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Car won't start, HELP!!

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Old Feb 4, 2003 | 09:57 PM
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80Xflags's Avatar
80Xflags
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Joined: Feb 2003
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From: Maplewood NJ
Default Car won't start, HELP!!

Alright, I think I have a problem with the carburetor in my 1980 vette. I had the car out the other week to get gas for the first time since I’ve had it, but it wouldn’t start again after I was finished getting gas. I ended up getting towed home from the gas station. The next weekend I tried starting the car and it fired right up, but this time I let it idle for 10-15 minutes and shut it off, then tried to start it up again . . . no dice. It looks like the car doesn’t like to start with a warm engine and seems to flood the carburetor with gas. Another thing I noticed was that after 10 minutes of idling, the idle was up to around 1200 RPM with the transmission in park. My father and I tried to adjust the carburetor and choke to see what we could do, and the problem only got worse. Now we can’t seem to get the car started at all. If we do manage to get it started it idles at 2500 RPM for about 5 seconds then gradually slows down to a stop over the next 5 seconds. If I touch the gas pedal to keep it going, the car will start to backfire a little. Now, I’m not sure if the carburetor needs to be rebuilt or replaced, or if we just can’t get it adjusted right. I have a Chilton manual for my car and Doug Roe’s Rochester book and have read just about everything useful in both but we still can’t seem to get it working.

On a side note, I’m not even sure exactly what engine (the VIN says it’s an L48) and carburetor I have in the car. The carburetor is a Rochester Quadrajet, but I can’t find any stampings or castings in it to verify if it’s the one from 1980. The engine has some stamping numbers on it near the water pump - T1018CEJ and IAN518453, neither of which seem to be close to the VIN. And the intake manifold has a casting number 14014432.

PLEASE HELP with the carburetor – I’m dying to get back on the road. And if anyone knows anything about the casting/stamping numbers to help identify what I have, that would be much appreciated. Here are some close up pictures of the engine and carburetor.
http://web.njit.edu/~msn7887/Corvette/help/index.htm

Thanx,
Matt

:confused:
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Old Feb 5, 2003 | 04:35 PM
  #2  
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Robert8096
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Joined: Jan 2002
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From: Goose Creek SC
Default Re: Car won't start, HELP!! (80Xflags)

Have you checked the timming, for vacum leaks, fuel filter and fuel pressure. I noticed in one of the pictures that a port on the carb is not pluged. Best person to talk to about these carbs is LARS. Good luck
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