My Quadrajet is leaking gas. I pulled the carb after taking it for a ride and the two well plugs that are visible are wet with gas. The carb is a 1970 (7040264 VB 2869). The car is a 68 HO with a 350. The car seems to run fine.

I recently had the carb rebuilt and the well plugs were sealed with some sort of 2-part epoxy. It was done by a local carburetor guy that was recommenced to me. I told him about the leaking issue and he said that sometimes the metal becomes porous that there isn’t much that can be done. Is this true? Any recommendations?

Thanks,
Don

I think you can seal them with e.g. JB Weld so long as you can get the area clean beforehand.

According to the guy that did the rebuild, the stuff he uses is better than JB Weld. However, he said the metal on some quadrajets become porous (not just the well plugs)and gas can seep through. Does anyone know if this is true?

I don't know, but I do know that most people in the automotive repair industry are pretty half @$$ed.

I'd knock out his sealer, clean it well, rough up the surface, and pukey it with JB Weld. You might be able to answer your own question.

With no disrespect intended, this may be a faulty diagnosis. It would be quite normal with todays fuel for the primary plugs to be wet if you removed the carb within a few hours after a run.

Suggestion: before trying to reseal the plugs, try making a fixture to hold the carb on your work bench, completely dry the plugs (paper towel works well) and then fill the carb with fuel using an eye dropper through the bowl vent. Now you can see if they really are leaking.

Jon.

Thanks for the recommendation Jon. I will give it a try. Will 2 eye dropers of gas do the trick?

You mentioned that it is normal for the primary plugs to be a little wet. Where does this gas come from (assuming the plugs are sealed)?

Probably will take more than a couple of eyedroppers (of course that depends on the size of the eyedropper).

When you turn off the engine, with modern fuel, you will get some perculation of fuel into the throttle area. The lower side of the plugs are exposed to the throttle area, and can thus seem wet.

You may have a problem; you may not. Always best to do a little testing before repairing.

Two schools of thought:

(1) If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
(2) If it ain't broke, fix it until it breaks.

Jon.

Jon,

I looked at the carb last night and I'm not sure were the vent is that you referred to. Please describe location. Also, will water work as a test instead of gas?

By the way, when I removed the carb, the plugs had enough gas on them to form drops. They weren't just damp.

Thanks,
Don

Don - the viscosity of water and gasoline differ, best to use gasoline.

The vent is either 5/16 or 3/8 round tube which is vertical on the top of the carb in front (just above the bowl area). This tube is pressed into the top housing.

Jon.

Jon,

I added about 8 teaspoons of gas to the vent as you had suggested. No leaks. It sat for over an hour and the primary well plugs are dry. Any other suggestions or should I just forget about it?

Thanks,
Don