A couple of quick Edelbrock ?'s

[nola mike]

Got my 1409 back from the machine shop after a quick 4 month job to remove some snapped venturi screws. About to rebuild:
1. I've seen around these parts that the Edelbrocks have some special coating that will get stripped by carb cleaner (@Rick Stephens ?) and to use simple green. I only see "use an approved carb cleaner" in the Edelbrock rebuild manual. Can anyone verify? There's actually no sludge in there, I just need to chase the passages with spray and probe to make sure I didn't get debris in there when it got dunked.
2. I need to replace the snapped screws. They don't look like anything special, but I don't know the material. Any suggestions?

 

[matt167]

I think the standard coating is some sort of zinc coating which a lot of carbs are. The Endurashine is a fake nickle coating that I would think is bad for carb cleaner to use. I would buy the screws from Edelbrock. Even Advance Auto probably has them

 

[achris]

...
2. I need to replace the snapped screws. They don't look like anything special, but I don't know the material. Any suggestions?

Usually just cadmium plated steel.

Chris.

 

[Scott06]

Got my 1409 back from the machine shop after a quick 4 month job to remove some snapped venturi screws. About to rebuild:
1. I've seen around these parts that the Edelbrocks have some special coating that will get stripped by carb cleaner (@Rick Stephens ?) and to use simple green. I only see "use an approved carb cleaner" in the Edelbrock rebuild manual. Can anyone verify? There's actually no sludge in there, I just need to chase the passages with spray and probe to make sure I didn't get debris in there when it got dunked.
2. I need to replace the snapped screws. They don't look like anything special, but I don't know the material. Any suggestions?

I observed that standard carb and brake cleaners remove the stock goldish coating on the outside of edlebrock carbs rather easily. You can spray carb cleaner inside so issue its bare aluminum in there.
they just dont want you to soak it in an old school carb ckeaner like berrymans or berkebile, will completely strip protective finishes off.
if yours was in salt water your coating is probably gone ?

 

[Rick Stephens]

Simple Green is the Edelbrock recommended cleaner. No carb cleaners or you lose the coatings.

Rick

 

[nola mike]

OK, so called Edelbrock tech. The coatings in question that would be damaged are EnduraShine and Permastar. Not sure that the performer carbs had these coatings, but mine is long gone if so. The guy I talked to recommended not dipping the carb at all, but just spraying carb cleaner in the passages. The individual parts (venturi clusters, etc) can be dunked in standard cleaner. He said that they've had problems with any cleaner (even simple green) with sticking of the butterflies on the shafts. Gonna swing by fastenal and see if I can match the screws.

 

[nola mike]

More or less got the screws sorted out, tried to mix/match screws from another carb, and of course didn't realize that they were imperial, while the Edelbrock was metric. Man I hate that.
Anyway, got it back together, and am able to blow into the fuel intake with the carb upside down, although it takes some force. It sounds like the check ball in the accelerator pump circuit rattles around a bit when I do that. Seems that no air should go in when the needles are seated, but this is my first 4bbl complete rebuild and I'm second-guessing myself. Although everything in there was pretty straightforward.

 

[Rick Stephens]

Easiest of any carb to work on, generally speaking. Long as the little shiny round things get back in the right holes...

 

[nola mike]

Easiest of any carb to work on, generally speaking. Long as the little shiny round things get back in the right holes...

Just wondering if the rubber tipped shiny things are seating properly. Yeah, there didn't seem to be a lot to screw up with user error.

 

[Grub54891]

With carb inverted, It should hold 5-7# of pressure with a low pressure air supply. I use a mighty vac tester. Been doing that for years and haven’t had any issues. If it’s flooding after that test, usually have a bad float that should have been replaced while apart or ya did something wrong.

 

[nola mike]

With carb inverted, It should hold 5-7# of pressure with a low pressure air supply. I use a mighty vac tester. Been doing that for years and haven’t had any issues. If it’s flooding after that test, usually have a bad float that should have been replaced while apart or ya did something wrong.

Ya know what, I just figured it out I think. When right side up under normal conditions, the float is actually pushing the needle closed, so you need to overcome the buoyancy of the float in order to open the needles. With it inverted and no gas, you just have to overcome the weight of the needles. It certainly doesn't point to a float issue considering everything's empty.

 

[Scott06]

Ya know what, I just figured it out I think. When right side up under normal conditions, the float is actually pushing the needle closed, so you need to overcome the buoyancy of the float in order to open the needles. With it inverted and no gas, you just have to overcome the weight of the needles. It certainly doesn't point to a float issue considering everything's empty.

Not sure if just the gravity weight of floats would hold the needle and seat closed as much as the buoyancy of the float pushed up by gas.
as far as accelerator pump I think there is an inlet ball and discharge check ball so they may rattle when inverted. When the carb is apart you can spray some carb cleaner or wd in the pump well and push the pump down to see it come out the nozzles .

did your engine survive the drink ? Hopefully you can get it put back together ?

 

[Grub54891]

Ya know what, I just figured it out I think. When right side up under normal conditions, the float is actually pushing the needle closed, so you need to overcome the buoyancy of the float in order to open the needles. With it inverted and no gas, you just have to overcome the weight of the needles. It certainly doesn't point to a float issue considering everything's empty.

That’s where the 5-7 lbs of force comes in. It don’t tell you if the float is saturated. A brass float seldom goes bad, the plastic ones saturate and get to heavy. I don’t know what the weight of the plastic ones are from new, so I just replace them as part of the job.

 

[nola mike]

Well, it flooded when I put it back on. This happens frequently with this carb. Not sure if the float hangs when I put it back on or what. Didn't see anything wrong, and couldn't blow through just the top when it was inverted. Put it back together and all good.
@Scott06 , see my other thread for exciting updates

 

[Scott06]

Well, it flooded when I put it back on. This happens frequently with this carb. Not sure if the float hangs when I put it back on or what. Didn't see anything wrong, and couldn't blow through just the top when it was inverted. Put it back together and all good.
@Scott06 , see my other thread for exciting updates

Have you verified your fuel pressure ? If you intermittently have issues with flooding from fuel bowl would rule that out.

In the 6 years I've had my 1409 on my boat and a similar auto version on an old car never had a issue with the floats

 

[nola mike]

Have you verified your fuel pressure ? If you intermittently have issues with flooding from fuel bowl would rule that out.

In the 6 years I've had my 1409 on my boat and a similar auto version on an old car never had a issue with the floats

Yeah, first pump was like 7.5 psi, next 2 replacements were 2.5. Though never had a problem running out of fuel once I got the jetting more or less sorted (going to tune some more once things are back to normal-ish). I think that every time I had flooding issues except once was after I pulled the top to muck around with something.