Damned Q-jet... suggestions please?

[2fit661ca]

I finally was able to try to start my Cutlass today after the motor rebuild. She fired and tryed to run, but when I rebuild the CCC Q-Jet, I did something... or many things VERY wrong. Gas flows very heavily out of EVERY hole on the carb. Should I...
...try to rebuild it again
...pay someone to rebuild it
...rebuild a non-ccc q-jet
...or buy a remaned q-jet for $200

I have only 1 month from today to get this car going down the road. I have a total of about $500 to spend on it. I need exhaust done, I'm getting a driveshaft cut, welded, and balanced, and I need to solve the Q-jet problem.

THANKS!!!

 

[billyjack]

Sounds to me like a flooding problem where the fuel inlet is not closing. Remove the top of the carb and verify: 1) seat is tight in the body 2)inlet needle / seat is clean 3) needle is hooked on the float properly 4)float pivot pin is in the slots 5)float level is correct 6)Plastic filler block is in place over the pivot pin.
Hope you find something.

Bill

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Sounds like you broke the TPS plunger when you put the air horn back on. The computer thinks it is at WOT, and will hydrolock the engine with gasoline if you try to run it (I did just that the first time I tried my hand at one). It's a common mistake for anyone who has never rebuilt the somewhat troublesome E4ME Quadrajet. The solution is a new TPS installed with the proper procedure ( hold it down with a flat bladed screwdriver and pull out the screwdriver once the airhorn is touching the screwdriver) and then adjusted so that the TPS is in proper tune.

I will try to clarify the right way to do it. Put the screwdriver on it's side so the blade's side is holding down the plunger, then put the air horn on top so that the screwdriver is sandwiched between the two pieces, sort of like if you were trying to pry it apart. Next, rapidly pull out the screwdriver while rapidly pushing the airhorn down. Don't use a lot of force in case you didn't get it right. After the airhorn is down and seated, hold the carb together with your hands and tighten one screw down to keep it together before installing the rest of them.

Now, if it is not a bad TPS, then it is likely you messed up either the float or the float valve is sticking open. Either way, you will need to pull the top off to find the problem. You can do it on the car though as it is not something that requires the removal of the whole carb, just the things holding the airhorn on.

 

[azmalibuwagon]

With a problem this big, it should be easy to find and fix. I agreee with what both guys above said. Take the airhorn off and carefully check things out. If you broke the TPS, you'll see that immediately. If the TPS is ok, then check the float and everything else you can see in there.



- I prefer using a putty knife to hold the tps plunger down while reattaching the airhorn. Because it's wider and thinner than a screwdriver, it makes it easier, at least for me.

 

[joe_padavano]

Sounds like you broke the TPS plunger when you put the air horn back on. The computer thinks it is at WOT, and will hydrolock the engine with gasoline if you try to run it (I did just that the first time I tried my hand at one).

Sorry, I don't see how that is possible. The computer is not connected to the float level or the needle and seat. If you disconnect the connector to the M/C solenoid, the primary jets go to full rich. This wastes gasoline, but it does NOT "hydrolock" the engine. Try it yourself and see.

 

[2fit661ca]

THANKS GUYS. I will try all of your suggestions in the near future; just as soon as I find time. The engine never really hydrolocked, it stayed running for a short while, but for obvious reasons, we had to kill it. *it did run like crap, but the distributor was way out of time.

 

[Bonnewagon]

Here's a Q-jet tip few people know about. Once you have assembled it- never turn it upside down! That gives the float a chance to pull the needle out too far and stick open. The old 2G 2 barrel carbs had a tab on the float itself you adjusted for "float drop" and it had a spec. The 4 barrel Q-jets lack this tab, so when you invert the carb, even for a second, you risk the needle sticking open which will flood the carb like you describe. A simple test is to hook up a short piece of fuel line to the inlet and blow hard. If you cannot blow any air, then the needle is seating properly. If you can blow air then it's not seated.

 

[2fit661ca]

so... The father of the kid I bought the motor from looked over the carb and found all of my problems... i did not put a fuel filter in he carb because i had installed and in line filter. this allowed too much fuel into the carb. I had the float upside down, so it was stuck open causeing the carb to allow fuel in as fast as the pump could pump it, and on top of that, i had the choke installed backwards...

 

[Bonnewagon]

That's really wierd! I'm amazed a float would even fit upside down! So...is it still a damned Q-jet, or running well?

 

[2fit661ca]

it's still a damned q-jet, it only allows fuel to the barrels if you pump the gas, but at the moment, i'm more worried about the massive oil leak i found