EBAY reman quadrajets....beware.

[voodoochikin]

I decided to buy a remanufactured carb from a top seller of carbs "i5autoroca" on ebay. Their auction states that all parts are the highest quality, all internals are new, linkages are yellow zinc plated for corrosion protection, base is refinished, brass bushings installed in the throttle linkage to stop vacuum leaks, and casting plugs are epoxied.... So I ordered the one that replaced my particular carb number. My current carb has excessive play in the primary throttle shaft. The ebay carb shows up today. first off I notice that all the linkages, throttle plates, shafts, and casting just looks beat to hell. I then notice half of the linkages are bare steel and have surface rust. I then notice that two of the visible casting plugs do not have epoxy over them. Next I find that the throttle bores are knicked up pretty bad and the throttle plates don't seal all the way around. I then find that the little screws that hold the throttle plates on have not been pressed on the ends so they could loosen up and fall in the motor. I then that the carb does not have smooth operation, you can feel catches and rough spots. FINALLY I see no signs of any brass bushings in the throttle shafts, I can see daylight between the throttle shafts & bores AND there is tons of wiggle in the shafts. This carb is junk!! REFUND. what a waste of time. Now on the hunt for a solution.


SO, Should I look into a JET performance Q-jet as a direct replacement. OR go with a edelbrock 1409 and adapt it to fit?

 

[Walt T]

I wouldn't worry too much about the looseness in the primary throttle shaft bushing. Pretty much all carburetors are a little loose there. The air drawn into the engine through that gap is compensated for by the mixture screw which is below that. I would not toss a carb for that reason alone. Plenty of good rebuilders around. Do a search in these forums you'll find some recommendations.

 

[Fastatv]

I have never seen a Q-jet that didn't have some looseness in the throttle shaft, new, used, and remanned. Can't you rebuild your original? As Walt had mentioned, the throttle shaft looseness may not be a good reason to discard the carb. I have built countless Q-jets with that looseness and they performed perfectly. You might give it a shot and save some big bucks. Good luck, whatever you decide to do. Rick

 

[500dollar744ti]

I actually purchased one of those carbs from that seller 2 years ago and have been running it for 150 hours without issue. I specifically remember the sellers name. I do recall there was some adjustment I had to make to the linkage because something was a little bent but I couldn't really complain for the price.

It's like buying a $99 tv and complaining it has poor quality picture, you get what you pay for.

 

[voodoochikin]

problem is I didn't get what I paid for. nothing was done to it that the auction said was done. Other than paint and 2 zinc plated pieces. That carb would not have ran good with 1/8' of play in the primary throttle shaft.. it would have been a massive vacuum leak. I paid $280 for a carburetor that was said to have this check list of items done to it.. but they weren't done.. so I didn't get what I paid for, I got less. Anyways, the seller apologized and offered to send another one, but Im getting a refund and ill just rebuild my current carb. Whole point being that I didn't want to have to fuss with it. oh well.

 

[Walt T]

Well, if you get your refund then I'd say that's a decent seller. Not saying his carbs are any good or not.

 

[voodoochikin]

Agreed to a point. But it still make me angry that the carb blatantly didn't have the checklist of repairs and upgrades that the auction said. How many guys would just try to use it not knowing.

 

[voodoochikin]

Anyways, just a rant on my experience.

 

[Glaspar_Fan]

How much did you pay for the carb? I've been thinking of picking up a reman Q-jet from Summit Racing. They have marine Q-jet carbs for $405 if I recall correctly. The list of items addressed in the rebuild sounds very much like their description. My past experience buying car parts from Summit has been good, but I never got one of their carbs.

 

[voodoochikin]

I paid $280... I'd look at the jet performance marine q-jets... Summit. Jegs. And others sell them. $350 range. Read great reviews on them.