I need pictures of a non-cc Qjet setup (air filter off preferably) so I can see what mine is missng. My car constantly wants to die when I blip the throttle in neutral, or if I'm going really such as through a parking lot or backout out of a parking spot. I bought this trans am from a guy that replaced the stock crossfire injection with a carb "just to get it running" so he could sell it. I know there are vacuum lines missing and there is nowhere on the throttle bracket to mount the transmission cable, so I've been manually shifting my automatic to keep it from prematurely shifting. If I look down the barrels I see the fuel shot, and if I blip it real quick I see the fuel stop for just a second, enough to stall it, or pretty close to stall, its like the gas supply isn't good enough, or the float bowl is emptying. It has an in-tank mechanical fuel pump, and the gas gauge doesn't work except when the float is all the way at the first inch or so of travel span, otherwise my gauge is way above full and stuck there. Sorry for the long post, I would just like to compare what mine is supposed to look like

EDIT maybe it isnt an in-tank fuel pump, but the fuel pump is mounted on the bottom passenger front side of the engine block? There is a big new part there that might fit perfectly in the empty Fuel Pump box that was in the trunk of the car :P

 

There's a thread on this forum "Post your carb'd pictures". Try starting there.

There are vacuum routing diagrams on the FAQ forum.

 

I actually looked through there, ive been searching the forums for a couple days, no luck too vague of pictures . My choke isn't hooked up properly and I think that's why it's doing what it's doing, but it does this even when warmed. It also hesitates if I slam the gas hard, I can't even break the tires loose even if I brake and give it gas! I will look at the FAQ though, thanks.

 

I'm not seeing any vacuum diagrams in the FAQ, do you have a link?

wait wait, FAQ FORUMS, I gotcha lol

 

What's the distributor look like? Does it have a vacuum advance can on the outside of the cap?

 

No vacuum lines, it just has the coil mounted on top. The kind you can find right in the aisle at the parts store they dont have to get it from behind the counter. The vacuum lines that are connected go to the brake booster from the back of the carb, and the pcv on the front, is it that really high powered vacuum line that makes the car stall if opened that the pcv is supposed to connect to? Because I connected it to the pcv and the car became really hard to start and keep running without gassing it hard.

You know what, hold on, I'm going to go take pictures!

 

here they are, the big line going to the choke pull-off goes to the manifold vacuum between the carb and the distributer, meerly me seeing if it did anything, and it didn't, the choke never needs to "pull-off" since it never actually closes without the assist of a ghetto spring i put on there. The first 2 pictures were before i unplugged the pcv and capped the carb port again. Notice the throttle cable just hanging down because it has nowhere to go
Any help on how rigged up my car is and how to fix it would be extremely awesome.

 

This sounds like the accelerator pump is wore out or the rubber seal on the plunger has hardened from age. This will cause a bog or engine stall during throttle opening.

Does the Choke pull-off close completely when the motor is started?

Yes. A large vacuum leak can stall an engine. It sounds like you need to replace your PVC valve. You don't need a PVC valve though.

What transmission do you have?

 

No the choke pull-off doesnt do anything at all, the choke doesnt even move except just from natural air flowing into the carb that brushes up against the plates, so they might flicker.

The thing I mean about blipping the throttle and it almost stalling is not that it immediately dies, but that it revs high perfectly fine, but on its way back down to idle it sort of "overshoots" idle and drops to like 400-500, and 50/50 chance itll stall, or catch itself with just a drip of gas enough to go back up idle. Thing is it does this even more so in gear, and usually ALWAYS stalls. Could a vacuum leak cause this?

I know that a large enough vacuum leak will stall the engine, but what I was doing was just describing what vacuum port was which, and asking if that was the right port for the pcv valve to route to? There are only two vacuum lines on the front of the carburator that have suction, one large that protrudes outward and has a HUGE suction, and one that is just a hole, that would need something stuck in it, not over it. that one is plugged with a small screw for now. The valve seems to work fine, I can pick it up and shake it and the plunger shakes back and forth inside, does that mean its broke or working?

It is the stock 3 speed that came on the trans am back in 82 according to the tech data. if you look at the picture you can see the cable hanging down, the TV cable i believe it is.

I believe that covers it all lol
Thanks for the response!

 

where is the accelerator pump? ive seen some more posts about these going bad

also if i dont have a computer controlled intake system does that mean I can never have cruise control? The car is equipped with it but its missing the canister and some vacuum lines, but im supposed to be getting the crossfire injection from the guy i bought it from and i'de really rather just put it back on and return it to original. I dont think the computer is in the car anymore though.

