checking / cleaning float in RQ carb
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 614
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From: Johnson City Tennessee
checking / cleaning float in RQ carb
Hey guys, it’s been 5 months and the car has a nice thick even layer of dust on it but its time to get back at it. Thick even layer of dust or not. :o
There will be no video on this thread. Both of my cameras have died and gone to VHS heaven. I’m working on saving up for a new HD (sweet). I’ve got a new PC (yes windows 7 sucks and crashes all the time) to run an HD camera that Ill be making payments on for a LONG time. When ever the videos do get back up and running they’ll be better than ever.
If only everyone would send me a $1 to get the videos going again, yea right, like anybody likes watching my videos enough to give me a $1 to keep em goin lol. Anyway...I know you love me, even if you hate me. It just wont be as much fun when things inevitably go wrong for a long while.
First, some back story to get everyone back up to speed. In my last videos I installed a new custom-built 800cfm carb and it made a big difference in how the car ran. The last time it ran, after it warmed up, it actually ran and idled without any help at all from me feathering the gas. This was HUGE improvement! Still couldn’t drive it but well skip the intricacies of that heated conundrum for now.
Right after that I built the greenhouse and (have been broke ever sense) the cars been on pause for a while. So it sat for about 2 months. I don’t remember why now but about 3 months ago I had tried to start it, I think just because I missed hearing its rumble. It spit, sputtered & groaned but my halfhearted attempt to crank it failed. After that its been ice blizzard after ice blizzard, the longest / coldest winter in TN for 198 years (fact), subsequently I developed the most acute case of cabin fever you ever did see. You know the kind, drink 2 pots of coffee and you’re still cold and unmotivated, you’ve rearranged the furniture in the house for something to do but you don’t actually care if dishes in the sink ever get washed. Just trust me on this, it wasn’t pretty.
Now we catch up to the present. The weather has sort of broke & I’m crawling out of my hibernation hole. I’ve finally ordered my side pipes from Summit I’ve been saving up for and they are on their way. Ive made a new friend who has worked on a lot of muscle cars / race cars in the past. Yesterday we tried to get the beast to come out of its hole…
It spit, sputtered, rumbled, threw fireballs out the carb, back fired, struggled, gasped, groaned & was obviously irritated with our presence in its cave & in general was just Christine being typical Christine. BUT, it never idled. “Hummm”, we thought and scratched our heads intermittently between failed attempts at solutions.
Ultimately, the consciences between us is that considering these factors: it runs 1/2 way decent at full throttle + has no fuel filter just the screen + sitting + wet plugs + adjusting the gas air mix = the symptoms say a little piece of dirt from the tank has clogged the float & is causing it to flood and not idol.
I don’t actually "know" myself but it seems logical enough, at least when he said it. After all I just spent a lot of money on that new carb, it’s supposed to be time for it to give me problems. That’s just the way a nightmare project goes night? I am not shocked or disappointed, it is what it is. (as I bite my lip & shake my fist at the sky
)
This leads me to my question. Being that I bought a carb specifically so I wouldn’t have to ever take one apart, what’s involved with checking / cleaning the float function in a RQ carb? Should I buy a gasket kit before even tearing into it? Is this going to mess with every setting it came with?
What is the part number for a screen and fuel filter for an RQ carb? NO, if my auto parts store can’t pull it up by make and model on the computer their acne has no clue what a carburetor is to help me out.
My buddy says he’s going to try to pick up a clunker carb to put on there and eliminate any motor problems before tearing into the new carb, I like this idea. More later
There will be no video on this thread. Both of my cameras have died and gone to VHS heaven. I’m working on saving up for a new HD (sweet). I’ve got a new PC (yes windows 7 sucks and crashes all the time) to run an HD camera that Ill be making payments on for a LONG time. When ever the videos do get back up and running they’ll be better than ever.
If only everyone would send me a $1 to get the videos going again, yea right, like anybody likes watching my videos enough to give me a $1 to keep em goin lol. Anyway...I know you love me, even if you hate me. It just wont be as much fun when things inevitably go wrong for a long while.
First, some back story to get everyone back up to speed. In my last videos I installed a new custom-built 800cfm carb and it made a big difference in how the car ran. The last time it ran, after it warmed up, it actually ran and idled without any help at all from me feathering the gas. This was HUGE improvement! Still couldn’t drive it but well skip the intricacies of that heated conundrum for now.
