Carburetor adjustment

[Bonnewagon]

sometimes gas will spit out the top into my air filter area aswell

I'm thinking the 400K plastic float is shot and flooding. That gives you sooty spark plugs and all around crummy running (shaking). Since it's been sitting for so long I'd say a carb rebuild and general tune-up are way overdue.

 

[Johnnyboy559]

Not in Cal they can't. I have cured many a grumpy idle by richening them but as soon as a smog tech sees the open plugs game over. Same with the vacuum trick. A vacuum leak will disguise a rich condition but will cause other problems that won't fly in Cal. Here in NYC we vacuum leaked around emissions plenty of times. OP- forget that. Get it rebuilt by someone who really knows what they are doing. Not an off-the-shelf replacement. Get the ORIGINAL carb rebuilt and keep it on that car. It is the ONLY carb that belongs there. After 400K I think it deserves a break- eh?

Thank you for all your advice much appreciated I'm getting a rebuilt quadrajet or refurbished basically from national carburators. The exact same one I have but of course like new. I know it's the carburator giving me problems and rebuild to this one would be cool but 400k carb. With rusty parts on the extirior. I'll replace it with its twin.

 

[Johnnyboy559]

The idle air bleed plug can only be seen if they take the air cleaner lid off, and that is the main adjustment for idle mixture. Generally adjustment is a last ditch move if nothing appears to be broken.

Agree about getting the original carb rebuilt.

First thing is we need to know if the OP's car is indeed running rich. It can be hard to tell a rich exhaust from a lean exhaust, making a misdiagnosis easy.

how can you tell it its rich or lean? I would think it's rich from start to run the car smells way to gasy

 

[pontiacgp]

how can you tell it its rich or lean? I would think it's rich from start to run the car smells way to gasy

you mentioned gas would spurt into the air cleaner so if I was to make a wild guess I would say it is running rich