The Oldsmobile Connection

[hrazor35]

First of all you guys will have to bear with me. I have a 1966 Olds 442 and its my first real "muscle" car. I purchased the car after the engine was rebuilt and some other mods. I am not keen on what the history of the car is so please understand that I dont have too much info on the car. It is a 400 BB 6.6 litre and i think im having issues with the carb on the car. I know that i have a Edelbrock 455 Dual Plane Aluminum intake with a Quadrajet Rochestor (spelling?) carb. Now here is the issue. When the car warms up after running for awhile Ill turn it off and try to restart. It wont start. It attempts to turn over but it wont. After doing a test drive to address some other issues i pulled into a park and shut the car off to take a look under the hood. When i tried to start it back up again it wouldnt start up. Tries to turn over but would not start. An older gentleman that happened to be @ the park came over and told me that he had one (olds) some years back and it would do the same thing. He told me to push the pedal all the way to the floor then start the car....he stated that this would "dump" the fuel and allow me to start the car. Well it worked. started right up. He said that Quadrajets are notorious for doing just what it was doing now. Im not too mechanical and im really a newbie @ this so could someone shed some light on the sitatuion i just described? I would eventually like to swap the carb for a Holly 4150 double pumper 700 CFM carb. Summit racing said that it would fit the application that i have. Would this be a good idea? Is there anything i can do to the Quadrajet to avoid this problem until i save up the 400 bucks for the Holley? Sorry for being so naive about this situation but like i said im a newbie to this whole thing. Any help that you guys could give i would appreciate

[andrewk]

hrazor35 wrote: First of all you guys will have to bear with me. I have a 1966 Olds 442 and its my first real "muscle" car. I purchased the car after the engine was rebuilt and some other mods. I am not keen on what the history of the car is so please understand that I dont have too much info on the car. It is a 400 BB 6.6 litre and i think im having issues with the carb on the car. I know that i have a Edelbrock 455 Dual Plane Aluminum intake with a Quadrajet Rochestor (spelling?) carb. Now here is the issue. When the car warms up after running for awhile Ill turn it off and try to restart. It wont start. It attempts to turn over but it wont. After doing a test drive to address some other issues i pulled into a park and shut the car off to take a look under the hood. When i tried to start it back up again it wouldnt start up. Tries to turn over but would not start. An older gentleman that happened to be @ the park came over and told me that he had one (olds) some years back and it would do the same thing. He told me to push the pedal all the way to the floor then start the car....he stated that this would "dump" the fuel and allow me to start the car. Well it worked. started right up. He said that Quadrajets are notorious for doing just what it was doing now. Im not too mechanical and im really a newbie @ this so could someone shed some light on the sitatuion i just described? I would eventually like to swap the carb for a Holly 4150 double pumper 700 CFM carb. Summit racing said that it would fit the application that i have. Would this be a good idea? Is there anything i can do to the Quadrajet to avoid this problem until i save up the 400 bucks for the Holley? Sorry for being so naive about this situation but like i said im a newbie to this whole thing. Any help that you guys could give i would appreciate

First, welcome to TOC.

Personally, I would stick with the Q-jet. I had a double pumper on my Olds powered pickup a few years ago, and it was not as smooth, nor as efficent as the Q-jet was. I had the Q-jet rebuilt, and suddenly it ran better than ever.

I would have your carb rebuilt and tuned to your specific application. JMHO.

Andrew

TOC Mod

[88 Coupe]

Hi hrazor35, hello everyone,

Welcome to TOC.

Quote: ........ It is a 400 BB 6.6 litre ........
Olds 400 was a Big block, and to use both in the same phrase is redundant. Muscle cars were measured in cubic inches, from the start in '49, til the end in '71.

Quote: ........ When the car warms up after running for awhile Ill turn it off and try to restart. It wont start. It attempts to turn over but it wont .......... Quote: ........ Tries to turn over but would not start ........
Engine turning, and engine starting are two different issues. Are you talking about two different issues?

Quote: ........ He told me to push the pedal all the way to the floor then start the car ........
Hold it on the floor while cranking the engine? That means it's flooded, but it doesn't address the companion issue.

Quote: ........ he stated that this would "dump" the fuel and allow me to start the car ........
Dump is a stretch, but OK.

Quote: ........ He said that Quadrajets are notorious for doing just what it was doing now ........
Shows his lack of knowledge on the subject. The statement is what perpetuates the "urban myth".

Quote: ........ I would eventually like to swap the carb for a Holly 4150 double pumper 700 CFM carb. Summit racing said that it would fit the application that i have ........
I don't doubt it will physically bolt on. How well it might work, might be a different story. Summit and the other "mail order" houses are not known for the most accurate tech information.

Quote: ........ Would this be a good idea? ..........
No. I'd take it to a good tunup guy, and let him find the actual problem.

Quote: ........ Sorry for being so naive about this situation but like i said im a newbie to this whole thing ........
Never appologize for not knowing what you haven't learned yet.

Regards, Norm

[buggboy]

Sounds to me like the welch plugs at the bottom of the carb are leaking. Under the carb, in between the throttle butterflies, there are plugs, little caps-like. These plugs leak, after time, and drip fuel right into the intake. Happens all the time, but when the engine is cold you won't know it since the fuel evaporates over time. Hot engine on the other hand, it will act just like a flooding situation.

KEEP THE Q-JET!!!! I hate Holleys with a passion. They run like pure crap unless they are set up by a master, and even then they are finicky as hell. The Rochester Qjet is a much better carb, and can be tuned to outrun a Holley.

I'd advise having the carb rebuilt by someone who knows carbs, and make sure he epoxies the plugs.

[88 Coupe]

Hi buggboy, hello everyone,

Welcome to TOC

Quote: Sounds to me like the welch plugs at the bottom of the carb are leaking ........
Good guess. Going only on the information provided, a "guess" is all it is.

Quote: ........ I hate Holleys with a passion ........
There are some who say the same thing about Q-jets. How does that relate to his problem?

Quote: ........ They run like pure crap unless they are set up by a master, and even then they are finicky as hell. ........
Pure crap? By a master? Finicky?

I would not think the company could have stayed in business for the last hundred, or so, years, by selling such shoddy products.

Quote: ........ The Rochester Qjet is a much better carb ........
OK. Why is the Q-jet no longer being produced?

Quote: ........ and can be tuned to outrun a Holley .........
Bold statement. Any examples?

Quote: ........ I'd advise having the carb rebuilt by someone who knows carbs ........
Do you know that it needs to be rebuilt? I saw nothing in his post, to indicate a rebuild was needed.

Wouldn't "someone who knows carbs", know whether to rebuild it, or simply repair the problem? Wouldn't that be why I suggested he take it to "a good tunup guy, and let him find the actual problem"?

Are you aware, most carbs that are rebuilt, do not need it? Usually it is done because the actual source of the problem is not known. But by then, it doesn't matter, because the rebuild "fixed" it.

Quote: ........ and make sure he epoxies the plugs.
If the carb rebuilder knew what he was doing, wouldn't that be a given?

Why does your profile show a '66 442 with a 330 engine?

Regards, Norm