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Secondaries not activate when WOT, why?ٍ

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Old Apr 14, 2009 | 05:40 PM
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St. Jude Donor '08
Default Secondaries not activate when WOT, why?ٍ

My carb was working excellently before I took my engine apart for a full rebuild (well, it was done by Lars, so it must be good ), but when I finished everything and put it back again, I've noticed that the secondaries will not open at all and also I feel a slight hesitation when I step on it. All in all, I feel that my engine is little chocked and don't give me the power that I was expecting, I feel that I shouldn't touch the carb adjustments because it was already tunes and was working fine before the build, what could cause that?
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Old Apr 14, 2009 | 05:49 PM
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have you checked the secondary lockout?
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Old Apr 14, 2009 | 05:50 PM
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What carburetor are you running? Holleys and Q-Jets with vacuum secondaries will not open the upper secondary plates if you're sitting in the driveway blipping the throttle by hand. The only way to check is to put the car on a dyno and run it at WOT that way.
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Old Apr 14, 2009 | 05:52 PM
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Originally Posted by 75vettehelp
have you checked the secondary lockout?
you mean the one near the choke? yeah I thought it was stuck when I first noticed that, turned out to be fine.
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Old Apr 14, 2009 | 06:00 PM
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Originally Posted by LB66383
What carburetor are you running? Holleys and Q-Jets with vacuum secondaries will not open the upper secondary plates if you're sitting in the driveway blipping the throttle by hand. The only way to check is to put the car on a dyno and run it at WOT that way.
I'm using the original quadrajet. Yeah I took the car out and tried to step on it and I cant feel the secondries at all! , before that when I step on gas and secodires open, I feel the car will jump over and my head will hit the headrest hard!
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Old Apr 14, 2009 | 07:38 PM
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On a Holley you can use the paper clip trick to see if they're opening. Not in the driveway ofcourse, you need to take it for a test run with a load on it. Don't the Rottenchesters have a little 3" vacuum hose to the secondaries that was visible?, might be a leak there.
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Old Apr 14, 2009 | 07:50 PM
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Originally Posted by HamadUP
I'm using the original quadrajet. Yeah I took the car out and tried to step on it and I cant feel the secondries at all! , before that when I step on gas and secodires open, I feel the car will jump over and my head will hit the headrest hard!
double check the secondary lockout and be sure the choke lockout is working once the car is warmed up....ie the fast idle cam is working..you could pull the short hose off the pull off dash pot temporarily and that should open it....
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Old Apr 14, 2009 | 10:24 PM
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You might have a vacuum problem. Vacuum doesn't activate the secondaries...but it allows them to open. Or, if you put in carpeting and heat insulation and/or sound deadener...you can't open the secondaries very far because the carpet is too thick! Have someone else push the accel to the floor [engine OFF] while you watch to see if the throttle plate is opening all the way (or not).
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Old Apr 14, 2009 | 10:57 PM
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check throttle adjustment.. my primaries only opened half way and did not even begin to open the secondaries... make sure your primaries open all the way..
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Old Apr 15, 2009 | 08:09 AM
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I had a problem with my secondaries a couple of years ago, Would not open no matter how hard i put my foot into it, turned out to be a screw in the airhorn next to the secondary plate was tightened to hard and "mushroomed" the aluminum, binding the plate.
a little "filin' and i had my quadrajet roar again, Something to look at.
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Old Apr 15, 2009 | 08:11 AM
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Correction, the screw was next to the air valve plate.
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Old Apr 15, 2009 | 09:16 AM
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On a Holley you can use the paper clip trick to see if they're opening
Curious, what is the paper clip trick for a holley ?
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Old Apr 15, 2009 | 09:36 AM
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The paper clib should be placed to the vacuum secondary diapram arm just under the base of the diapharm. When the secondaries open then that arm will move up, thus moving the paper clip down further on the arm.
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Old Apr 15, 2009 | 11:41 AM
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On a properly adjusted Qjet, you will not feel the onrush of the secondaries opening. There should be smooth power and pull from idle through wot. Are you sure they are not opening?
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Old Apr 15, 2009 | 11:53 AM
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Originally Posted by Jeff_Keryk
On a properly adjusted Qjet, you will not feel the onrush of the secondaries opening. There should be smooth power and pull from idle through wot. Are you sure they are not opening?


But you should be able to hear them open, especially if you took the air cleaner off.
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