Carb draining?

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speedyb-cc

speedyb
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San Marcos, TX
I recently rebuilt my Q-jet and all is good expect it drains overnight making for hard starting in the morning. New float with rebuild, not set right, bad needle seat? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks and God Bless
Bruce
 
The fuel is probably evaporating. I have run Q-jets for years and it is very common for the fuel to evaporate. The fuel well of the Q-jet is very small. I have Q-jets on 3 of my Mopars and I have to crank them a bit in the morning to get them to start.

Chuck
 
When I was in auto shop in the early 70s I remember a problem with leaking on the Quadrajets. IIRC, if you remove the throttle body there is a plug in in a cavity under the bottom of the float bowl. Don't remember if it screwed in or was pressed in, but they tended to leak. Some of the rebuild kits had a foam pice that was supposed to be put into the cavity over the plug & then was held in place when the throttle body was put back on. It was supposed to seal up the leak. Our shop teachers usually told us to leave out the foam piece & instead we covered the existing plug with epoxy. Don't know if this is your problem but might be worth checking out.
 
I tend to agree with '64 Cuda on this one. Classic Q-Jet issue. A little JB Weld and you should be back in business.
 
Thanks for the info, just looked back through the rebuild book and the later carbs (75 and later)didn't have a leak problem, as they used different plugs. Mine is off an 86, but I will still take it off and check it. The book says to drill and tap for plugs as epoxy will eventually come loose.
Thanks again Bruce
 
86?
Not one of those electronic Q-Jets?
Older Q-jets are what I run. I got a pile of them.
Take the base off. And those plug right in the middle of the body should have epoxy over them. They do leak sometimes.
But I’ve never had the problem.
If you clean them off first, and use good epoxy, it shouldn’t come off.
But you can’t put too much of a build up on it or the base won’t seat back on the body.
Might require you to file some of the glue back off when you are done for a snug fit.
There isn’t a lot of room in the cavity.
I WOULD NOT drill anything if this is what you are talking about.
(Sorry, had to be emphatic)
 
I had a problem exactly like that with a holley. Eventually I had to remove the carb and fill it with gas on the bench (through the vent holes) and watch for the leak. The leak I had went into the intake and caused flooding as well. Found the problem and fixed it.
 
If the Q-jet came off a 360 from a truck or van then it will not be an electronic feedback style. The advantage to using the later style Q-jets is it is the same as the Edelbrock Performer Q-jet so tuning kits will work on either. It is true that the later ones don't leak like the early ones although there are exceptions to every rule so checking it wouldn't hurt.


Chuck
 
Took the Q-jet off put the holley spreadbore DP back on, no leaks starts first time every time. Any body want to buy a Q-jet ?
Thanks for the info
Bruce
 
If the idle air bleed holes in the top of the carb are plugged, the idle circuit will siphon the bowl after after shutting the engine off. Strange but true
 
speedyb-cc said:
Took the Q-jet off put the holley spreadbore DP back on, no leaks starts first time every time. Any body want to buy a Q-jet ?
Thanks for the info
Bruce
Click to expand...

How much do you want for it? Is it a Mopar application Q-jet? and can you supply a pic or numbers off of it.



Chuck
 
Hey Chuck
How's the weather up there? I lived in Spokane for 45 yrs don't miss the snow or the cold weather, going to be low 70's here today.
The carb came of a 86 van 360 it's a 1708 M4ME with elec choke. I'm running manual choke as it needs a pulloff, combo choke and secondary air flap $40.
Has a new kit with new float, been soaked overnight in cleaner and idle tubes pulled and cleaned,used the book by Cliff Ruggles to rebuild it, guess I didn't do something right. I only used it because I put the matching manifold so I could use the newer rotary compressor. I'll take $50 + shp.
Just curious is there really soap in that Lake?
Thanks and God Bless
Bruce
 
It has been a crazy weather fall here. October it still was in the high 60's and low 70's. I went deer hunting in a T-shirt. Then in November it got cold, down into the teens. The highs have been about 32 and the lows 18 -20ish. We had a white Thanksgiving and it also snowed last week and weekend. Then this Monday the temps went way up to the high 50's to low 60's thru Wednesday. This morning there was frost so the temps are going back down.

Soap Lake has a very high mineral content and when the wind blows the waves hitting the beach work up a foam and a lather, that is why they call it Soap Lake. The mineral content is so high there are no fish. The only thing in the lake are a type of brine shrimp thing. The water is supposed to be good for your skin and people (hippies) come here in the summer and coat their bodies with the mud and lay in the sun, they say it is good for them, whatever. All I know is when my Lab goes swimming in it and drinks some of the water it doesn't take long and she barfs it back up.

Anyway I wil give your carb a thought.

Chuck
 
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