Absolutely one of the best automotive videos in the history of youtube hands down. Didn't need a lecture, didn't need diagrams, music or affiliate programs. This is "lost" knowledge being resurrected for a new generation. Big thanks for all that you do.
Many shops would just send you down the road once they heard you threw a carb on and it didn't work... They don't have time for it. Once more don't have a clue about it...
@@kramnull8962 In my defense as a young guy who went through auto mechanic training 10 years ago none of our instructors even taught us how to work on older stuff like carburetors or even how they work. They just taught us how to work on modern cars because when you go out into the world looking for employment as a mechanic that is usually what you will be working on. Can't really expect us to know how to fix or work on stuff that we have never been taught to fix and have never had the opportunity to even work on.
@@GnarshredProductions I know. I had Auto Mechanics in High School, as well as a Mechanic Dad. But I really doubt many High Schools even offer it nowadays. Sad but true. Just like Carpentry classes...
Vacuum stuff is neat though because it is analog and 99% of the time can be repaired with out replacing any parts with the exception of vacuum hose. The old vacuum ac controls were easy to diagnose and fix but the modern electronic ac blender controls and actuators usually fail without warning and generally have to be thrown away and replaced. They both have their issues but the vacuum stuff seems to have stood up to the test of time better.
Excellent series started here. My uncle ran a shop for 50 years. This is exactly why he had lifetime customers. You were treated with respect. Patience and a smile, no one ever felt dumb for making mistakes as they learned.
Not this mutt. lol I can do my own stuff. Quadrajets are my thing. I'd have pulled that carb off the engine real early. much easier to deal with the vac leks around the carb. verify its got the right gasket. examine the throttle plate to make sure its not damaged. Jiggling the accel pump is an easy way to see if its still lean and that engine was dramatically lean. but Tony didn't waste much time getting it a lot better than it was. incidentally that is a '74 or earlier carb . the '75 and later has different look at the front. I like to pick electric choke carbs as they are much easier to get the choke ligned up properly for a tap the pedal once and crank. The choke pulloff solenoid seems to be missing. the choke would hold the plates solidly closed . the extra rich would suck fuel into the engine rel quick and the pulloff as soon as there is vacuum would pull the choke open to a proper setting. allowing the engine to run without flooding. the heat riser and various other choke systems are far more finicky. One more thing, without the choke being held open the linkages will prevent the secondaries from opening. Not surprised by the customers report of the first attempt of having a bad float. current remans are of horrible quality.
@@blair79bear38 come on not every guy needs to be a car guru I’m 100 percent sure that he’s looking at these comments and calling him a mutt isn’t gonna do anything but resent uncle Tony’s perceived audience of pretentious car weirdos
@@blair79bear38 I agree with you. Quadrajets are the easiest carbs to get functioning correctly, consistently and smoothly. I just recently found out from online forums and stuff that the have a bad reputation, which blows my mind. It's so much easier to get a good running chevy with a Quadrajet than a Holley or eldebrock etc. I'd say it takes very little intelligence or mechanical aptitude to work on anything automobile related but I've been blown away with all the ridiculous comments about such an old and simple device as quadrajet carbs. People really over think Automotive mechanics. It's technology that is well over 120 years old, vast amounts of information available for free but folks just make it seem so difficult. Anyone with an IQ at the bottom level of average can learn all aspects of this technology within a year or two if they would just look at it, for what it is.. it's simple well over a century old technology that a monkey can do
@@carlt6932 The vinyl caps seem to last, I have some about 5 years old now still in good shape. I don't understand the rubber caps, the ones you buy new last about a year at best, but the ones made in the 70's still work. There was a vacuum tree on our old dodge van, had about 5 rubber caps on it and had those caps on there since the 80's, they were still like new when we sold the thing 3 years ago.
James, thanks for being willing to expose your best effort to help the rest of us doing the same… Tony love this type of video!! So helpful And entertaining!
Many move videos exactly like this!!! Nobody on YT seems to show the old-school hand over carb. Screwdriver to valve cover and ear. Spraying carb cleaner to find vacuum leaks. Pulling a plug wire at a time to find dead cylinders. Squeeze the different coolant hoses to troubleshoot cooling. All the basic internal combustion stuff.
So many great customer lines, but my favorite was when asked if he had adjusted the mixture screws and he said, "not a whole lot." Pure gem. The hand over the carb was a new one to me. The worst-2-fix vacuum leaks I found were from dried out valve seals.
2 things can make anyone look good now days carbs AND flat tapet camshafts. Haven't wiped a love yet(knock on wood). Carburetors are the mystical jedi art now guy's. I get to be Sidious 😁
@@annamariequigley6594 Absolutely but usually when somebody knows something about obscure things they act like douche bags but Tony generally really wants to help people
I liked the idea of Tony troubleshooting viewers' cars right away. I like this video, I think it proves the concept. I can't wait for the next one! Two thumbs up!
