New emmisions legal carb.

[Sully Erna]

I have an 85 305 q-jet with the soleinoid on top of the carb. I am on my 3rd carb in the past year (bad luck i guess). I have looked on holleys and edelbrocks site and I can not find a emmissions legal carb. I can not keep spending money on q-jets that dont work. Any other options for a carb so I can pass visual and sniffer tests? Thanks

[Ivan D.]

What do you consider emissions legal? A carb that has tons of electronic emissions BS equipment, or a carb that will allow you pass the "sniffer" test? The first is real hard to find, and pretty much pointless too. Passing the sniffer with flying colors can be achieved with good tuning a more street-oriented carb.

[Malo83]

I would stick with the Qjet, once you get a good one and tune her in they can't be beat. I picked up this rebuild from CarburetorsDirect 4 years ago and she runs like a top


only thing I had to do was adjust the idle screws and choke and she was good to go check out the web site and give them a call.
www.carburetorsdirect.com

[Roper]

Maybe instead of trying to comply with the laws you can look for ways around them?
Example in BCs Frasier Valley guys get around air care #1 by increasing the registered weight of the truck to 5001 KGs.#2 or Antique plates, #3 or by using Farm Plates.
I dont know the US laws but there must be loop holes?

[Slonaker]

Does it have to have the dual stage accellerator pump solenoid on it? Edelbrock used to offer the 1904 (I think that's the number) that was an emissions legal replacement, it it did not have it. Unfortunately they stopped making it.

You might be able to get away with another quadrajet. I bought one from JET last year out of the Summit catalog, and it has been good. What I received from them looked brand new (it is a quality rebuild, not new), and I have been really happy with it. We don't have emissions testing here, though, so I don't know if that would help you.

Slonaker

[Eyegore]

Is the one Malo83 has pictured the M4ME? This is shown on carburetordirect site for mid eighties models. This is not computer controled correct? I ask since there is a carb rebuild shop here in Phoenix with a pretty good reputation but they keep leading me to believe I have a computer controlled carb that cost $200 more to rebuild.

Originally Posted by Malo83

I would stick with the Qjet, once you get a good one and tune her in they can't be beat. I picked up this rebuild from CarburetorsDirect 4 years ago and she runs like a top


only thing I had to do was adjust the idle screws and choke and she was good to go check out the web site and give them a call.
www.carburetorsdirect.com

[bulky]

is it a bad Q-Jet or just bad gas? Some stations have some nasty tanks.

Other question is were the carbs new or rebuilt? I've seen some ugly "remanufactured" carbs. I have run a few brand new ones over the years and have had good luck.

[Slonaker]

Originally Posted by Eyegore

Is the one Malo83 has pictured the M4ME? This is shown on carburetordirect site for mid eighties models. This is not computer controled correct? I ask since there is a carb rebuild shop here in Phoenix with a pretty good reputation but they keep leading me to believe I have a computer controlled carb that cost $200 more to rebuild.

Yours is not computer controlled unless you consider a temperature switch to be a very simple computer. That is all that controls the accellerator pump pictured. It looks a lot like a computer controlled carb that cars from that era use, but it isn't one. I think that is what your rebuilder is looking at, but I would think they would know the difference.

I'll add my usual disclaimer of "THIS MAY OR MAY NOT APPLY IF YOUR TRUCK HAS CALIFORNIA EMISSIONS" because I don't know what they did on CA emissions models.

http://www.73-87.com/7387garage/drivetrain/myqjet.htm

Slonaker

[Malo83]

Guys it's an E4ME Qjet that runs off the California Emissions Computer, from what I hear it's only used on Cali trucks
John

[Malo83]

The following info is out of the 83 ChevyTruck Shop Manual.