 

The accelerator pump is located inside the carb.

You need to figure out why the choke isn't moving at all. In your picture it was almost closed.

What do you have your timing set at?

It seems like you have a vacuum leak also. What is up with the bolt plugging that hole in the front of the carb? I think that is the port for the choke pull-off vacuum source. Will your choke pull-off hold vacuum if you collapse it and plug the little hole with your finger?

 

I don't know if it will, the choke is closed because I rigged up a spring to pull it shut while I was trying stuff, well it didn't do anything beneficial so its back to being open all the time. The screw is there because I have no fixtures to hook up to that hole and I just plugged it for the time being, the thing is that the choke pull off is unecessary if the choke wont close in the first place :/
Like I said the previous owner just shoved the carb on there to get it running to move it and sell it, but I think it's missing a lot of stuff. I put a little tube in that hole and routed it to the choke pull off and it pulled it maybe a milimeter, but it doesnt do anything to help me lol. The tube I put in that hole diminished the vacuum to a tiny little amount. I have searched high and low for vacuum leaks and so far don't see any. I'm just wanting some close-up pictures (like the ones I posted) of a non CC quadrajet carb all set up properly so I can duplicate it. The timing I am unsure of, because I don't have a timing light, I turn the distributer and listen by ear and currently the engine pulls hard and sounds so perfect that I don't want to touch it anymore.

 

The reason I asked about the distributor is that it's the wrong one for that carb. You need one with mechanical and vacuum advance. That one is designed to control timing via the computer. Your computer is brain-dead, so it isn't telling the distributor what to do. You're suffering from inadequate timing advance, and until you get the right distributor on there, it'll never run right under all conditions (you can get it to run right for one particular condition, like idle or wide open throttle, but no more than one).

The large port on the front of the carb with vacuum on it is for the PCV valve. Hook it up and run it as intended. The rattling is normal, but that doesn't mean the valve is okay. Most likely it is. The small one with the screw in it is supposed to go to the distributor vacuum advance.

That's a really old carb set-up, and nobody here is likely to have one like it.

 

Cool, that is very informative, well I'm kind of tired of this carburator anyway :P
I was troubleshooting a gas leak that only happens intermitently from the middle gasket, I took the carb off, took it down to the 3 major plates, while finding that the 2 screws for the middle gasket were in fact loose, cleaned it all thoroughly with carb cleaner (the float and some of the valves actually were sticking/grinding until cleaned) and once put back together the car was running mad good, I was spinning the tires with little effort, and it sped up to speed really fast, and wasnt stalling after it warmed up, but then it went back to stalling and misfiring (which only used to happen rarely)

turns out it started leaking AGAIN, this time it leaks out of the throttle assembly and the bottom gasket, everything is tight and im thinking the carburator is warped, and with the throttle on the passenger side leaking im ready to just find a new carb. It only misfires when the leak starts, and I must have put the choke back on wrong because it keeps getting stuck in high idle mode pretty much the whole time its on, and has a small whistle noise. What carbs should I look for that I don't need a new distributer with? or do I need a new one with any carb


I might try some RTV gasket sealant on the base and see if that clears up the leak, if it does then it might work better.

 

The only carb that distributor will work with is a computer controlled carb. To get that to work, you will have to find all of the computer system for that type - your computer will not work. Computer, harnesses, sensors, carb, etc.

 

I'm kinda late on this one, but man, that is one OLD q-jet. I was going to say it's ready for a burial in davy jones locker.
Probably desperately needs a rebuild, if the insides are as pooched as the exterior shows (screws in vac ports, etc).

I've got a handful of good shots of my carb, but I don't think it'll help you, since you appear to have a handful of problems, and Five7 is taking care of you.

FWIW - here's my webspace, feel free to poke around,
https://webdisk.ucalgary.ca/~jmknopp/public_html/
and search on these forums for posts i've made. I've transitioned to the non-cc setup about a year ago, and probably went through all the headaches you're going through (or about to).

 

It really is messed up, and inheriting someone else's failed attempt is never the easy way to go.

I'm thinking now that the port with the screw in it is supposed to be where the choke pull-off goes. There's an unplugged, unused vacuum port on the base. Linkages look like they're installed upside down. It's just a total mess, and not something I'd want to try to talk someone through who isn't familiar with the basics of operations.

Starting from scratch on the conversion would be the easiest way to "fix" this thing.

