Just finished replacing the quad on my '83 Z28 (305) with an edelbrock perfomer 600, hooked everything up and now car won't start. It tries to run briefly (2-3 secs) then stalls. When I open the primaries up, manually w/ the car off, smoke wafts out the carb. Any ideas on what could be causing this?

 

What did you use for the distributor? If you didn't change it when you took out the computer controlled carb, don't bother getting it running until you have a vacuum/mechanical advance distributor in there.

The "smoke" is just gasoline fog from the intake. It isn't really symptomatic of the problem keeping it from running.

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82 Berlinetta, orig V-6 car, now w/86 LG4/TH700R4. 2.93 limited slip. Cat-back from '91 GTA, Accel HEI SuperCoil. AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Daily driver, work-in-progress (LG4 w/'87 LB9 block, ZZ3 cam and intake, World 305 heads, Hooker headers & y-pipe, 3" Catco cat & 3" cat-back).
57 Bel Air, my 1st car. 0.030 over 396, 9.7 CR forged TRWs, Weiand Action+, Edelbrock 1901 Q-Jet, GK 270 cam, Magnum rockers, Jacobs Omnipack, 1-3/4" Hedders & 3" Warlock header mufflers, TH400 w/TCI Sat Night Special conv & Trans-Scat shift kit, LT MegaShifter, 3.08 8.2" 10-bolt w/Powertrax, AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Best 15.1/95.5 @ 5800' Bandimere.

 

The Quad was a non-feedback carb, i.e. elec choke was the only wire connected to it - so I assumed that the perfomer would be a direct bolt on w/o changing distributor

 

You didn't answer the question. All too many non-CC swaps have been made without changing the distributor. It may have been struggling along with the qjet, now it won't cut it.

Either that, or you disturbed something during the switch. Or, the carb is flooding. Pull a plug or two and see if they're gas soaked.

 

He's from Canada so he's got a mechanical distributor. A Canadian 1983 LG4 is non-computer controlled.

In any case, my guess is also that its flooding, my Performer did that once when it was new too. Send me an e-mail if it gives you trouble.

[This message has been edited by Apeiron (edited June 08, 2001).]

 

My apologies, I completely spaced the part about Canada (but, hey, some US cars do make their way up there, right?).

Is the choke closing properly? If not, you might get it to fire but it will be too lean to keep running.

When you open the throttle manually with the engine off, do you see a good squirt of fuel going into the primaries? You have to hold the choke open to see this. I assume you do, since you talked about wafting vapors. If not, you may not actually be getting enough fuel into the bowl.

Have you pulled a plug or two yet?

Is this a new or used carb? If new, it should have fired after a few seconds of cranking (when the float bowl filled). If used, are you sure it was working properly before?

 

Got it running a couple days ago, thanks for all the comments, tapping the carb fixed the flooding problem. I had to adjust the idle and the tv cable, and I still need to get a spacer so that the air cleaner will fit over the carb. I'm probably going to replace most of the vacuum lines too, since I did a bit of a hack and slash when swapping the carbs. But at least I'm running on all 4bbls now, that Quad was looking pretty rough anyway!

 

Did the same swap on my 82 z28 with a 305. Had to put in a square bore spacer about an inch thick. I also replaced by distributor with a vac advance. Changed spark plugs, coil and cap. Car run great. Check your Idle screws maybe they are to rich. Lean them by turning them clockwise. I was told black smoke means to much fuel. Also make sure that all the plugs from the old carberator are not still plug into the system.
Hope this helps.


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Do you know what's the best part about drag racing someone at a red stop light?....You don't have to

1982 T-top Z28 305 Mods all Edlebrock: 600cmf Performer Carb, Performer intake manifold, air filter, dual rpm exhaust system.
83 700R4, 86 2.73 slip rear end. Non emissions.
Future Mods :350cc