Today I started tearing down my Rochester 2Jet from a 72 Cutlass S that I am working on for my Dad. I've never rebuilt a carb before just wondering if anyone has any tips for me?

What if anything should I dip the parts in to clean them/what parts should I not dip if any...

Thanks!

-RJ

 

If it's metal, dip it, if it's not, don't.

Use a carburetor cleaning solution available in gallon paint cans in the auto parts store (the five gallon cans are great, but a bit pricey for just one carb).

Watch out for the BBs. It's been a long time since I did a 2-Jet, but if I recall, there are two, one under a screw and one under the accel pump.

And you've still got a few more parts to take off in those pictures.

If you follow the instructions in the CSM, you should do fine.

- Eric

 

Thanks! Yeah I just started what I could before I had to come into work. Definitely still a lot to pull off but I have been taking 10 pics and 1 video for every screw/part that I have taken off and will continue to do that until I've got it all apart.

I think the only replacement part my kit is missing is a new float. Can I still use the old one? I have heard that brass floats are better...

 

It's generally a good idea to replace plastic floats, as you really can't tell whether they are heavy or not.

You can tell if brass ones leak.

The float should be easily available - probably about $8-10.

- Eric

 

Ok thanks! I went to autozone and they didn't have any brass floats, but I'll do some shopping around online tonight! Appreciate the help Eric!

-RJ

 

I think I've got everything torn down and ready to dip.

One quick question. I noticed there was no sealer on the gaskets, was this because i'm not suppose to use any or should I get some? the kit didn't come with any.

Thanks

-RJ

 

Looks great (and not too dirty).

No sealer on the gaskets.

= Eric

 

Had quite a bit of gunk on the outside when I pulled it off, inside wasn't too bad though. hoping it will look even better after I dip it.

Thanks for all the advice!

-RJ

 

Any time! Keep us posted!

 

in addition to the above:

there is a check ball in the float bowl assembly under the venturi cluster. it is retained by a T-shaped looking piece that is staked into one of the float bowl passages. underneath the retainer is a spring which holds the check ball down against it's seat. you can remove the retainer by pulling it upward with a needle nose pliers. it's not a bad idea to clean that passage with compressed air after soaking the carb. in cleaner. use the old check ball, a flat punch, and a small hammer to lightly hit the center of the old ball against it's seat. this takes care of any issues with the check ball seat. you only need to give it a few "love taps". then, throw the old check ball away. your kit should have a new retainer, check ball spring, and check ball. assemble the parts in the following order: drop the proper check ball in, drop the spring in, install the retainer and stake it in place so it won't pop out. everything else is pretty straightforward.
ask if you have a question, and no sealer anywhere during the rebuild.

the only concern i would have is after you clean the throttle body, open the throttle valves and try to move the shaft in the bores. side to side is not a problem, axially is, if there's more than a just perceptible amount of movement, you would do well to have the throttle shaft bores bushed.

bill

 

Thanks for the tip Bill! I didnt realize that came out. Problem solved, got it out and yess the kit came with a new check ball, spring, and "T thingy" lol.

I have the large pieces sitting now and once those are done i'll be using an old cookie sheet to dip some of the smaller pieces.

As always thanks for the help! I'll keep you and Eric posted when I begin re assembly!

-RJ

 

A fairly sealed container is better for soaking than a shallow open container, because the cleaner contains volatile compounds, which will evaporate away if allowed to, leaving you with a $20 gallon of gunk that isn't good for much.

And definitely listen to anything Bill has to say - he does this professionally, and he knows his stuff.
As I say, it's been years since I've had a 2-Jet apart.

- Eric

 

Like Eric said don't use that carb cleaner in the can on anything except metal. Rubber, plastic, etc. will be unrecognizable after being in that stuff. This includes your hands/skin. The stuff is evil.
Sorry for your loss. I just got one of those flag cases for my father.

 

Eric: I ended up wetting all of the large pieces with the dip then wrapping the parts in shop towels and soaking the towels with the dip. Hoping this has a similar effect to what you have explained. It had definitly saved me quite a bit of the stuff and the towels are still nice and wet.