 

lol jeeze, well im about ready to burry this carb under my large hammer of thor (very very large custom made steel hammer i found in a garbage)

its where all my stuff goes that sucks

the leak continues, and it looks like its coming out of the throttle linkage on both sides, which is where i suspected it coming out since the beginning but didnt want to admit to it, after i turn off the car (and whiles its running in idle if it sits long enough) it just starts dripping out at an accelerated rate, like the float isnt closing and allowing the bowl to overflow and just come out wherever it can. im getting the crossfire stuff that the previous owner has tonight, and if the computer is still in there, ill pick up an in-tank fuel electric fuel pump, but there are other gas line confusion that I have, there are 2 unused lines in the engine bay set to the side, the one that hooks to the carb (I take it I have to somehow delete that fuel pump mounted on the block now?) and 4 at the tank. I need a new fuel supply unit anyway my gas gauge is all messed up too, once the needle even begins to move a hair from way past full, im already out of gas, and it drops to empty. better start walking.

Isnt crossfire similiar to TBI? I would love to convert this to TBI and just forget about all this BS lol, I hope he has the intake manifold too, he should have all the parts he took off

Anyway thanks for all your help so far, this car is wonderful It just needs a reliable intake system and itll be good as new.

 

Before you get carried away, get the number off of the carb. You may just have a restoration piece that someone would be willing to pay actual money to get it on eBay.

Crossfire was a TBI system with two throttle bodies. It was pretty lame, never fully developed by the factory, never really embraced by the aftermarket. If you want to go TBI, get a full '88-later system and install it.

Crossfire did use an in-tank electric fuel pump that produces more pressure than the typical q-jet likes. That may be the cause of your latest observation.

The fuel lines at the tank are supply (to the engine), return (excess back from the engine), vapor vent (to the charcoal canister), and pressure vent.

 

I think the rubber hoses on the gas tank are all switched around, I'll have to figure it out, I got the CI today, its complete with manifold, the wiring is already in the car leftover from before, and I got the computer. This is good because I don't have to buy as much except gaskets, assuming the the injectors work and everything. I wouldnt destroy the carb no, I would try to sell it first of course because I am poor. So does the fuel pump usually just have 3 wires going to it, one ground, one power, and one to go to the gas gauge with the float? I think it had brown, red, and black but I don't remember. I never hear the pump humm or anything, I'll take a picture and you guys can tell me if it's an electric pump proper for this application or not. I can't do anything now because its rainy, dark, and I have to go to work but I'll post back asap. Thank you!

 

update! i just finally figured out my starter problem, a wire melted (go figure, a wire melting for the starter on a third gen?) and i let the engine stall a few times and guess what? i hear the in-tank fuel pump going wirrrrrrrrrrrrrreow then shut off a few seconds after the engine shut off, so I unplugged it and the car still ran, but at 50% of its power. It didn't stop the leaking though so it wasnt that. I an starting project crossfire when I wake up in the daytime. stay tuned

 

Oh man, I got the crossfire all hooked up today and I just walked into another world of pissed-offedness. This car will not run right and I cannot figure it out at all. It misfires and stumbles, and generally runs like crap. It starts whenever it feels like it, it runs super rich, and is all crackly. who here is a crossfire expert or has a picture of their completed system?

 

actually it just misfires, if it wasnt misfiring, it'd probably fix 90% of its problems. checked all the basics, timing, wires, cleaned everything well before i put it on. It never misfired except once in a very seldom while with the carb, really just when it would overflow and leak. This sounds like its misfiring 2 cylinders not just one.

 

I don't think you'll find a crossfire expert on this forum. Maybe 3 people still have the crossfire setup on their cars.
There's a reason people have been junking them, and you're finding out why now...

 

I want to punch this car in a lot of places. It now doesn't run at all, it wont start and the only time itll fire is if I unplug the injectors and hold down the starter, then it'll fire and almost run. But it doesn't help I have no idea how or where to hook up any of the vacuum lines, so I just threw everything wherever, and tried different things over and over. I can't find pictures or information and crossfire vault wasn't much help either. It is stuck at my work right now. If anyone has a tbi system I can buy let me know!

 

I got the vacuum diagram from the library system at my school! mwuahahaha I will conquer this crossfire once and for all

 

many days of work, tweaking, cleaning, dismantling, lots of other stuff and its finally done and running like a champ.
imagine that, a crossfire car running good

Thanks for all the help to everyone who helped me with questions!