jonahdanger02

I have an 84 z28 with the 305 5.0 with the carb that has an electronic throttle positioning sensor. Over the past week I’ve noticed the car had been sluggish and feeling down on power until yesterday whenever I was driving and I try to pull out onto the road and the the car maxes out at 5 mph and won’t go any faster until it just shuts itself off so I push it to a place where I can stop and try to start it again and it just turns over and won’t do anything. After letting it sit for a minute or two I try again feathering the throttle trying to get it to start and it just turns over but won’t start but I can hear the engine trying to turn over but it only does it whenever the throttle is engaged so I just put my foot to the floor and it starts but sounds very rough and will only rev to about 2000 rpm and whenever I let go of the throttle it shuts off again. I do that a couple more times until it will stay on and get it home and let it cool off so I can look at it. Whenever I do end up looking at it I notice that whenever the throttle is engaged the carb has vapor coming out of it but nothing out of the ordinary so I drive it around for a little bit trying to get it to do it again but it won’t. Today I try to leave my house and it starts doing it again and it won’t shift or anything and it maxes out at 65 and won’t go any faster. Idk what’s wrong with it so I thought to come here for help

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Will it start if you pour an ounce or 2 of gas down into the carb, and run for acoupla seconds before dying again?

jonahdanger02

I didn’t try that just because I didn’t have gas I’m hand to do that with but after waiting a little bit it will just start up fine like nothing was every wrong to begin with

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

OK well get some gas and try it. I didn't ask you to give me excuses about why you hadn't done it; I told you what you need to do. Not at all the same thing.

Your choice: EXCUSES, or get it done. Your choice. Let me emphasize, your choice.

Also, OUR choice out here, to be bothered with helping you.

jonahdanger02

Ok sorry I didn’t mean to upset you or anything like that I was just explaining what I did and I understand why that’d help whenever it won’t start but whenever it is working it just seems like it’d flood the carb thank you for the help sorry that I upset you I didn’t mean anything like that at all

Vader

Whether the engine starts normally cold would be good information. I'm putting the cart way out ahead of the horse here, but I'm guessing it may be flooding. It's best to take a step at a time, however, and see how the cold start happens.

jonahdanger02

Should I take a video of a cold start and reply with it would that work?

jonahdanger02

Here’s a video of the cold start
https://youtube.com/shorts/Vl1fh7n5n48?si=s5vIxde26ujO74Nf

Vader

It seems I can hear the accelerator pedal being pumped to start it. If so, it's probably not over-rich at cold start. It may be time to verify the carb operation, from fuel bowl level to potential leaks to adjustment.

jonahdanger02

Yeah I do pump the pedal whenever starting no matter what. What would be the best/ quickest way to go through the carb and is it something I’d be able to do in an evening because this is my only car and I still need to drive to work and school

Vader

If you had all the parts, supplies, and equipment needed on hand, and about 4 hours to spare, it would be possible to perform a complete removal, disassembly, cleaning, reassembly and initial bench adjustments, installation, and tuning a QuadraJet. That's about the flat rate book time from back in the day of carburetion. It is possible to do much of it with the carb on the engine, but more inconvenient.

Before jumping into that, it might be helpful to analyze a bit more. Have you checked to see if there are any error codes (Check Engine light on)? Is the fuel pump delivering fuel to the carb? Is the fuel filter clean? Is the air filter clean? What is the warm idle speed? Does the choke operate? Are all vacuum hoses connected and in good condition?

There is an overview of the E4ME QuadraJet which might give you an idea of the overhaul process, and reviewing that could be helpful, among all the other sources for QuadraJet information: http://www.wwdsltd.com/files/E4ME.pdf

jonahdanger02

The check engine light has been on for a while but I just assumed that it was just an old car thing but i don’t have an obd reader to see what code is being thrown. I’m pretty sure that all the vacuum hoses are good but I did just replace one before this whole issue started and I’m pretty sure the air filter is clean but I’m not sure about anything else especially the fuel filter since it’s in such an inconvenient place

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

No problem. Here ya go. You can get a box of 100 OBD 1 readers for under $5. I bet Wally World or Meijer or HEB or Wegman's or King Sooper's or whatever you have wherever you are, might even have em for less, with no shipping if that matters.

https://www.staples.com/staples-smoo...product_525923

Once you use the "magic tool", the car itself will tell you what it's mad about that lights the light, without further ado.

These things are EEEEEEEEEEEZZZZZZZZZZZZYYYY. You're making it harder on yourself by imagining that they're hard. THEY'RE NOT. It's just a car; there's like, BILLIONS of em in the world; can't be THAT hard to figure em out. Hell if I can figure it out, and of course I have no brain, SURELY someone as [forrestgump] smaaaaarrrt [/forrestgump] as you, unlike brainless ME, can do the same. Calm down, take a deep breath, search the forums, ask The Google (which knows all). You'll do just fine.