Deuces: Yeah I've got all of my plastic pieces separated for this process and my kit came with replacements for everything that was plastic too.

Also thats me in the pic in the shadow box. my girlfriend bought that for me to put that flag and all my medals in. I flew that flag over a forward operating base I was at in Afghanistan. Im sorry to hear about your dad. What branch of the military was he in?

 

He was in the Air Force then joined the Army after 14 years and retired with 21 years in total. SFC in Intel for the 25th Infantry with two tours in Vietnam.
Still trying to figure out a nice way to place the medals.
Thanks

 

I don't see the jets out loose. Perhaps and the plunger thingy near the jets- power piston valve?

For the most thorough cleaning they should be out too.

I assume you have normal shop tools or can access same- grinder, Dremel with cutoff wheel, etc.? Do not hesitate to grind a screwdriver to fit the jets and power piston valve EXACTLY RIGHT so they don't get marred while removing/ installing. The Buy-n-Sell stores like Capitol Discount are great for that- get 10 screwdrivers and make each exact tool that you need.

You could leave those parts in place and rely on the air blast to clean out underneath, if need be.

 

Deuces: Sounds like your dad was an awesome guy! Those were the types of people that made me want to join!. I haven't figured out how to put my medals/patches in there either.

Octania: Yeah those were parts I wasn't very comfortable removing for my first rebuild of a carb. I was hoping the dip, thorough spray down and some air would clean it out well enough. I have a mediocre tool collection right now (Tools were stolen out of the bed of my truck a while back) but haven't ran into any probs needing anything specific yet.

Thats a great idea about capital discount, always bought my tools from big stores, that gives me an idea to go browse and pic a few things up! Thanks!

QUESTION FOR THE GROUP: When re assembling do I need to lube any parts in a specific way or as long as they are dry am I good to throw everything back together?

 

Nope, no lube, just reassemble dry.

- Eric

 

x2
if you're gonna do it, do it right!

the power piston assembly does come out of the air horn assembly, you place the air horn assembly upside down, and press the power piston down all the way, then let it snap up. when you've done this enough, it will break it's staking and pop out, unless it was "staked to death". do not try to remove it by any other method. during re-assembly, you have to stake it back in place. you can also remove the power valve from the float bowl assembly. a modified, large flat blade screwdriver works well for this. get a blade that is as wide as the head of the power valve and grind a 1/8" wide slot, about 1/8" deep, into the center of the blade. this way, you won't bend the plunger pin in the center of the power valve.

don't forget to remove the seat gasket and the power valve gasket, they like to stick to the castings.


bill

p.s. before you re-assemble the fuel inlet, filter, and spring, stretch your spring to 50% longer than it's current length, to prevent your filter from bypassing when/if it gets full. this will protect your engine in case there is dirt in the rest of the fuel system. if the filter gets filled up, your filter won't allow any dirt to lodge between the needle and seat, by bypassing itself. an even better idea is a filter on the inlet side of your fuel pump, and stretching the spring, as explained above.

 

I guess if I'm going to do it I'll have to do it all the way. This sounds like its gonna be rough! I just dont want to brake anything and have to get another carb.

 

Update: took the jets out, ended up leaving the pistin assembly and the power valve on. Jets and passage were pretty clean but ran some dip, water, and compressed air through just in case. Parts are drying and should be assembling soon and testing this weekend after changing out a few other parts on the car.

 

You DID blow through all passages and jets with compressed air, right?

And look through the jets toward a light source to be sure the holes look perfectly round (ie: no junk in there).

- Eric

 

Got everything up to the main body put back together. Laid all my parts out and using my pics and videos started getting it back together after blowing all parts, passage ways and holes with compressed air.

