Thread: i need some help

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ok so I have a 63 Chevy c10 I put a 350 in it with mild work, the reason I need help is that I was driving my truck and all of a sudden it just lost 80% of its power. It took quite a while to rev up and sounds like a totally different engine. it doesn't sound good it sounds sluggish, or starving for gas or something I don't know. I look at my carb and the air cleaner is one from advance the edelbrock triangle looking ine.it has a foam material for air cleaner. well it was melted. no I took the carb off and cleaned it very well in a parts washer. (don't know if that's good or bad) and put it back on and still doing it if you have any advice id appreciate it. this smarter guy I know says it could be something in the ignition..

Welcome to CHR. Hope you enjoy a long stay here.

You say that you "...cleaned the carb really well in a parts washer..." which makes it sound like you maybe did not disassemble the carb and rebuild it, but rather just cleaned the outside? Is that right?

If your power loss is fuel related I would look to the in line filter being plugged vs ignition, but your comment about the melted filter element points to a question of a back fire. Maybe pull the filter element and see if it improves with unrestricted airflow?

Roger could this be a sudden timing issue, maybe?
Em

and what kind of carb ? my holley did that with some trash floating around in the bowls that would periodically stop up a jet ..

Em, that's another idea that I didn't consider. It could have jumped a tooth on a worn timing chain, or something as simple as someone left the distributor clamp loose? Other ignition problems generally have a noticeable miss, but a timing change could be the issue.

The Edelbrock triangle air cleaner looks neat, but has earned the

AKA
Triangle Of Death

Becauae the foam desintegrates & finds its way into the vent tubes & thus the carb has to be thoroughly cleaned.

As said above, verify timing, and verify carb is not spitting fuel upwards into air cleaner.

thanks guys, ill start from the top to help you guys help me. Ok i didn't disassemble because i though taking the top off the carb would ruin that gasket, but i can take it apart. um i feel like its fuel problem because i can spray carb cleaner into it while its running and it will clear up then once its gone like all used up that i sprayed it starts acting up again. its a edelbrock carb and to clear some things up this is a recent rebuilt engine, maybe have 200 miles on it.. ill look into rebuilding the carb or cleaning thoroughly. what is the gasket called for the top where the floats are or do i just need a whole rebuild kit?

Originally Posted by Jerry c10

. um i feel like its fuel problem because i can spray carb cleaner into it while its running and it will clear up then once its gone like all used up that i sprayed it starts acting up again. its a edelbrock carb and to clear some things up this is a recent rebuilt engine, maybe have 200 miles on it.. ill look into rebuilding the carb or cleaning thoroughly. what is the gasket called for the top where the floats are or do i just need a whole rebuild kit?

Yep, a fuel issue.
Is enough fuel being pumped to the carb - could be a bad pump or blocked fuel-filter.

And if it is getting enough gas can you work the throttle arm on the side of the carb and see gas being squirted down the bore of the carb?

In any event I'd open up the carb and see that all the jets etc are not blocked and the fuel bowl isn't full of water/crap.

See how you go

Rebuild kit gets my vote. I used to build them when I had more book smarts than common sense, so you can handle it, just read the directions. Besides, Edelbrock is easy.

Check your fuel filter first, or just change it, they're cheap. Eliminate that before going into more complex issues.

I had a similar issue and chased it for a month. Finally after talking with the guys on CHR started with the tank and started pulling things and checking them out. Got to the fuel filter (12 months old) and found that it rattled. It had come apart internally and dumped all the trash down the carb ,a Holley, and cloged the idle circuit. Rebuilt it and all was fine. Also make sure you have a good fuel pressure regulator and gage. Its very easy to mess the floats up with high pressure from the fuel pump. Your truck is awesome and I know it is frustrating having it sit there not being able to drive it. Been there done that!

If the fuel filter doesn't clear it up, I went back and read your inititial post and you said the foam was melted. If you mean it might have dripped into the carb, it could have plugged a jet or passage way. So like everyone said, first change the filter(do you have an inline filter before the carb?) if so as you remove it look for debrie like rust in the hose feeding it. Some times the gas tank sitting with rust, or attract h2o over time. This is the easiest place to start. If the line is dripping clean gas, maybe test the fuel pump before reattaching a new filter(or run with clear filter). Also one of those clear glass filters while your working on this problem will tell you a lot of info going forward. Not saying run the car with the clear glass filter once fixed, but you'll be able to see any sediment getting in there when you start the engine back up, and see if gas is flowing without taking things apart. If all that is o.k., but still running bad, then get rebuild kit and thouroughly clean the insides. I had a similar problem with a "NEW" edelbrock carb I bought off Evilbay. Couldn't figure why after pulling engine and re-installing 6 months later why I couldn't time it from a rough idle and why I needed to keep the foot on the gas. Turns out the NEW barely used two week carb needed a rebuild as two of the Jets weren't passing gas. Keep posting as you go, And Welcome to CHR.

thanks guys again this is helping a lot update on new info. (all prior to it messing up) Have a new fuel filter before the carb its a clear one it doesn't have any trash in it or anything. The fuel pump is about 4 months old. Works good and I may need a regulator somewhere its an electric fuel pump maybe it messed up something, I don't know how hard it is to damage anything inside the carb. what could to much pressure cause to fail or malfunction? I my self don't think that would cause my truck to act sluggish would it? I feel like that triangle of death really got me. Feel like it dripped down stuff into my carb. the whole top of the filter is gone, melted. had a few backfires.