James, thanks for bringing your car in, I hope you can get it sorted and we can see that black beauty again! Watching Tony work through the steps here and identify problems really helps put a lot of the theory videos into a usable format that just goes to show that carbs are just basic machines, and not some magical hunk of metal that's beyond understanding even for us younger guys who grew up in a fuel injected world.
Old-school mechanic here. First, that's a Chevy Q-Jet and not a BOP "electronic Q-Jet" as it came from the factory, which is why the rear vacuum port didn't fit. But a pre-1981 BOP (Buick Olds Pontiac ) Q-Jet would have worked perfectly. All vacuum ports would have matched and not had the issues this one had. Tony worked it the way it should have been with what he had. This is a great venue to show the young'uns how it's done.
What a mess... Fun to watch Tony work. This is how my grandpa taught me how to diagnose engines too. Made a lot of money in college fixing other people's mistakes like this 😂
This guy found out one of the quirkiest lessons in life. You have to tighten the carb or you'll have a vacuum leak. Over tighten and You'll have a vacuum leak... At the same time, I think UT also tightened the carb wrong, seems like you would tighten in a X pattern to not warp the carb. in/lb. torque wrench and a manual is your friend in this case...
@@kramnull8962 yes if that was me I would have loosened them all up a bit and retorqued them. Probably would have flattened out nice. But either way it showed the issue.
I use an unlit propane torch to hunt for the source of the vacuum leak. The engine rpm picks up when propane gets sucked in, just like with gasoline, but there is no puddle of gas waiting for it's number in the spotlight.
Who the hell needs obd 2 diagnostic computer, and an "automotive technician" when you got old handy mechanic uncle Tony pouring gasoline on vacuum lines. Straight up old school, reminds me of the times when I was 6 or 7 years old watching my dad work on his car, sometimes he'd yell, get away from the car, hed squirt starter fluid or gasoline on carburetor, lines, just like uncle Tony, no fire retardant clothing, gloves, protective eyewear, or fire extinguisher, just all mechanical no gimmicks. "I know what I'm doing". I love you UTG, seriously I'm not trying to mock you. But you remind me of an era where it was about getting things done, not worrying about what if this or that may happen. Sadly now its digital technological era where there are no more mechanics of the old way of doing things.
@@christopherjohnson1348 You should try Drilling holes in your 72 ElCamino Floorboard To install Camaro Bucket seats, then realizing you just drilled through your Fuel Line!?!! Good Times!?!?😜🤣😂😃
I love these early 1980s Oldsmobile Cutlass cars. My mom had one and it was the most comfortable riding car I have ever been in. The Olds 260 left a LOT to be desired but everyone already knows that 😁
Love the concept of this series...practical real world troubleshooting of classic car problems. I can imagine a garage of guys like Tony in the late 70s/early 80s troubleshooting cars with bottles of gas and a screwdriver in their pockets...no OBD ports or scan tools needed!
I"m 67 years old and I remember those things were emissions nightmares with tons of hose ,solenoids. I even think I remember an adjustment screw inside the vacuum hose connection on the distributor to set the vacuum advance limits. I remember that clearly because I had to deal with it once. I have to laugh now because I remember everybody tearing all that off of those cars when they couldn't figure out what was screwing it up.
These cars didn't have vacuum advance. Timing was controlled by the computer. So was the fuel ratio. Factory cars didn't have adjustable vacuum advance but you could buy an aftermarket adjustable vacuum canister.
@@skyartrc8286 Looks like he went to Home Depot and picked up some plumbing adapters that use a different thread the standard thread thus cross treading and leaks, my guess anyway could be wrong
UNCLE TONY, ROLL UP YOUR CIGARETTE!!! LOL Great video and great camera work Uncle Kathy!👍👍 When in doubt pour some gas on it. Works every time! Uncle Tony is a great guy, did ya notice how he didn't call him a dumb ass or talk down to him. I know some people that will and I've have experienced that when I first started working on cars by myself. I would bet that he had these issues before he changed the carburetor and just assumed it was problem. I think I heard him say he was a painter so he may not know much about engines, tuning, etc. He also may have gotten some bad advice from someone else too. We all learn from our mistakes and this right hear proves that. Have a nice day and a better one tomorrow! Spoke to ya later.😎
@@79tazman it's almost like he wants to learn and do it himself. It's almost like everyone isn't born with all the knowledge. Its almost like you probably had to learn it sometime yourself. You're the reason hobbies die.
