edelbrock vs. q-jet ??

rthomas · May 27, 2008

i have some problems with the qjet on my new boat (1988 22' w/5.7 alpha1) the good news is that i have a good edelbrock carb and performer intake, my question is- is this good on fuel or am i better rebuilding the qjet??

erikgreen · May 27, 2008

Re: edelbrock vs. q-jet ??

From what I've heard, the Qjets will be a little better on fuel if you run in the lower speed ranges than the edelbrock due to the spread bore design (the first two barrels are proportionately smaller than the back two).

Depends on how you run your boat, but it might be enough to notice.. then again maybe not.

I think the edelbrock is supuposed to breathe better so you might find yourself running fast just because you can

Erik

rthomas · May 27, 2008

Re: edelbrock vs. q-jet ??

thanks erik, i guess the thing i need to know is how much throttle it takes to plane this boat, i havent had it in the water yet so i have no idea but if it needs the secondaries to stay on step id guess the bigger primaries would be a plus. ive done this same swap on a few chevy cars and pickups and have been impressed with the power gain. the other thing that crossed my mind is the possibility of running a higher pitch prop to put the increased midrange power to better use

Mkos1980 · May 27, 2008

Re: edelbrock vs. q-jet ??

I couldnt take my Q-Jet anymore. I upgraded to the Edelbrock 1409 Carb and couldnt be happier. I had it rebuilt last year by a local Merc dealer and not its leaking bad. Best investment I have made.

180shabah · May 27, 2008

Re: edelbrock vs. q-jet ??

The performer is a good intake for marine duty, and the if the edelbrock is a 1409, I say use it.

rodbolt · May 27, 2008

Re: edelbrock vs. q-jet ??

whats funny is the Q-jet has been in production since 1965 and still is.
it works great and only kicks untrained technicians butt.
however like all carbs, its a comprimise at all RPM's, the edlebrock wont give any gains over a correctly set up Q jet.
its all in the operators mind

like all vacum secondary carbs, it will give a momentary hesitation when the throttle is jamed wide open from idle.
its just a fact of life.
kinda like the guy that removes the muffler and equates noise with power, yet track slips show the same speed.

PSS-Mag · May 27, 2008

Re: edelbrock vs. q-jet ??

I'm a fan of Qjets, LOOOOVE the howl when all 4 are open! It makes me smile and a little tickle in my happy place!

That and the super easy adjusting or swap of metering rods for the secondaries. You can almost tune them until your 2 molecules shy of drowning the motor with gas while your driving.

They can be rebuilt and work like new again if you know what your doing or pay close attention or take good notes.
If you do it yourself, take your time and study how it comes apart. Count every thread of every screw you take out. Clean everything and every port. Then reassemble EXACTLY how you took it apart.

If you take it to someone, make sure they know Q's, ask auto restoration guys, auto enthusiast clubs are a good source, ask who they recommend. Most likely it's going to be an older guy that does it in his garage or shed for a case of beer plus parts.

fishmen111 · May 27, 2008

Re: edelbrock vs. q-jet ??

IMHO, the Quadrajet cannot be beat for marine applications. The smaller primaries will give a little better GPH and the larger secondaries scream when needed. As RB said, a little harder to set up, but it's design was relatively unchanged for 3 decades for a reason.

JustJason · May 27, 2008

Re: edelbrock vs. q-jet ??

I think QJets get a bad name because everyone out there thinks they can rebuild a 30 year old carb and thinks they know how to rebuild it.... and when it doesn't work out... it's all the carb's fault.
Personally i think Qjets are fine... OEMS have used them for 40+ years....

Tail_Gunner · May 27, 2008

Re: edelbrock vs. q-jet ??

rodbolt said:
whats funny is the Q-jet has been in production since 1965 and still is.
it works great and only kicks untrained technicians butt.
however like all carbs, its a comprimise at all RPM's, the edlebrock wont give any gains over a correctly set up Q jet.
its all in the operators mind
like all vacum secondary carbs, it will give a momentary hesitation when the throttle is jamed wide open from idle.
its just a fact of life.
kinda like the guy that removes the muffler and equates noise with power, yet track slips show the same speed.

You should also state just how convoluted vacum systems can be. But then again to each his own...

John_S · May 28, 2008

Re: edelbrock vs. q-jet ??

