The Camaro Club (UK)

Well, I've got one. Took me a while, but I've got one.

...and it's got issues.



I'll break it down into order of importance, but to start with it won't idle. Car's a L69 HO, running a Rochester Quadrajet CCC carb. The oxygen sensor's been connected down on the headers, but is an unheated single-wire. The dizzy was positioned wrongly when I got the car, so I took it off, jiggled about with the oil pump shaft and now it looks much more like it should a runs quite a bit better, but still doesn't idle.

Now, this car hasn't got a choke. Or at least it has (I think), but the electric spring cover thingy is missing. How commonly do these cars run without a choke? I'd be surprised if any car designed to use a choke would idle from cold with one missing...

Can I just buy the cover and screw it back on? I'm guessing this is the connector...



I'll post up more questions as they arise (there are lots!) but for now, any suggestions are welcome!

For your entertainment, here's a video:



Cheers everyone!

N

i would be inclined to see if it was an injection car that somebody has bodged a carb on before i went any further, my friend with the holleys said that you dont need a choke with one fitted as they usually always run rich , he doesnt have a choke on either of his camaros, i fitted a holley carb to my old IROC and junked 90% of the wiring and sensors, where abouts are you ?

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1997 30th Anniversary SS SLP
1993 GMC Typhoon

I used to have a 73 Ranchero with a 351 cleveland and holley 750DP, no choke, just needed to do a tap dance on the loud pedal and keep it ticking over for a minute or so and it was ok. so shouldnt really need a choke, it'll just start easier with one when the engine is cold. Most people I know just junk them.
As said previously though, if its an injected model with a carb just bolted on, that might be where the problem lies

My 2nd gen has no choke and it idled pretty happilly whenever started. Could be running rich, not tinkered with it at all. My 3rd gen has a 1 wire o2 sensor... did some reading on this and the heated o2 sensor is only for really cold climates, -30c type cold, mine was sold by a Canadian dealership to a Canadian from new and still had the 1 wire and it does get colder there than here. You should def be ok with the 1 wire o2... mine actually isn't connected to anything so it takes a default reading that means it runs a bit rich.

I think Twisted may be right ... if it has an o2 sensor in the loom then it will have been an injection car as a carb would not have a need for an o2. Maybe it's been converted to carb or it's had a new lump dropped in altogether?

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Keep going fella you will get there some day light pics would be nice

My 1986 Camaro originally had a Qjet computer controlled carb, which needed an O2 sensor.

After screwing around with that carb trying to get it to run, lack of replacement parts mostly.
I junked it for a Barry Grant Speed Demon.
All the computer junk went out too, everything.

Getting the mess out.

All the smog equipment has been taken out of mine, which is both good and bad. Good because it's a load of unnecessary junk gone; bad because there's a maze of redundant and confusing wiring under the bonnet!

Interesting that many run without the choke. As you can tell from the video, it starts very readily - more readily than I would expect if the choke was an issue.

My preference would be to keep the quadrajet, as (when it works!) it seems a good combination of economy (!) and driveability, but I'm new to this subject and all I really know is the carb seems f*ing complicated!

I had heard the three wire o2 sensor was beneficial with headers, as the exhaust gases are cooler by the time they get to the sensor?

Next time I get to the car, my plan is to crank out the idle screw until the car stays running, and try to identify any vacuum leaks. Does anyone have any good resources for the E4ME carb? I've googled but I haven't found any diagrams that explain exactly my carb. The Haynes manual just tells you to take it to a dealer and refuses to tell you anything!

For an easier life just junk it all and fit a Holley , then you don't need a choke or sensors and have something that is easy to tune, strip down and will eliminate a lot of possibilities from any running issues you are having

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1997 30th Anniversary SS SLP
1993 GMC Typhoon

I ran a 750dp on my ZZ4 and like others - it needed no choke at all

Nice to see the car nd- looks good and these are just teething problems

What did you do for exhaust in the end?

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You could probably make one good one out of our two!!

If your car is anything like mine then the wiring will be a right state, I'm just going to start again on mine and rewire the engine loom as it will be a lot quicker and more reliable than messing around with the butchered loom that is on there at the moment.