I have no shame I’ll admit I don’t know what I’m doing yet but I’m loving learning how to do these things. I changed my heater core a month ago and did some small body work with no prior experience. Plus I have been watching videos (love Uncle Tony’s) but also learning from people in person and experience, keep on wrenching guys 🤘
There is no way James is not from Tennessee... The man looks more Tennessee than anyone in history. Don't change James, fix the car but don't ever change.
The rears were always garbage on those cars, I remember twisting rear cylinders and stuck proportionall valve pins. You would get one of these for 500 bucks with a new set of front pads in the trunk.
@@Ian-of9oi the electric conversion is fairly easy . Chances are he bought it from a builder. And you just get what you get unless you either ask or send in a rebuild core.
Sorry about adding a second comment, we have a company here in Youngstown Ohio Benchwick Carburetor been in business since 1957. The fact that they're still in business shows that they know what they're doing, Uncle Tony knows working on a carburetor is becoming a lost art. But they really can be fairly simple.
Tony!!! I dug watching you old school trouble shoot that Quadrajet! I felt like I was watching my Grandpa and Great Uncle 35 years ago tuning cars in the driveway. Neat. And I learned something! I think this is a cool idea.
Great vid learnt something new. Wanted to jump through the screen and loosen off the 3 tight carb bolts and tighten down again to see if that sorted the leak.
Good video Uncle Tony! I appreciate you demonstrating the procedure and explaining the logic in your diagnostic technique. Looking forward to more, thanks
@@billycarr7446 are you guys blind? Look how far tony stands back while working on it. He has to reach very far because he is careful not to lean on the fenders. I have done the same thing for decades. If I'm going to have to work on a car for more than a few minutes than I use a fender cover only because it's tiring to lean over that far.
I know this isnt a CCC car, but on the mid 80s gms with the CCC feedback setup, if the temp sensor on the intake goes bad, they'll do the same thing and refuse to idle. Case in point, my 84 delta 88. Those 90* fittings on the brake booster line loves to crack too. This was fun. Showing that the basic troubleshooting skills can apply across all makes.
Couldn't have picked a better example to chase vacuum leaks on. Those mid 80s carbureted cars had miles of vacuum lines on them. One thing I kept looking at, was the EGR valve beside the carb. Those are known to stick in the open position a lot. The carb base plate is definitely leaking big time though.
Great idea for a video series, should be very helpful for beginners learning how to diagnose issues. I think you should try to explain things back a bit more in the next one. I realize video length is a concern, but you gotta remember that most folks don't have that ingrained understanding of how engines run that an experienced mechanic does. You're doing a good job of showing what to do, but it's the whats along with the whys and hows that allow people to build their understanding and start to connect the dots on their own. You got a car in that doesn't idle right and runs rough, so you suspect vacuum leak. What's a vacuum leak? Why do you suspect it, and why does it cause the engine to run bad? How do you fix it? What does covering the choke do? Why does squirting gas at a leak cause it to smooth out? To people like us, it's almost as natural as breathing. To the average joe, it's witchcraft.
awesome 👍😎💯👍!!! barely open a week and you're already bringing people in and helping them out with their car issues!!! now that's the old school spirit of how I remember it being when I was a kid coming up in the late 70s and the 80s!!! weed help each other at the track and on the streets in the back yards, garages, if you were lucky enough to have one. it was such a great feeling about comaradary of the metal,and better than my home life and supposed family. those were some of the best days of my life, as Brian Adams sang, it wasn't the summer of 69, but it was the same warm and fuzzy feeling!!! cudos guys for passing on the love and valuable mechanical knowledge and time with whoever needs it!!! thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing this.
Ok so he "Shade Tree'd" his carb, the great thing is that you worked with him and solved the problem. Too many guys would have told him "Dude you need to tighten bolts when you put a carb on" OR "What the hell is this?" Great video, this is going to be a great series!
Uncle tony you’ve got to keep a zip tie in your pocket at all times! Maybe two! I have always found vacuums leaks with carb and choke spray have never thought of using a bottle of gas. That is why I watch you stuff because it teaches me.
Nice looking G body the Oldsmobile cutlass!!!! That car and those carburetors being back so many memories of my 73 chevy Cheyenne short bed , with a 350 V8 with a 4bbl carburetor, I remember adjusting those carburetors, the jets the choke, the fast idle screws ect! I used to hate it when it would load up on me and it would die on me in traffic 😤, but my father taught me how to fix it and get back on the road again. Nice informational video uncle Tony 👍 👌 😀.
~This is going to be an epic series!!!!!! ~I wish I was closer/for the Meat&Greet!!! ~I am a body guy too,never rebuilt an engine (will do soon you influenced me going to try a 360)but can tune carbs etc..remove/install engines/remove suspensions hell take the damn car apart and do the average Joe repair/probably more but nonetheless awesome series man! ~Tony reminds me of many guys I know today and knew as a younger guy who helped me/taught me,awesome series keep it up..
