Edelbrock carb on 429 woes

I have a 73 country squire 429 4bbl. I got it two years ago and put an Edelbroc 1406 on it. Has done fine . However , now it will not idle and gets really hot . I have a phenolic spacer but it seems not to help. I rebuilt the carb a month ago , set float levels etc. It is on the stock manifold. Yesterday I drove it 10 mi or so , quit on me twice but did start back up. I let the carb cool some when I got home and decided to take the top off and check the floats as I saw gas dripping into the carb. I just cracked the screw on the gas line and gas spewed out and it hissed a while letting the pressure off. Also the air cleaner was too hot too touch when I got home . I gave up at that point . I can't seem to get this carb right . I have read a ton of info on the EB carb and still no answers. Any help out there ? Thanks

 

This is what you have:



This is what you could have. They're a lot of fun and dependable:

 

But changing the carbs may not cure the problem, and Quadrajet carbs have their own pitfalls.

The running hot, stalling and hard starting, in addition to the pressurized fuel spraying everywhere can be indicative of a lean-run condition; you should ensure the filter's not plugged, the needle and seat don't stick, and the float level setting is correct, just to start off. Then verify the point dwell is correct and the points are not worn, as a change in dwell will change timing, making it retard, which can make the engine run hotter. That, of course, assumes you still have point-condenser ignition.

 

I would say someone removed EGR .The stock manifold would put allot of hot exhaust gas under your carb .

 

Yeah, and nearly all of these "pitfalls" are due to "mechanics" who lack the skill or patience to work on them.

 

Thanks for all the replies. I reset the floats , float drop way out set at 1" . set levels at 7/16"
Is the egr built on to a cast iron spacer under the carb ? If so I did remove it and replaced it with a phenolic spacer. Should I put it back on ?

 

got it back together , still wont idle in gear. Gas still leaking in carb . Awhile back I put a check valve inline so fuel would not flow back in line. Could this be creating high fuel pressure ? Gas is spurting at the input when the screw is cracked . Ready to buy a new carb !!!

 

I can't imagine that a manual fuel pump could create pressure high enough to overcome the needle seal. It's got to be carb internal. Is there any differnece between cold and warm idling, not forgetting that a cold engine is less sensitive to a rich fuel mixture.

 

I took off the inline check valve and it seems better , also dicovered an old warm air choke fitting that was pumping hot exhaust right on the carb . Started raining had to come in . No garage. I will crimp or plug the tube . That would have to help my heat build up around the carb. Also routed the fuel line where it does not touch the intake . I'll keep you posted . Thanks