olds4life

rebuilt carb floods easily. what can i do to fix it. what adjustments can make to prevent this in the future. thanks

joe_padavano

Flooding is typically caused by one of four things: dirt in the needle and seat, "heavy" float, improperly adjusted float, or excessive fuel pressure.

If the float was not replaced as part of the rebuild, that would be my first guess. The additives in gasoline today will attack the older closed cell foam floats and cause them to loose buoyancy. The result is that a properly-adjusted float will still cause the carb to flood.

If the float is new, then I'd check fuel pressure - though if it did not flood before the rebuild and the pump was not changed, then this is unlikely to be the problem.

Finally, either dirt due to a less than adequate cleaning or residual crud from installation (such as debris from installing the carb inlet fitting in the float bowl), or a mis-adjusted float are the only other choices.

olds4life

thanks joe. what can i do to fix it.

joe_padavano

1) Check fuel pressure (though a low likelyhood, this is easy to do)

2) Remove air horn and replace float

3) Inspect needle and seat carefully for debris

4) Ensure float level is properly set.

There aren't a lot of potential causes nor many potential fixes as a result. You didn't say what year carb you have. The very early Qjets were notorious for leaky well plugs on the bottom of the float bowl. This problem pretty much was solved when GM started using spun-in metal plugs instead of pressed-in cup plugs. If you carb is any newer than the mid-1960s, this is likely not an issue.

Is the flooding coming from the base of the carb or out the vents?

olds4life

thanks for all the help. but i don't think i explain it correctly. after a couple of pumps of the accelerator, it makes the spark plugs too wet to fire. i don't know the year of the carb. what causes this. thanks

joe_padavano

PATIENT: "Doctor, it hurts when I do this."

DOCTOR: "Well, stop doing that!"

What causes the wet plugs is pumping the accelerator pump too much. You should be able to start the car with a single short pump of the pedal.

Oldsmobomb

I agree with the previous post. Pumping the accelerator vigorously is the precise recipe for flooding the engine. Most every Q-jet I have owned or worked on, if properly set up, will allow the car to start with no pumping, or maybe one half-pump (to set the choke). The only time I have to pump repeatedly is if the car has set for several weeks, and the fuel in the bowl has diminished.