Pedro'74

[Nick Riviera]Hi Everybody![/Nick Riviera]

I'm looking for some advice... I've been having the following problem for some time: the car usually runs right, but sometimes the idle speed starts to drop, until the engine almost stalls, then the idle picks up again. That usually repeats a few times, and then it gets back to normal. I was dumbly assuming that it was a tune-up problem, but only today I decided [duh...] to stop the car when that problem was happening and see what was going on. Scary: there was gas all over the carb. Gas around the secondary rods, accelerator pump, gas dripping from the choke mechanism, and the gasket between the throttle plate and bowl was completely soaked.

I parked the car, and won't drive it until this is solved. So I'm looking for a quick solution.

Should I:

1. Rebuild the carb? Never done it before... If I do it, then I have a basic question: are all the rebuild kits (for 4MV Q-jets) created equal? If not, should I get one for a '74 Vette or for a '70 Buick ("donor" of the carb)? Any tips?

2. Get a new carb, and later rebuild this one and keep as a spare? Exceptionally, I think I could afford a new one now, and if I do get a new one, I wanna get another Q-jet. What do you guys recommend? What do you think about the Edelbrock Q-jet? Would it perform good out of the box?

Your advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

-Pedro




[Modified by Pedro'74, 8:36 PM 10/23/2001]

74-Roadster

I got mine back from LARS and he rebuilt it within a 10 day turn around including shipping. :D I'll have it back on this weekend and from all of the other post about his work, I think it was by far the best deal. I would have spent 1/2 the money I paid him just for parts, cleaner and gaskets to do it myself and there's no doubt I wouldn't have done as good of a job. Unless your a diehard DIY'er, send it to LARS. He even provided a complete word doc that covered everything wrong as well as the fixes he made. He appears very thorough and has such a good rep on the Forum.

ridged84

Hey Roadster if you dont mind .How much does LARS get for a job like that .Do you just bolt it up and its ready to go?

Bill

Pedro'74

Roadster,

Yea, I'm sure that would be the best deal. Unfortunately I don't think I have time... I MUST have the car back on the road before the weekend after this coming weekend. As a matter of fact, I would like to have it on the road next weekend. Hmmm... but it is a good deal, isn't it? He'd tune the carb for my car/mods... How much do you think I'd pay to Fedex a carb to him? :D That's something to think about....

Thanks for your input!

-Pedro

427_Roadster

Hi Dr. Nick!
I have to echo what 74-Roadster said. I sent a Frankenstein carb off to Lars and in a week got back my Q-Jet rebuilt to original '69 specs. I would say better than new and at least you know it's been tested thoroughly. Not even sure how he manages that kind of service for the low rates he charged.
:cheers:
-Tom

Shark Racer

I am gonna send Lars a carb that was just about dead that I stole of a Jaguar conversion, and am wondering if it's safe to send a gas-smelling package in the mail. Don't know what the postal employees would think.
-Steve

1979toy

I know EXACTLY what the postal service will think, and do. Even if the carb is ten feet from Lars's doorstep when they smell gas, back to the sender it goes!

Pedro'74

OK guys, I sent an email to Lars, and let's see if he can do it. Hope he can...

Steve: I think you can send it by UPS. I got an old junk smelly carb once by UPS... No problems.

-Pedro



[Modified by Pedro'74, 10:05 PM 10/23/2001]

PRNDL

I think Lars (or somebody else) mentioned having a gas-smelling carb returned. Obviously, you let it dry and drain out the best you can first. Then you double or triple plastic bag it before you box it. MJ

Racer-X

Pedro, I had the exact problem you discribed. Lars just did my carb. I should receive it back with in a couple of days. I can not say enough about the service and attention to detail. His knowledge is superior. He e-mailed me half a dozen times with detailed technical information and questions about my carb so he could match it precisely to my modifications. I highly recomend him, Juan

:flag

Pedro'74

Juan,

Thanks for your input. I've been emailing Lars about various subjects, and he's always the most helpful. I can only imagine that his service is top-notch. Hope he has time to do this "crash" job... (I do need to get the car back on the road soon; I'm going on a trip, and this is my only car...)

-Pedro

Pedro'74

Juan,

Just read your thread about your problem. My problem doesn't seem to be as bad as yours (yet), as the engine doesn't stall and the problem comes and goes. So (stupidity is my most valuable asset...) I was waiting for the problem to go away, trusting the Corvette's healing power... But in fact, when I examined it today, only little fuel got to the intake (dripping from choke).

-Pedro

Dalannex

It would be easy enough to pop the top off and check the float level. Sounds kind of like a problem I had once when the float was set too high. The needle and seat may be not lining up correctly as well. Both are pretty easy to check first. I would think Lars would have some more ideas of simple things to check.

Larry B.

The BEST solution in my opinion would be to buy a NEW Edlebrock Q-jet replacement. Most rebuilt carbs from parts places are pretty much junk. A custom rebuild by lars is also a good choice. A lot of times when you rebuild an old carb, it still doesn't work due to worn throttle shafts,sticky floats, binding linkage etc.etc.etc. If you have never done a Q jet and need your car... well you get the idea. I realize there are some guys out there that have had good luck rebuilding their carbs but rebuilding carbs can be really frustrating when you have to do it several times and still end up with problems. If your car is a daily driver, a NEW carb is pretty much a bolt on and drive fix and will last for many years. Oh yeah... prices for Edlebrock carb vary a whole lot fron place to place so check around for prices.

Pedro'74

Thanks for your responses, guys!

Lars has already replied to my email, and I'll be sending him my Frankenstein carb today. Yea, it wouldn't be bad to have a brand new carb. But it'd be more expensive, and it would come "generically" tuned, just like the one I have now... And if I try to fix mine now, in a hurry, I'm afraid I'd only maximize the mess which this carb already is...

-Pedro

79MakoL82

I think Lars charges about $100 for the rebuild plus extra if there is anyfor any significant parts if needed. I think he said it was about $14 for postage. I'm not sure, but I think that's what he quoted me.

jimduchek

Double/triple bag the carb and throw some baking soda in there too -- will suck up smell.

Careful though -- baking soda is a white powder and I can _guarantee_ that any white powder comes out through any cracks in a box and that box ain't gonna get there :) Try some baking soda in a ziploc bag with a bunch of small holes punched in it.


Jim

Racer-X

Do not worry about the smell. Just drain it let it sit an hour or so and package up. I had no smelling problems with mine. Keep away from the baking soda, you would only be looking for trouble. Not only will you loose your carb but with 10 years in jail :eek: you would definatly miss your upcomming trip. Ignorance is no excuse. :rolleyes:

thejaf

Don't know why I didn't think of this before, but if you're shipping a carb and are concerned about smell and/or damage......ship it in a small Coleman cooler.

Get one at Wal Mart for about $12.00 and it's a good seal against odor and excellent rigidity as a shipping container. We ship out samples every day in coolers via FedEx so it's nothing new to them. Don't know why this didn't occur to me when I shipped my carb to Lars earlier this summer. Oh well.

phoenix

Pedro, send an email to Fastguy.

He has a carb off a 75 4 speed. It runs well. I had it on my car while Lars tried to rebuild the original one off my 76. I am sure that he wouldn't mind lending it to you while yours is being rebuilt.

If you want, I can call him or email him to snag it. :D:D

Drop me an email or call me.

Mike