bit of help please?!

[drlovecaprice]

bit of a problem with the 305.

1. idled low and was occasionally dying when i had the AC on
2. died when i had the steering wheel cranked all the way over
3. i checked all the vaccum hoses and all was good
4. bought some carn cleaner and sprayed it directly into the carb and it didnt help
5. got a tune up... didnt help
6. assumed i needed a new carb
7. went to a shop and instead of getting a new carb they turned up my idle
8. now when im idling and sometimes when accelerating i have an exhaust smoke problem

whats my next step? its an '83 caprice with a 305. its only got about 103,000 original miles on it. original carb and original everything pretty much. other than this problem it runs great and i have never had any problems. i think i either need a new carb or a new fuel filter or both i dont know. just give me you opinion. get back to me by email or on here or talk to me on AIM

email= [email protected]
AIM= itrytoplaydrums

[capriceowns]

What do you mean by exhuast problem? Like black smoke coming out when accelerating?

If so your running rich, theres ways to fix that. But first you need to tell us if its black smoke or another color.

[drlovecaprice]

no its not black smoke. its actually grey, which i thought meant meant burning oil but i dont know. its also developed a pretty intense gas smell.

[silicon212]

Originally Posted by drlovecaprice

no its not black smoke. its actually grey, which i thought meant meant burning oil but i dont know. its also developed a pretty intense gas smell.

If it's gray, then it's pretty much the same as black. My car can pound out the gray smoke when I WOT it under acceleration - when the engine is making its power.

Have you checked the choke? Are you getting a malfunction indicator lamp lit up? This is either "Check Engine" or "Service Engine Soon" depending on model year. When was the last time you've changed the air filter?

[capriceowns]

my caprice blew out grayish smoke till I replaced my breather element. But mine was soaking wet in moisture (yellowish glue like stuff) and some oily stuff to. but I changed while I was rebuilding my carb so it may have not been it, but it was still nasty

Might wanna check your element while your at it. But i think silicon is on the right track.

[drlovecaprice]

no indicator lights on or anything. all i know is it never ran like this in the past. it first started smoking during the initial low idle. but now its pretty much whenever im sitting at a light it smokes pretty noticable. usually when i get on it a little it doesnt smoke but occasionally it does if the engine is a little cooler.

[drlovecaprice]

also it didnt help anything when i had the air cleaner lifted up off the carb when i sprayed carb cleaner in it. what should i inspect as far as the choke? how can i tell if it needs replaced?

[capriceowns]

Silicon isnt there a idle mixture thing on the Q-jet? or is it just handeled by the M/c solenoid.

This kinda sounds like a running rich problem.

[silicon212]

Originally Posted by capriceowns

Silicon isnt there a idle mixture thing on the Q-jet? or is it just handeled by the M/c solenoid.

This kinda sounds like a running rich problem.

There are idle mixture screws, but those shouldn't be touched as it will throw off the balance on the carb.

If the choke is open and it's still running that rich, there's a possibility of leakage on the jet well caps on the underside of the float bowl. I'm going to gratuitously steal an image from Blue Bowtie here -



...

Also, the M/C solenoid controls not only the primary mixture, but it also controls the idle bleed circuit, which in turn is adjusted also with the idle mixture screws.

[drlovecaprice]

so would i be better off just getting a rebuilt carb or what should i do?

[drlovecaprice]

anyone?

[capriceowns]

Originally Posted by drlovecaprice

anyone?

Unless you can rebuild your carb and do the epoxy sealing like in the pic silicon showed. If you cant you will just have to live with running a little rich.

Or pay a shop to R&R your carb. But expect to fork out a lot.

[GreyGoose006]

if the idle is cutting out when you turn the wheel or turn on the AC, you need to adjust the throttle positioner/Idle speed control.
the TP/ISC compensates for extra loads on the engine from the AC, Steering pump, Alternator, ect...
it allows you to run a low idle speed without stalling.

good news, adjusting it is as easy as screwing out a screw.
it is a solenoid that is right under the throttle (under the air cleaner, attached to the carb)
it will be right under it and have an adjustment screw that pushes the throttle open when activated by the computer.
get some good needlenoses and screw it out 1/8 turn at a time till the engine no longer stalls, then turn it 1/8 more.

before you do this, have the shop return the idle speed back to the normal speed it is supposed to be.

i wouldnt think you need a new carb. a little rich running isnt all that bad, and new carbs are ~200 and can have their own little demons that you dont have right now.

the smoke could be from oil leaking past the valve seals when the car sits.
if it goes away after a minute of running or so then this is the problem, and dont worry about it because all chevy engines of this era did it. there could be some black smoke (rich) mixed in, which would make grey (bluish-white plus black = grey)