my cutlass got a 307 V8 5.0 L engine with a holley carb, not sure if I got the intake that goes to it becuase I bought it like this and it accelerates slow but it shifts gears just takes a while to get to them I was thinking maybe the timing or the carb is dirty or clogged up or could it be the acceleration cable I am not sure but it is irritating does anyone know what this problem might be?
83 cutlass supreme accelerating slow
- Thread starter Jroc30
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Acceleration cable? By that do you mean throttle cable or transmission kickdown?
You mention you're unsure about the intake and your wording seems to imply whether or not it goes with the carb. Forgive my presumption but it appears you may be a novice to cars. You say you have a Holley which is quite likely a square bore and your car likely came with a quadrajet which would prolly be a spread bore. If the intake manifold is stock it's likely there is a mismatch. The carb may also require jetting depending on which Holley you have and what cam you have. Carbs go with cams. Bigger carb is not always better if you don't also go with a bigger cam. Bigger cam is not always better unless you also go with more compression and bigger heads. Bigger carb, compression and cam is not always better unless you also go with deeper gears. The engine is a system of parts that work together as a package. Changing one part by itself is usually a change for the worse. They have to work well together as a package. Think of a sports team. Trading one team member can screw up the team's success ratio.
If you did in fact replace the intake manifold, did you set the timing when you reinstalled the distributor?
You mention you're unsure about the intake and your wording seems to imply whether or not it goes with the carb. Forgive my presumption but it appears you may be a novice to cars. You say you have a Holley which is quite likely a square bore and your car likely came with a quadrajet which would prolly be a spread bore. If the intake manifold is stock it's likely there is a mismatch. The carb may also require jetting depending on which Holley you have and what cam you have. Carbs go with cams. Bigger carb is not always better if you don't also go with a bigger cam. Bigger cam is not always better unless you also go with more compression and bigger heads. Bigger carb, compression and cam is not always better unless you also go with deeper gears. The engine is a system of parts that work together as a package. Changing one part by itself is usually a change for the worse. They have to work well together as a package. Think of a sports team. Trading one team member can screw up the team's success ratio.
If you did in fact replace the intake manifold, did you set the timing when you reinstalled the distributor?
The original post is quite cryptic, but it raises several questions. Did you buy the car in it's present configuration, or did you try to modify it? Is it slow as compared to when it had a Quadrajet or is it slow as compared to normal cars and you have never driven it without this carb? As it was converted to a non stock carb, was the TV cable set up right?(Proper geometry is critical as is setting the cable tension correctly) Was the distributor swapped for a non computer version or does it still have the original ESC type distributor?
Also, if a Holley is bolted to a stock Quadrajet manifold, some times it will not even run, or at least the throttle blades may hit the plenum opening due to a mismatch in the square bore vs spread bore opening and throttle blades.
Just remember that as a rule this car is slow. The Olds 307 is a dog of an engine, especially going back as far as 1983. I would expect a 0-60 of around 15 seconds, dead stock. The V6 and diesel models take about 20-23 seconds to do the same thing. If you are new to G bodies, this is why you rarely see a stock one that is owned by an enthusiast. They are bought more for their chassis than their usefulness as a stock vehicle and usually receive a complete change of drivetrain components. The only engine that is normally kept is the turbo V6 with SFI that was used in some of the later Regals. The rest of them are good for little more than their scrap value. They certainly are not good for powering a car!
Also, if a Holley is bolted to a stock Quadrajet manifold, some times it will not even run, or at least the throttle blades may hit the plenum opening due to a mismatch in the square bore vs spread bore opening and throttle blades.
Just remember that as a rule this car is slow. The Olds 307 is a dog of an engine, especially going back as far as 1983. I would expect a 0-60 of around 15 seconds, dead stock. The V6 and diesel models take about 20-23 seconds to do the same thing. If you are new to G bodies, this is why you rarely see a stock one that is owned by an enthusiast. They are bought more for their chassis than their usefulness as a stock vehicle and usually receive a complete change of drivetrain components. The only engine that is normally kept is the turbo V6 with SFI that was used in some of the later Regals. The rest of them are good for little more than their scrap value. They certainly are not good for powering a car!
I bought the car modified like this ( with the holley carb and I suppose the intake also) I have never had it with the original rochester quadrajet on it.. so I wouldn't know how it ran vs the the new modification. But it doesn't run like a normal car. It shifts hard when switching gears and it just takes awhile before it hits the next gear. I understand it being slow but the way it is driving is ridiculous just trying to get some suggestions on what my problem maybe and how to fix it( if I hit the gas hard it shifts fine it only does it whne I drive at a normal speed.
Don't drive it any further until you can set the TV cable up correctly. You will ruin the transmission. The easy way out is to put a Quadrajet back on it with the OEM bracket and call it a day.
Is the TV cable being pulled all of the way thru the sweep of the throttle from beginning to end?
Do you still have the ECM controlled distributor installed? If you do a quick visual and do not see a vacuum can, the you probably still have the ECM version...
Do you still have the ECM controlled distributor installed? If you do a quick visual and do not see a vacuum can, the you probably still have the ECM version...
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