E4ME Qjet= Computer Command Control(California Only) an Electronic Control
Module (ECM) which is a computer that electrically controls and
monitors emission systems. Electric choke.
E4MC Qjet= Computer Command Control, Hot air choke, an Idle Load
Compensator (ILC) mounted on the float bowl is used to control
curb idle speed.
M4ME Qjet= Mechanical with Electric choke. Four barrel 2 stage.
M4MC Qjet= Mechanical with Hot air choke. Four barrel 2 stage

John

[Eyegore]

Thanks John, now a stupid question how do you know if it is a hot air or electrical? The one you show has a wire going to the choke so is that electric? I can do everything else on a vehicle but I always hate dealing with the carb.

[Malo83]

Eyegore, yes it is an electric choke, a hot air choke would have a copper or metal tube running up to the choke from the exhaust.
John

[Eyegore]

Thanks John!

Originally Posted by Malo83

Eyegore, yes it is an electric choke, a hot air choke would have a copper or metal tube running up to the choke from the exhaust.
John

[Slonaker]

Eyegore:

If yours does not CA emissions, yours is a different model. Do you have CA emissions on yours? It is possible since you are close to California. Mine looks like that, but does not have CA emissions. It has been in Texas since first sold (I'm 20 minutes from the dealer that sold it new).

I would (and did...) replace it with a regular quadrajet. Mine is a JET from summitracing.com

Slonaker.

[solidaxel]

Soooo, tell me what the two wires going into the float bowl control?
I have a 84 El Camino with the same carb pictured and it has the same two wires, how do I know they are doing what they are supposed to do?

[bigtruck81]

they run from the fuse block though a temp switch, then to the variable capacity accellerator pump. it is to help with cold startups.

[Slonaker]

Originally Posted by solidaxel

Soooo, tell me what the two wires going into the float bowl control?
I have a 84 El Camino with the same carb pictured and it has the same two wires, how do I know they are doing what they are supposed to do?

I don't know for sure, but I suspect the one on the El Camino is a computer controlled carb. They look very similar.

Slonaker

[Sully Erna]

My carb has the electrical connector on the left side of it but I do not have a TPS on the truck. Could I go with the Edelbrock 1406 and still pass emmisions testing. And do you need the blue (in the pic above) solenoid. Does it do anything to the emmisions? Thanks

[solidaxel]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^ what he said"

[Eyegore]

Now the next stupid question, how do i know if it is a ca emission, does it say on the radiator support decal if it is or not?

[Ivan D.]

Originally Posted by solidaxel

I have a 84 El Camino with the same carb pictured and it has the same two wires, how do I know they are doing what they are supposed to do?

I got a similar Q-jet, it's got the dual-capacity accel pump but no computer, and I can tell you what happens when there ain't nothing hooked up to that plug - carb runs rich as hell, wastes gas like there ain't no tomorrow, and overall don't work right. Now, guess how I know that

I gotta compare that Q-jet build with my carb tho, My current Holley is powerful and all but I'd like to have my Q-jet back so I ain't worried about blowing power valves and what not, and I want gradual fuel enrichment vs. Holley's on/off power system...

[Sully Erna]

I finally found out that my timing chain is way stretched out. Hopefully this is my problem.

[Malo83]

Okay Bro now you lost me between a streched timing chain and looking for a legal Qjet what was the was the problem all along
John

[Sully Erna]

My truck had been getting worse and worse the last couple of months so I tried three rebuilt qjets and I am now out $600 on rebuilds. I wanted a carb from a established company so I could rule the carb out if that was the problem. But then I got stuck with trying to trace a problem with the carb and went into the timing chain. It was about to fall off the crank gear. So now I have a couple of spare q-jets. Thanks for the replys

[Pyrotechnic]

On a stock 350 for the street, I love the driveability of a QuadraJet. Because of the small primaries, you get lots of good low end torque for very smooth acceleration for regular city and highway driving, and you are geting great gas mileage at the same time. When you want to have some fun, you got those huge secondaries.

I have a standard QuadraJet on my truck and it works great. Starts right up everytime, even when cold. I just got the truck so I don't know the history, but the carb is very clean so I'm guessing it's either a rebuilt or new one. Either way it works great. Wish I knew where it came from.

Of course this is my experience with a standard non electronic QuadraJet.