Need to go get a new float before I put the air horn assembly back together and attach it to the main body. Also need to grab new filters

 

As I'd said earlier, my memory's not perfect on these, but if I recall, there is a detail of the throttle body to float bowl gasket that makes it easy to install it backwards or to install the wrong one from the rebuild kit.
Look long and hard at the gasket and any holes in it, and be sure everything that has to go through is able to go through.

- Eric

 

Gotcha, just went and double checked. My kit only came with one gasket for between the main body and throttle body. All set, I'm confident in the progress i've gotten so far thanks to all of the help everyone has given. Should be finished tomorrow!

 

Question: When re assembling the pictured portion of the Carburetor do I need to match up that coiled section with that other part to where they have some sort of tension if I tried to twist that cap? I didnt pay attention the how it was set up when I pulled it off...

Please see attachments:

 

Yes, the arm in the housing will go into the cupped portion of the spring. There will be slight tension on it. This adjusts your choke at start up. There is a notch on the choke housing that will point to the rich or lean setting you choose. It's probably in the instructions as to the initial setting.

 

Thanks! Got it put back on and adjusted. Last step that I have is to re attach the float, adjust it, and put the air horn assembly back on the main body. After that I'm hoping to get outside before it gets too hot and throw the carb on.

 

the end of the spring usually comes pretty close to lining up with the notch in the face of the choke cap. make sure you put the spring on the correct way, 2gc's are installed opposite of qj's. the spring should relax clockwise with heat, on a 2gc.


bill

 

By relax clockwise do you mean that if I turn it clockwise it shouldn't have the tension on the spring? At the moment when I turn the cap clockwise it produces tension on the spring. Are you saying this should be opposite?

I'm currently at work so I cant take/post a picture but to explain it best I can without a picture, laying the throttle body flat that lever that is on the inside is low and on the left, before I tightened the cap down turing the cap to the right created tension... I indexed it to the second notch (creating slight tension) and tightened the screws down...

 

Carb is back on but she wont turn over...

Any troubleshooting ideas?

Batt is new, took it out of my 71 Monte
Car has gas and put gas in carb
Starter solenoid was fine before I pulled the carb

 

By "won't turn over," do you mean "won't crank" or "won't start"?

- Eric

 

No crank, turn the key, GEN light comes on, try to start and I get one click, no turning over, nothing but the click

 

Hmmmm...

Solenoid click, or click somewhere else?

First, I'd check the battery voltage both cranking and at rest - it should show 12.5 volts at rest and about 11 cranking.

Next, I'd jump the solenoid S terminal to the battery (+) to see if that makes it crank - if so, then the problem is between the battery, the ignition switch, the NSS, and the solenoid.

If that doesn't make it go, then the problem is in the solenoid, starter, wires, or connections - all connections should be shiny, including the battery.

It'll be something simple.

- Eric

 

correction: the choke coil on a 2gc relaxes counter-clockwise when heated. a qj is the opposite. the point of reference is when the choke cap is in an installed position on the carb. when you rotate the choke lever inside the choke housing clockwise, the choke valve will close. when the choke cap is installed and the coil is cold, the choke coil will have tension applied to the choke lever. when you heat the choke coil with hot choke stove air(or a hair dryer, lighter, etc.) the choke coil will relax in a counter-clockwise direction, opening the choke valve. the "hook" end on the choke coil(some have a nearly full loop) should hold the choke lever inside the "hook" or loop-not push against it from the non "hook" or non-loop side. i hope i cleared this up for everybody reading this.


bill

 

Ok I got it to turn but no start. I didnt crimp the post lugs which is why it wouldn't turn before but now I get it to turn then it stops and makes kind of a whine noise. Any tips?

 

How much gas do I need to pour into the carb after pulling it off and putting it back on? Could that be the problem?

 

Bill would be able to give you a concrete number, but I'd say a few ounces.

I'd also say that just filling it all the way up would be fine - no different than tickling a motorcycle carb.

Personally, I usually just pour a few ounces down each barrel, then put the air cleaner back on nice and tight, then let 'er rip. You may need to repeat once or twice, but you should get enough RPMs to pull the fuel from the tank and into the float bowl.

- Eric