Another vote for Q-jet. Unless you are giving it near full throttle to get on plane, the secondaries are not opening. You would be surprised how far you have to move the throttle forward for the secondaies to even begin to open. And then you would still need enough vacuum to open the air door. On my 20'er I can plane it without even being close to the throttle position needed to open them.

The 1409 is a vacuum secondary carb too. Air door is with a counter weight instead of a spring.

wca_tim · May 28, 2008

Re: edelbrock vs. q-jet ??

I loved the q-jets I used to run on modified chevy small-blocks, very effective carb when set up correctly. That's been long enough ago and time is precious enough today that spending 300 for an out of the box carb that is easy to tune, comes with step by step tuning instructions, readily available parts for order and reasonable tech support, etc... is a no-brainer for me.

as an aside, the marine engine builder who built my 383 was adamant that out of the box (and presumably after tuning), the edelbrock makes more horsepower than everything but the high dollar custom set-ups... based on dyno runs with identical engines... He said for the price and performance of an edelbrock 750, there were much better ways to spend additional performance dollars than on a different carb... I also have had great luck with the 600 (1409) on my v-6...

Maybe I'll get bored next winter and rebuild the quadrajet that came on my donor 350.... who knows...

Scaaty · May 28, 2008

Re: edelbrock vs. q-jet ??

FWIW, I tossed my Q, went Edelbrock, and never looked back..

rthomas · May 28, 2008

Re: edelbrock vs. q-jet ??

i guess its more a matter of personal preferance, the qjet thats on the motor is a rare model with mechanical secondaries and will soon be rebuilt and i plan on trying both and if i prefer the edelbrock then i will switch intakes.

Mkos1980 · May 28, 2008

Re: edelbrock vs. q-jet ??

When I went the Edelbrock route I added the PCV system. I noticed I was getting a few drops of condensation in the oil since it sits alot and I dont really run the motor hard. Sometimes Ideling down the river for a few hours. Its helped alot and now the oil fill plug and some other spots are free from the milky white stuff. (Oil is fine) Yes the Flame arrestor is USCG approved. Picked it off of eBay for 25 bucks. Yes the fuel line is USCG Approved. And yes I can use this line as I went next door to the USCG station off of Cleveland and they said it was fine and it even listed it ok as a line from the pump to the carb vs all steel. The Edelbrock just needed the hole which the pcv valve hole finish drilled. It was already started. Popped in a steel port and away I went.

John_S · May 29, 2008

Re: edelbrock vs. q-jet ??

rthomas said:
the qjet thats on the motor is a rare model with mechanical secondaries

The secondaries are mechanically linked to the primaries, but the air door (big plate above secondaries) does not open unless there is enough vacuum to open plate. Same thing with Edelbrock 1409. Both are considered vacuum secondary carbs.

twag4 · May 29, 2008

Re: edelbrock vs. q-jet ??

Two-cents worth, but a Holley is the easiest carb to adjust hands down. They used to make a marine double pumper that was absolutely simple. External float adjustment and mixture adjust that actually did something. Mechanical secondaries. Very easy to rejet too and available in different cfm models.

Coors · May 29, 2008

Re: edelbrock vs. q-jet ??

The quad is just misunderstood, unless you spend the time to actually understand how to tune it. Why get a clone?

Coors · May 29, 2008

Re: edelbrock vs. q-jet ??

twag4 said:
Two-cents worth, but a Holley is the easiest carb to adjust hands down. They used to make a marine double pumper that was absolutely simple. External float adjustment and mixture adjust that actually did something. Mechanical secondaries. Very easy to rejet too and available in different cfm models.

Why in the world would you need a double pumper on a boat?
They bog you down on the street.
Racing only.

180shabah · Jun 3, 2008

Re: edelbrock vs. q-jet ??

Coors said:
Why in the world would you need a double pumper on a boat?
They bog you down on the street.
Racing only.

Coors you are way off base here.

I know a guy who knew a guy that had a brother in law with 3.0 in a 20' cuddy cabin. He made his own intake manifold for a double pumper(850CFM) used a nose cone and drive shower. instant 100MPH boat.

And when he used that hydrogen generator from ebay he ws able to run the boat entirely on lake water...no more fuel bill.

edelbrock vs. q-jet ??

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