Sluggish get up and go

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Old 12-29-2008, 04:40 PM
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Default Sluggish get up and go

Gents..... I just got a 79 Z-28 and it has plenty of gas in it and when i "punched it" it was very hesitent on getting up and going...... any suggestions...... I was thinking of a tune up and go from there. This car has 65,058 orig. miles on it.. I traded it for a 98 YZF 600......
 
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Old 12-29-2008, 04:49 PM
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Default RE: Sluggish get up and go

Your get up and go just got up and went?
A tune up will probably wake it up. A new fuel filter and air filter might not hurt either. And is your choke opening all the way? If the car has been sitting for a long time, the carb may also need to be rebuilt.
 
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Old 12-29-2008, 05:03 PM
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Default RE: Sluggish get up and go

Well I just got the car yesterday. I was thinking that the carb needed to be rebuilt but would the chilton's manual tell me how to do that and how would i know i was getting the right parts for the right carb?
 
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Old 12-29-2008, 08:06 PM
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Default RE: Sluggish get up and go

if it's still the stock quadrajet carb, there's lots of places on the web with good rebuild directions, and you can just go to the parts store or online and get a rebuild kit for a 79 model carb. i think most of them use the same kit, it just comes with 3 different gaskets so you can pick out the one that matches your version, the rest of the parts are the same. I recommend doing it off the car on a bench, it's not that hard to pull the carb and the lighting and work surface is better, and you're less likely to drop a little clip down the intake. Pay close attention when you pull it apart, it's not as hard as most people think, and you'll have a new carb for $20 instead of hundreds from the parts store. and trust me, from personal experience, the quadrajet is way better than an edelbrock or holley.
 
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Old 12-29-2008, 08:11 PM
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Default RE: Sluggish get up and go

you might just need to adjust the choke, it's thermally activated, and sometimes the adjustments can be a little tricky. I have one that was acting up, i found that the carb properly tuned will still fire up ice cold with 2 pumps on the gas with the choke plate completely removed, so I never put it back in.
 
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Old 12-29-2008, 08:14 PM
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Default RE: Sluggish get up and go

ORIGINAL: brnyrdanimal
and trust me, from personal experience, the quadrajet is way better than an edelbrock or holley.
Cough...cough...wheeze!! Obviously everybody has their favorites.
Fleshman, a rebuild kit willinclude detailed instructions on how to rebuild and set the carb.
 
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Old 12-30-2008, 01:17 PM
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Default RE: Sluggish get up and go

How do you tell what carb it has on it. I know its a 4BL
 
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Old 12-30-2008, 01:52 PM
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Default RE: Sluggish get up and go

you said you just bought it, right? you having this problem just after it starts, or is it like this the entire time you drive it? cuz it is winter, and 30+ year-old cars usually are sluggish when they first start; you just have to warm it up longer than usual.

i had this problem too,my camarowould lag even after warming it up. a tune-up and carb rebuild helps, but check your headers too. they might just be loose and the bolts just need to be tightened. ever since i did that, she moves smooth like a baby
 
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Old 12-30-2008, 01:57 PM
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Default RE: Sluggish get up and go

Well I traded for it yes. Its even after it has warmed up 20-30 minutes. Like when I test drove it I just let it sit there running to make sure it didnt overheat and such. I am going to go tomorrow and get tune up stuff and I will probably check on the carb rebuild kit. But how do you know which one it is? and I will check the headers too.
 
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Old 12-30-2008, 03:09 PM
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Default RE: Sluggish get up and go

If yours is original, it should have a Quadrajet. But during almost 30 years of its life, anybody could have swapped carbs. Take your air cleaner off and look at the carb. There will be a name cast onto the side of the body if it's a Quadrajet, on the tops of the bowls if it's a Holley, or an Edelbrock which should have a label on the front.
 


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