Originally Posted by Jerry c10

thanks guys again this is helping a lot update on new info. (all prior to it messing up) Have a new fuel filter before the carb its a clear one it doesn't have any trash in it or anything. The fuel pump is about 4 months old. Works good and I may need a regulator somewhere its an electric fuel pump maybe it messed up something, I don't know how hard it is to damage anything inside the carb. what could to much pressure cause to fail or malfunction? I my self don't think that would cause my truck to act sluggish would it? I feel like that triangle of death really got me. Feel like it dripped down stuff into my carb. the whole top of the filter is gone, melted. had a few backfires.

Jerry, if you're willing to follow some simple instructions, I and the others on this board can help you to understand and fix your truck. The second thing you have to fix is the fuel pressure into the carb. Edelbrock carbs will operate best with no more than 5 psi pressure, measured at the carb inlet. Some fellows on this board and other boards have said that they use 4 3/4 psi, but I'm of the opinion that if you have a steady 5 psi, you'll be fine.

What you need to do first is to sling that air filter assembly over the fence and install a 14" x 4" assembly, with a dry paper element. Here's the element.....
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/aa...hAgaAlNw8P8HAQ
and here's the top and bottom covers.....
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-g3001k/overview/
The stud to hold the top on will be a custom length. Go down to your local Ace Hardware, True Value Hardware or Home Depot and pick up a 12" stick of 1/4" x 20 tpi (threads per inch) stick of ALLTHREAD. Screw the whole stick down into the carburetor and assemble the air filter assembly with the excess stud sticking out of the top of the air filter assembly lid. Thread the hold-down nut onto the stud and snug down against the lid. Mark the threaded rod above the hold-down nut. Disassemble and cut the stud to length using a fine blade in your hacksaw. (You do know to chuck it up in the vise on the end that you will not use, right??). Smooth the end of the stud with a fine-toothed file. Assemble the whole mess and paint the top of the stud with clear nail polish to prevent it rusting. Or, you could be ever-so-cool and use a stainless steel stud. (costs a little more, but will never rust).
Here is a conversation from the Jeep forum that explains the details of the process....
Edelbrock carb - Stud for Air cleaner? - JeepForum.com

Next, let's get the fuel pressure under control.
Screw this nipple into the carb fuel inlet.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/edl-1497/overview/
Use a short piece of 3/8" rubber fuel line to connect the nipple to this tee.....
Moroso 65360 Fuel Pressure Gauge Fitting 3 8 in Line w Hose Fitting | eBay
Come off the middle port of the tee and connect a 0-15 psi, liquid-filled mechanical fuel pressure gauge such as this......
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hly-26-500/overview/
This gets a gauge into the system. Now, we'll plumb in a fuel pressure regulator....
Buy two of these.....
Chrome 3 8" NPT 3 8" Hose Straight Fuel Line Fitting | eBay
Screw one into the inlet side and one into the outlet side of this fuel pressure regulator.
Now come off the other side of the fuel pressure gauge tee with a short piece of 3/8" rubber hose to connect to the 3/8" hose barb on the fuel pressure regulator. Come off the other side of the regulator with whatever it takes to connect to your current fuel delivery system. If you place the gauge and regulator somewhere close to the carb inlet and secure them with whatever kind of mechanical contrivance (brackets) that it takes to make sure they stay where you put them, they will last for a long while.

On any threads, use ONLY Permatex No.3 Aviation sealer. Do not apply sealer to the first 2 or 3 threads, go on up to thread number 4 or higher to prevent sealer entering the fuel system. This is the only fuel-resistant sealer to use. Period. Period. Period. DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, USE TEFLON TAPE.
Amazon.com: Permatex 80019 Aviation Form-A-Gasket No. 3 Sealant, 4 oz.: Automotive
You should be able to find this #3 at any self-respecting auto parts store.

I just found this. If it were available with a 0-15 psi gauge and the regulator were available as a 4 1/2 to 9 psi unit, this would be a lot cleaner than the plumbing I described above.....
http://www.expressfuelpumps.com/auto...al-p-3802.html
Call these guys up, tell 'em what you're trying to do, they may have a better idea......


,

fuel pressure from electric pump more than needle and seat can control---severely over flooded carb/eng and possible had a carb fire that melted the foam----


the old rule of thumb about needing air, fuel,spark needs to be rewritten to say fuel at a pressure that the induction system can handle----------