The weekend started so well...


My family and I made a road trip up to PA to see my Mom and so that I could get my cutlass out of storage in her garage. I changed her fluids and filters, dropped the battery in and she started right up. I took her for a little 15 minute drive and she purred the entire way. No problems at all.


Move on to Sunday. We are getting ready to leave and head back down to Maryland. I go out to the car, start her up, and now the engine is choppy and sound like it's missing on 4 cylinders. What the heck!!! I get out to look under the hood (a little sidebar here)...all of the sudden I can hear my youngest screaming bloody murder. He apparently was carrying a pyrex bowl outside, tripped, dropped and shattered the bowl, and then fell onto the broken glass (cue the screaming). To make a long interlude somewhat shorter, 3 hours at the ER and about 20 stiches in each hand later, I am back at my Moms and working on the cutlass.


She is still running choppily (and now I smell gas). I look under the hood and pull the air cleaner and the carb is completely covered with gas. It's everywhere. There are even puddles of it on the manifold. The weird thing is that I can not find the leak. At first I thought that it might be the fuel filter (because I changed it on Saturday). Nope. No leak there. In fact, it's the only part of the carb that was not covered in gas.


By this time, it's 5:30pm and I have to get back to Maryland because the kids have school tomorrow (at least the older one, the younger (aka Bandage Boy) is definitely staying home). We pushed the Olds back in the garage, and I'll have to wait until Easter weekend to work on her again. I have enclosed some pics. Does anyone have any idea what might have caused this problem?

 

I hope bandage boy gets better soon!

Possibly a stuck float in the carb, that would cause gas to be on top of the carb.


John

 

Stuck float or piece of debris stuck between needle and seat.

Since it ran fine when it was first started after sitting, and since you changed the fuel filter, debris between the needle and seat seems most likely to me.

Hope Junior makes a fast recovery!

- Eric

 

Hope the little one will be fine.

x2 on the stuck float, probably some debris.

 

Thanks for the concern. He should be OK. The blood scared the heck out of him (and his Mom) though.


What's the easiest way to clear a stuck float? When my Mom's neighbor came over while I was working on it, he suggested pulling the fuel filter and using an air gun to blow air through the opening into the carb. That sounded a little odd to me though, so I held off until I could ask you guys.

 

Blowing air through it would probably work (not too much pressure, though, and gas will fly), though I would probably want to remove the airhorn and have a look for myself.

- Eric

 

I'd be a little more gentle than that. I'd be more inclined to remove the carb from the engine, then pull the top off and clean/inspect the float bowl and needle/seat.

John

 

I'd take the air horn off and do it the old fashioned way. Its a good opportunity to check float level and give everything the once over.

A little compressed air might work.

One could guess that you stirred up some debris by changing the filter. That means there could be more in bowl to get in the way. Might as well....take care of it now.

MAW good time for a carb kit....

 

I'll add that the debris is big enough that once dislodged from the needle and seat will find its way somewhere else in the carb. I would pop the top and clean it out then reassemble.

 

take it apart and clean it, doing it half a**ed will get half a** results. and nobody wants that. glad the little guys ok,sounds like a hectic week end.

 

x2

 

quick question...

Since the cutlass is up in PA and I'm down in Maryland (about a 3 hour trip) I do not have access to the number on the side of the carb. When I go back up in 2 weeks I would like to have the proper gaskets in case something goes wrong while I'm cleaning it out.

A long shot I know but does anyone know what one of the standard model numbers are for a 4 barrel rochester quadrajet for an Olds 350? It's the original carb. I just want to be ready for any potential trouble. As we all know, "If it can go wrong, it will go wrong".

I guess one plus out of this weekend's adventures (besides my son being OK), is that the carb problem surfaced in my Mom's garage, and not 100 miles down the road in the middle of nowhere.

 

If I were a gambling man, 7041251 would be the model I'd pick.

 

Yep, if you use that number you should end up with the correct parts. The same carb kit works for just about all 68 to mid-late 70s (?) QJets, from what I remember.

NAPA 2-5561A rebuild kit is what I have on the shelf for my carb.

 

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who offered advice. The family and I went up to PA for Easter. I pulled the air horn from the carb and cleared the debris. After that, I blasted it with a little CRC and then some canned air, put it back together, and she's running normally again.


Three hour drive home with the top down and no problems at all. Thanks again!

 

Glad it's fixed, hopefully bandage boy is doing better too.

 

He is doing much better, thanks. He is supposed to get the rest of the stitches out tomorrow.

 

Going much better now!
The 350 carb should be '250, but, the kit is the same, just the exact adjustments will differ.

I got a big ol' nasty cut in my leg from broken glass when I was a kid. About 6" long and it looked to me like it went to the bone. I freaked out. Was about 8-9 yrs old. 13 stitches. Sounds like your boy is healing up fine. It'll be a great story to tell.