My wagon wont idle!

Hello. My 1972 chevy kingswood impala is not running right. the engine is a 400 cubic inch. I can keep it running, but only if i rev the engine. I have ruled out the carb, i have gone through it several times, and deemed it in working order. I dont believe it is a vacuum leak either. I believe the problem is electrical. I replaced the points, cap, rotor, and spark plugs. it still wont idle.
I am going to do the plug wires tomorrow, but after that i am out of ideas.
Can you guys help me out? i really wanna get this wagon up and running!

 

i'd try changing the carb...sure sounds 'fuelish'

 

As in Fuel Pump or Filter? Airlocks are rare, but...

 

no..chances are 1 of the idle circuits is plugged or done!
or the accel pump diaphram
either way...the easiest 'test' is to get another carb and swap

 

Missed all that advanced tech stuff.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I am going to swap out the carb on my 63 chevy truck to see if that works. One thing that i am going to try first is adjust the points. I have found conflicting info on the net stating that the points are either set at 19 or at 10 for a 72 chevy 400. Its currently set at 19 so i will set it at ten to see if it idles down. As for the fuel pump, it was the first thing i replaced. Every car i have bought that has sat for a while has gotten a new pump. This one didn't really break the bank at 18 bucks

 

So after lots of learning and work, i have concluded that i need a new carburetor. The old one is a 2 barrel rochester. I have heard that a four barrel will yield slightly better mileage/power.

I have a couple of questions.

1. what are some good four barrel carbs to look at? model numbers? brands?

2. will a four barrel work with my manifold? can i buy a spacer?

3. My wagon has some primitive smog equipment on it. It has a charcoal canister, smog pump and some metal lines that run into the exhaust manifolds.
can i disconnect these systems with no negative effects?

Thanks for the help so far i really enjoy this forum

 

Any early Q-Jet 4 barrel carb will work,but most are rebuilt. If you want a new one get a Edelbrock 1406 electric choke 600cfm carb.

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1∂=EDL-1406&N=700+115&autoview=sku

No a barrel carb won't work on your 2 barrel intake a adapter will not help and the 4 barrel carb will not work properly. I would look at Edelbrock again for a intake. This one will work for your car.

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=EDL-2101&autoview=sku

I would not disconnect any smog equipment depending on the state you live in. I know in California does smog checks on your year car correct?

The parts listed above will pass 50 state emissions. If you want to pick up more gas mileage I would look into headers,dual exhaust, and a electric fan set up

 

1. I don't enough about carbs to recommend.
2. You should upgrade to a 4 bbl manifold if you install a 4bbl carb because of possible hood clearance issues with an adapter and the fact the 4bbl carb won't provide the power/efficiency you'll be looking for.
3. Primitive smog is a pain to maintain. The A.I.R pump plumbing I think goes to the exhaust manifold to give the exhaust more oxygen, in later cars this assisted the catalytic converter ability to reduce CO. Both can go away on a 1972 car without issues. You'll need to get plugs for the holes. Keep the charcoal canister. It doesn't affect drivability at all. It just holds gas fumes until you start the car and the carb sucks the fumes out of the cansiter.

NOTE: If California gets worse and adds inspections to older cars you may need to reinstall and maintain the A.I.R equipment. You may also have an EGR system to keep those parts as well. Get a book that covers your model car. Don't discard the parts, see the next paragraph as to why.

Every year for the last 4 there's been and assembly bill to inspect all cars over the age of 15 for emissions. It's never passed but it could at some point so be aware. The car hobbyist has been under attack for years.

I wanted to add: Don't assume the carb is bad. If you have an EGR valve it could be bad. A lot of idle issues are due to vacuum leaks. If the EGR is slightly open it's a big vacuum leak. EGRs must be closed at idle or the engine will not idle or idle very badly.

 

for set it and forget it type of carbs ive always looooved edelbrock.
forget the holleys and the quadrajunk ones

 

SS.is correct...the Edlebrock is the easier to just bolt on...im fonder of Holleys but...the Edel will just bolt and go!

that being said...NO...it wont just bolt on to your 2 bbl intake without a adapter...and that defeats the purpose!!!!!

either get another 2bbl..or swap intakes too

 

you can use a 2 to 4 barrel adaptor and vice versa, but like he said it defeats the purpose...