1986 K-5 carb problem?

[paul86]

If you are having Rochester carb problems, mine's a stock '86 305 83K Rochester Quadrajet with the solonoid, make sure you take it to an ol' timer who knows carbs and their issues. After three gararages, or should I say three junior mechanics, that diagnosed either a fuel and emissions system overhaul from front to back or a complete carb rebuild, I finally found a real truck guy who told me the real problem with my hesitating, lost power, hard shifting engine.
A simple adjustment of about 8 degrees, some fine tuning and she now purrs and shifts like she did the day she drove of the production line. Find the right attitute and you'll save the price of four good new tires!

 

[Fierospeeder]

most schools do not teach carbs anymore. As you said, your best bet is to find a mechanic atleast in his 30s or has been working on cars for years.

 

[mrk5]

Yep, I've been using a hot rod builder in his 60's to do my carb work.

 

[diesel4me]

yup--old carbs need old mechanics!

On "Car Talk with Click and Clack,the Tappet Bros," a local radio show on NPR they tell anyone with carb problems to find a grey haired mechainc with at least most of his teeth missing to do your carb work!--anyone younger wont know shinola about them,since they became extinct in 1986 on 99% of all cars..

I grew up fixing Q-jets,AFB's,and most of the other Rochester and Carter carbs,but I never fooled with Holley's much,other than to remove the ones that caught fire and melted due to bad power valves,and replaced them with an AFB or a Q-jet...carbs are definately not an easy thing to fix!--it might LOOK easy,but to know all the linkage adjustments and what to "tweak" they dont tell you in a book or manual--only trial and error after several years by mechanics in the feild has overcome some of the built in defects on factory carbs...many carbs are rather fragile,and any parts bent or broken can be hard or impossible to find now...many are just "past the point of rescue" due to corrosion and plain ol' old age!(or a frustrated previous mechanic!)...

Speaking of carbs,I wish someone would invent fuel injection for lawnmowers and other one lungers!--every year I spend (WASTE?) hours trying to clean the carb on my mowers and other yard equipment,and its usually a lost cause--no matter if I add gas stabilizer,or leave them bone dry,I ALWAYS have carb problems with them,no amount of cleaning or fiddling seems to work,and I end up paying 75 bucks or more for another new one!--I'm sick of them!...

 

[Jagged]

Speaking of carbs,I wish someone would invent fuel injection for lawnmowers and other one lungers!

Rig up some TBI somehow

 

[dyeager535]

You just need a newer lawnmower. Had mine for two winters now, still starts on the first crank sitting all winter with the same gas in it.

As to carbs, something to be said for the old timers, but if the original poster found someone that could fix the CCC system and not one of the ones with the dual capacity solenoid, thats commendable. I guess back when those carbs were commonplace on cars there wasn't much choice but to understand the system, finding anyone now that says anything other than "swap it out for non-CCC" is almost impossible.