69 Toronado Quadrajet Secondaries Not Opening

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NicolasB
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69 Toronado Quadrajet Secondaries Not Opening

Postby NicolasB » Sun May 24, 2020 7:16 pm

Hey guys, so after inspecting the engine a bit more after fixing the stalling issue, I noticed that the secondaries on the carburetor do not open, even when the throttle is all the way down (I did let the car warm up). I’ve heard that there’s a lockout that prevents it from opening when it’s cold, but also that it doesn’t operate unless you are driving it. Can something be wrong with the carburetor?

Note: The Rochester carburetor was made in 1973 and was remanufactured in 2017. I checked the secondaries while the car was idling in Park. Also, a mechanic checked it out yesterday and somehow, they opened without the car even operating (he just put the air cleaner back on and I guess part of it hit a mechanism in the carb). But of course, I checked today and they are back to being closed.

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Otto Skorzeny
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Re: 69 Toronado Quadrajet Secondaries Not Opening

Postby Otto Skorzeny » Mon May 25, 2020 6:26 am

Hi Nicolas,

Check to make sure the secondary linkage on the passenger side of the carb is connected and working properly. With a mechanical linkage (as opposed to the early Q-Jet's differential air pressure operated air valve) it should be pretty easy to tell whether or not they're working and whether or not they're hooked up properly.

Post some pictures of the carb and your linkage setup.

I don't know what all changes were made to Q-Jets over the years but the fact that yours isn't correct for the year of the vehicle might mean that the linkage is different and not opening at the correct time.

NicolasB
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Re: 69 Toronado Quadrajet Secondaries Not Opening

Postby NicolasB » Mon May 25, 2020 6:25 pm

Sorry I couldn’t take any better pictures, some of the hoses are in the way.
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NicolasB
Posts: 261
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Re: 69 Toronado Quadrajet Secondaries Not Opening

Postby NicolasB » Mon May 25, 2020 6:27 pm

Here are a couple more
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Otto Skorzeny
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Re: 69 Toronado Quadrajet Secondaries Not Opening

Postby Otto Skorzeny » Tue May 26, 2020 8:50 am

Picture #2 shows your air valve linkage.

When you manually work the throttle and move it all the way to WOT (with engine off), you should see the air valve open. It doesn't open until the throttle is floorboarded.

Do that and see what happens. If it doesn't open at all, you may be able to see what needs to be adjusted to get it to do so. I assume this will be found in the FSM but since its a later carb, things might not be exactly the same - I do0n't know.

I'd suggest you call Daytona Parts 386-427-7108 (carb rebuilders) and ask for Tim Hewitt. He can talk you through exactly what to do and tell you if the carb is set up properly for your year car, whether the linkage is correct, and how to adjust it if possible. He's rebuilt many carbs for me and has talked me through problems over the phone several times. His knowledge is encyclopedic

bcroe
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Re: 69 Toronado Quadrajet Secondaries Not Opening

Postby bcroe » Tue May 26, 2020 6:06 pm

I have bought more than one car, where the secondaries were just stuck shut
because the previous owner never pushed it hard enough to exercise the
secondaries. A little juice and manual exercise fixed that, never happens
again while I own a car.
good luck, Bruce Roe

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Otto Skorzeny
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Re: 69 Toronado Quadrajet Secondaries Not Opening

Postby Otto Skorzeny » Wed May 27, 2020 5:41 am

Good point, Bruce. I never thought of that!

Floorboard that sucker, Nicolas!

NicolasB
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Re: 69 Toronado Quadrajet Secondaries Not Opening

Postby NicolasB » Sat May 30, 2020 11:10 pm

Here is a video of the carburetor in action. Seems like flooring it did loosen it up a bit, but it doesn’t open up completely. Is that normal? Also, the primaries stay open all the time. I tried to close them manually, but that didn’t do anything. I’m just afraid that too much air is going through them (if that makes sense).

https://www.instagram.com/p/CA11oh0H-vT ... hslxhonn9z

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Otto Skorzeny
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Re: 69 Toronado Quadrajet Secondaries Not Opening

Postby Otto Skorzeny » Sun May 31, 2020 5:54 am

The choke plate will be open when the car is at normal operating temperature.

Take a look at the carb in the morning before the car has been started for the day. The choke plate should be closed nearly all the way when the engine is cold.

The secondary air valve looks like its working fine to me. It only opens at WOT. Unless you're driving 90mph all over the place, it's going to remain closed most of the time.

NicolasB
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Re: 69 Toronado Quadrajet Secondaries Not Opening

Postby NicolasB » Fri Jun 05, 2020 7:59 pm

Update: So I decided to go to a carburetor shop to get it rebuilt cause it died on the freeway and it seems like the guy did a good job on it ($250). With the acid bath, it looks new. Hopefully it lasts for a while cause it seems like he knows his stuff. Will send pics when I can.


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