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1976 L48 carburetor issues

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Old Feb 22, 2022 | 04:41 PM
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Default 1976 L48 carburetor issues

Hi everyone,

A friend of mine is thinking about buying a 1976 L48 Automatic... that's about all the info I have on it, but I can get more if its relevant. It's about 200 miles away and he wants to drive it back if he buys it. Currently he doesn't have a vehicle that would allow him to bring it back on a trailer. The seller said:

"It runs good, but due to sitting it has some trash in the carburetor, so when you have it on the road, it will act like it is giving out of gas and will go dead randomly and you have to let the gas settle back down for a few minutes and it will crank up again"

Any ideas what might be happening here? Any advice to clean the carburetor or otherwise limp it home? Terrible idea all around? Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks.
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Old Feb 22, 2022 | 05:58 PM
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Sounds more like an HEI Module or coil problem.
Usually if it just dies once it gets hot then cools a bit and runs again it's the Module in the HEI and it needs to be replaced.
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Old Feb 22, 2022 | 06:08 PM
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fuel filter in the front of the carb.
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Old Feb 22, 2022 | 09:20 PM
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Let the gas settle down??? LMAO. Sounds like seller has no idea what's wrong with the car. Does sound like a module or coil issue.
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Old Feb 22, 2022 | 09:44 PM
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Change the fuel filter and bring a module with you.
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Old Feb 23, 2022 | 04:32 AM
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Definitely make the road trip. Its worth the memories and is a crash course into the love for the new vette!!
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Old Feb 23, 2022 | 01:47 PM
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I agree that it could be one of several possibilities listed here. Without chasing the rabbit, mechanical fuel pump issues, vapor lock, etc. can also come into play as you can deplete the fuel bowl of gas, thus starving the engine.

I will offer this, though... if the carb (assuming it's a stock Quadrajet) is the primary offender, consider a complete rebuild kit from https://quadrajetpower.com/. I was close to ditching the QJet and purchasing my old go-to (Holley DP), but decided to give these folks a try... I'm glad I did, and saved a lot of money in doing so. I went from a slow-to-start, sputtering, hesitating, leaky, backfiring mess to a near instant-start, responsive, performance carb. The kits are assembled based upon the info you provide them, so it's truly "built to order" (usually within the day).

Just something to consider if it IS the carb.

Last edited by Aeredan; Feb 23, 2022 at 05:05 PM.
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