73 mostly stock L-48, TH-400, Edelbrock quadrajet (1 year old), Pertronix ignition.

Two nights ago while driving home I noticed that my vette seemed to be loading up at idle, and wanted to die on me at stop lights unless I put it in neutral and "massaged" the gas to keep the rpms above about 1500. I would get severe bogging on acceleration from a stop. When I got home I noticed that the exhaust smelled very rich. I removed the air cleaner before shutting it off and observed fuel bubbling up around the accelerator pump rod, then after shutting it off I noticed raw fuel dripping out of the passenger side of the throttle body (bottom of the carb, next to the choke assembly).

I am guessing that this is probably a stuck float. Does this sound like a good guess, and/or what else should I be looking for??

Does anyone have any experience rebuilding a Edelbrock quadrajet? If so, are there any differences from Rochesters that I should know about before messing with it??

Thanks,

 

Page Lars. I just opened up my Q-jet last week and replaced the jets and rods per Lar's paper. I also checked the float level. Not too hard.
I don't think a Edelbrock Q-jet would be a whole lot different.
My engine runs way better now - it was jetted too rich for a 350 (the carb was set up for a 454). I ended up leaning it out, what a difference. My final jetting was the same for a '73 Vette 350 base m/t.

 

The Edelbrock Qjet should be identical to the Rochester Qjet. I have the #1901. The Edelbrock uses Torx screws, so if you don't have them already you will need to get the special tools to unscrew them. Mine is pretty new so I haven't had to install a rebuild kit, but I have taken the top off numerous times to change the rods and jets. MJ

 

Thanks MJ,
I will be opening it up this evening to see if I can identify the problem. The torx screws are not a problem.
I have been very happy with this carb for the last year and a half, but I must admit that I am a little dissappointed that it has failed in such a short amount of time since being new (probably about 3,000 miles driven with it). Hopefully it is something simple and easy to fix.

 

I had the float stick on one occasion and the the rubber seal came off of the accelerator pump on another. As I recal when the float stuck, gas bubbled out of the tube above the float bowl. When the rubber cup came off the accelerator pump it bubbled out of the acc pump shaft.
An oil change might be a good idea when your through fixing the carb.

 

Well it looks like the problem might have had something to do with the fact that all of the screws that hold the top of the carburetor were barely finger tight!! :eek: And I am sure that the bolts that hold it onto the manifold are not supposed to come off without the aid of a socket either!

I went ahead and took the top off of it, cleaned everything with B-12 (not the vitamin), and checked the float. It was only a little dirty and nothing seemed to be sticking, cracked or worn. I put it back together and made sure everything was properly snug this time, and it works better than ever!!! :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

Then while I was out enjoying my fine (relatively) running vette I stopped at a convienience store to buy a soft drink, and when I took off my seat belt I hear the unmistakeable "twang" of the coil spring in the seat belt retractor letting go and spinning out of it's confinements!! :cry
Just when I thought I had everything fixed, something else goes in the crapper!! :mad
I had to fix the same retractor before (OK I admit it, I kinda Bubba'ed it the last time :bb ), and I doubt that it will be repairable this time. Does anyone have a source for new or rebuilt seatbelt retractors that will fit a 73 ???

 

I couldn't stand it, I decided to pull the seat and seatbelt retractor to see if it was repairable.
It was!!!! :cheers: :cheers: :smash:

The coil spring is held in a plastic housing, this housing has three barbed pins that fit into corresponding holes in the retractor frame and hold it in place. What happened was that the barbed pins had come out of the retractor frame allowing the coil spring to be free and unwind itsself. I was able to rewind the spring into the plastic housing, then wind it onto the shaft of the retractor and push the pins back into thier original place, then I added some drops of cyanoacrylate glue (super glue) to keep the housing from popping off again.
Works like it is supposed to again. :D

 

Hey, stop hijacking your own thread!! :lol: So, is the carb ok now? Just too loose? Or as we say, Tooloose Leautrec. :) Don't screw it down too tight either. Than can be even worse! MJ

 

Touche ! :lol: :lol:
Sorry I was just too lazy to open a new one.

The carburator is working beautifully, as is everything else on the car ( :smash: <this is me knocking on wood) :D