might actually do it :)
     
  12. Prairie Piston

    Prairie Piston Well-Known Member

    Everyday performance just published a book on rebuilding them. Step by step. I’ve read most of it but honestly have not physically completed the steps. I am not sure if Cliff has literature but he is another guru on rebuilding these and I am sure his links will give you a lot of insight. Good luck
     
    Darron72Skylark likes this.
  13. LARRY70GS

    LARRY70GS a.k.a. "THE WIZARD" Staff Member

    You are way better off getting a junk yard carburetor that has never been apart and doing that carburetor. The Remanufactured carb is likely a Frankenstein and not rebuildable to use. Sorry for the bad news, but this has been discussed on V8 for many years. Before you buy anything for your car, it pays to do your research here to avoid making a costly mistake.
     
  14. lemmy-67

    lemmy-67 Platinum Level Contributor

    There are tons of rebuildable Buick Q-Jet cores out there...some of them will only require minimal rebuild if the primary throttle bushings aren't shot.
     
  15. Brett Slater

    Brett Slater Super Moderator Staff Member

    Reach out to Rob Ross here on the board.

    He has cores in stock, communicates fluidly and will send you a phenomenal carb at a great price, built for your motor, in a reasonable turnaround time.

    You'll only need to have it done once.
     
    TORQUED455 likes this.
  16. srb

    srb Well-Known Member

    I pretty much always check the board before I buy stuff, but not this time. It was actually offered by a board member so I figured it would be ok.
    And it actually ran better than my old Holley, go figure.

    Have it apart now.
    Few odd things, the 2 tubes next to the metering rods are not of equal length. It fell out when I pushed it back a little. And they have a different inside diameter.
    The secondary metering rods are stamped AY, the internet says 0.0567. And my manual says 53/64. Not sure what that means.
    And my needle wasn't attached to the fuel bowl, it should be.
    Don't know if the well plugs leak, I'll check that too.

    I'll start digging for info, let's see if I can save this one.

    Those bushings are a good point to check.
    I really prefer not buying another one. Hope I'm lucky with this one. But I've lowered my expectations..
     

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  17. srb

    srb Well-Known Member

    I missed this reply. My plugs still give spark, but that could be insufficient?
     
  18. Dr. Roger

    Dr. Roger Stock enthusiast

    I got a couple carbs that I never could get to work right and ended up throwing them into my quadrajunk tub.
     
  19. Cliff R

    Cliff R Well-Known Member

    "Is there a rebuild guide somewhere? I see a ton of Youtube films, but no idea if they're any good."

    I tried watching a few Youtube videos, it was pretty painful. From what I saw most of those folks need to go as quickly as they can back to their day jobs!......IMHO....

    Rebuilding takes many forms. Simply installing a kit is NOT rebuilding the carburetor. Even so installing a high quality kit will get a carb in nice shape in good working order, if you make the correct settings while you are in there.

    A complete/correct rebuild would include rebuilding the baseplate with bronze bushings, pressure/leak testing the main casting, making sure all small passages, tubes and bleeds are clean/correctly sized, and making sure all the main components mating surfaces seal up well when put together. Last but not least install the correct parts, and high quality parts or you done before you get started.......
     
  20. srb

    srb Well-Known Member

    For some reason I can't visit your pages anymore. It says I'm banned.

    The mixing and matching of parts, how can one tell?
    I do have different (casting?)numbers on airhorn, main body and baseplate.

    Airhorn is 7032741 and 34901
    20220128_140138.jpg
    Baseplate 7037010 and 37896

    Main body has the 7029241 ME stamping on the side; but on the back 7037895.

    From what I can tell, the interals are not butchered and look fine. All holes are open.
     

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