Tech 101: Quadrajet Lid Tricks You Should Know

The Rochester Quadrajet has a reputation as being a somewhat complex carburetor but for those who understand how to work and tune them, they are really a very good carburetor. We’ll offer a couple of simple tricks to make it easier to work on these carbs. To remove the lid, you will have to remove… The post Tech 101: Quadrajet Lid Tricks You Should Know appeared first on The Online Automotive Marketplace.

JimmyFallon

Dec 22, 2024 - 09:04

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Tech 101: Quadrajet Lid Tricks You Should Know

The Rochester Quadrajet has a reputation as being a somewhat complex carburetor but for those who understand how to work and tune them, they are really a very good carburetor. We’ll offer a couple of simple tricks to make it easier to work on these carbs.

To remove the lid, you will have to remove a total of nine screws and the two large 5/16-inch front mounting bolts. Most of the little screws are easy to spot but there are two tapered screws located in the primary venturi area that must also be removed. The easiest way to remove and install these screws is to use a good size screwdriver to loosen them, then use a quarter-turn straight screw holder tool like the one in the photo. We found this slotted screw starter tool in the Proto catalog that is a little over six inches long and with a magnet on the other end.

This screw starter will latch onto the screw and keep it from falling into the engine when removing the lid. With this tool, the screws are easy to both remove and replace. You can access these screws without this tool, but it sure is a lot handier – especially when tuning the carb on the engine.

Another helpful item is the accelerator pump lever arm. On most Q-jets, the accelerator pump arm connects through the throttle linkage and then is bent with a double 90-degree bend at the top that requires you to push the roll pin of the accelerator pump arm out of its holder to remove the pump arm. Some non-electronic Q-jets came with a pump rod that used a tiny hair pin clip to retain it. Using this accelerator pump arm, you can quickly remove the accelerator pump rod from the pump arm.

Quadrajet Power offers these arms for a reasonable price and they’re worth every penny for saving effort each time you need to remove the carb’s lid. It’s the little things in life that make all the difference. Or it could be that we’re just really into shortcuts!