Right after that I built the greenhouse and (have been broke ever sense) the cars been on pause for a while. So it sat for about 2 months. I don’t remember why now but about 3 months ago I had tried to start it, I think just because I missed hearing its rumble. It spit, sputtered & groaned but my halfhearted attempt to crank it failed. After that its been ice blizzard after ice blizzard, the longest / coldest winter in TN for 198 years (fact), subsequently I developed the most acute case of cabin fever you ever did see. You know the kind, drink 2 pots of coffee and you’re still cold and unmotivated, you’ve rearranged the furniture in the house for something to do but you don’t actually care if dishes in the sink ever get washed. Just trust me on this, it wasn’t pretty.
Now we catch up to the present. The weather has sort of broke & I’m crawling out of my hibernation hole. I’ve finally ordered my side pipes from Summit I’ve been saving up for and they are on their way. Ive made a new friend who has worked on a lot of muscle cars / race cars in the past. Yesterday we tried to get the beast to come out of its hole…
It spit, sputtered, rumbled, threw fireballs out the carb, back fired, struggled, gasped, groaned & was obviously irritated with our presence in its cave & in general was just Christine being typical Christine. BUT, it never idled. “Hummm”, we thought and scratched our heads intermittently between failed attempts at solutions.
Ultimately, the consciences between us is that considering these factors: it runs 1/2 way decent at full throttle + has no fuel filter just the screen + sitting + wet plugs + adjusting the gas air mix = the symptoms say a little piece of dirt from the tank has clogged the float & is causing it to flood and not idol.
I don’t actually "know" myself but it seems logical enough, at least when he said it. After all I just spent a lot of money on that new carb, it’s supposed to be time for it to give me problems. That’s just the way a nightmare project goes night? I am not shocked or disappointed, it is what it is. (as I bite my lip & shake my fist at the sky
)This leads me to my question. Being that I bought a carb specifically so I wouldn’t have to ever take one apart, what’s involved with checking / cleaning the float function in a RQ carb? Should I buy a gasket kit before even tearing into it? Is this going to mess with every setting it came with?
What is the part number for a screen and fuel filter for an RQ carb? NO, if my auto parts store can’t pull it up by make and model on the computer their acne has no clue what a carburetor is to help me out.
My buddy says he’s going to try to pick up a clunker carb to put on there and eliminate any motor problems before tearing into the new carb, I like this idea. More later
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 18,742
Likes: 2,583
A RQ carb usually has a filter in the inlet, did you check? If you remove the airhorn the only gasket is the airhorn gasket and that should not effect anything as far as ajdustments. Not clear why you are referring to a screen and a filter, what screen? The filter is a pretty standard item so your parts guy should have no problem.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 1,047
Likes: 3
From: CA
If your carb was professionally rebuilt I doubt the float is bad or out of adjustment. But your needle which attaches to the float could be sticking open and if stuck open could be causing the carb to flood as your post seems to indicate. Since your car has been sitting for a while the float or needle could be sticking and instead of taking it apart, you might want to try tapping the side of the carb lightly with a soft mallet to see if you can get the needle to fall back into the seat. Worth a try before you take everything apart. If you've been running the carb without a filter you could have all sorts of crap in the bowl and if that the case it will need to be cleaned out.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 614
Likes: 0
From: Johnson City Tennessee
If your carb was professionally rebuilt I doubt the float is bad or out of adjustment. But your needle which attaches to the float could be sticking open and if stuck open could be causing the carb to flood as your post seems to indicate. Since your car has been sitting for a while the float or needle could be sticking and instead of taking it apart, you might want to try tapping the side of the carb lightly with a soft mallet to see if you can get the needle to fall back into the seat. Worth a try before you take everything apart. If you've been running the carb without a filter you could have all sorts of crap in the bowl and if that the case it will need to be cleaned out.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 614
Likes: 0
From: Johnson City Tennessee
Got this filter & it fits perfectly. 
I'm a little confused about the screen tho. I assumed the filter would fit inside the screen but its diameter is too big around and is much longer than the screen. Does the screen go in first & the spring just compress inside it? I figure its easier to ask before trying it and breaking something. I already found out that the screen is a special order part when I tried to get a new one at the same time I got the filter. Surprisingly the screen looks new other than a few specks of gas tank crud it caught and could easily be blow out with compressed air.
I'm a little confused about the screen tho. I assumed the filter would fit inside the screen but its diameter is too big around and is much longer than the screen. Does the screen go in first & the spring just compress inside it? I figure its easier to ask before trying it and breaking something. I already found out that the screen is a special order part when I tried to get a new one at the same time I got the filter. Surprisingly the screen looks new other than a few specks of gas tank crud it caught and could easily be blow out with compressed air.