Brings back so many memories. I remember as a kid, Dad used to have spool upon spool of "Winding Wire". That was used for the windings of Alternators or Generators. But the word "winding"; I thought meant you wound it around anything that needed to be tied up; cause that's all I saw Dad do with it......
That was real patience. Can you imagine what a tune shop would have to do to guarantee their work? All that plumbing and mismatches would take parts and hours. This way, he can go do what has to be done himself, that is, if he can find the small parts. A tune shop would probably have to use a carb from their own supplier and solve all those issues one by one. I wanted to see what gasket is in use under there. Can't wait for the follow up video.
A person without your knowledge , can witness your experiences,, Like driving into dangerous waters coming out in perfect condition. I'm sure you have put on many smiles on many people's faces.
Just what I like to see. Proper problem solving. Unlike a modern garage where their "technicians" just swap parts until the problem goes away. Well done.
This is like reality television except it's actually 100 percent real and unedited! LOL! Awesome video, I could watch Tony fix peoples old cars all day long
I WISH more true mechanics would do this to preserve this lost knowledge. I struggle to find a shop that will look at a distributor with points and a carb. I'd LOVE to bring my old girl in for Uncle Tony to give it some love.
I got a car for cheap once because it had a blown head gasket and was "using" brake fluid. No visible leaks. We got it home and test ran it. I knew pops suspected something as he started pumping the crap out of the brakes. All of a sudden the idle raised and it became a mosquito fogger in the closed garage 🤣 Needless to say , that old booster was totally filled with fluid and felt like it weighed like 25 pounds 🤣
This is a great idea UTG has going by letting car enthusiasts bring their hard to diagnose classic car in and get a professional 1 on 1 tutorial on how to fix the issue and the steps needed to get to the solution; I would be signing up every week with my D100 Slant six if I lived in the area! And whatever UTG is charging for the training I would have no problem paying to get his knowledge and undivided attention.
Uncle Tony I love this kind of video as well as everything else you do I hope you will continue to help us friends of your channel this way really hands on thank you for everything
Had a friend at work buy a truck that wouldn't idle, he drove it in and I took a look at it for him. As soon as he started it I knew it was vacuum, but never saw a leak so bad and the vehicle still run. He had bought some cheap Chinese carb and put it on a 302, but the damn thing did not mate to the manifold at all, I was suorised the bolt holes lined up. We took rags and started stuffing them around the base of the carb, and it ran like a dream. Edit: The rags were temporarily used just for proof of diagnosis, and we're not left there. I had to add this explanation so Clive, Jimbo, and Von Lee don't tell me how stupid I am for using rags to fix a vacuum leak.
Even Eddie or whoever knows way more about cars than I know. I didn't have an interest as a kid and my dad was the "get out of my way, go play," type. My dad had an interest. His dad, my Papa (great man) was the "you don't know what you're doing wrong and I'm not going to tell you," type. And my Papa was one of 16 kids. My great grandfather was a teller, not a listener. Great grandfather never learned telephone etiquette. He'd pick up the phone, say his message, and hang up. E.g call to my grandfather "Bush hog the lower 40." click. That meant mow 40 acres of grass. Different time.
@@kramnull8962 Yeah, I rebuilt a Q-jet on a friends '77 Firebird and it kept backfiring through the carb at first but I got it sorted out pretty quickly. Someone played with the timing trying to get it running before I looked at it. They put a new spark module in the distributor but it was bad. I had it checked, they had 4 on the shelf and the first three they checked were bad. "No returns on eclectic parts" but I watched they guy put the three bad ones back on the shelf.🙄🙄😲
@@bigbear5510 I got a 1970 Impala with a 300hp 350. Dad said it backfired through the QJet when it was cold leaving work at lunch. Never ran right again. He put a new factory cam in it, lifters and timing gears and chain. Still nothing ever fixed the idle issues. He was always a Ford and Mopar mechanic mainly. I took the quad off this year and it didn't seem like the idle mixture screws were set properly. From what I have heard and read they are supposed to be set using a vacuum gauge. Anyways, I'm wanting to rebuild it and throw that mule in a 1992 S10. He passed away so I'm having to just do things on it by ear and hesitant because of the problems he had. Good info you got for me there; Thanks....
@@kramnull8962 Yeah, I didn't have my vacuum gauge with me went I rebuilt my friends carb but I turned the screws all the way in and back out 1 1/2 turns it was pretty close. I did go back and used my vacuum gauge and it was pretty close, just needed a little adjustment. I think I paid about $20 for my vacuum gauge, it also does fuel pressure. Good luck with your future projects!😎
Good job Tony. Nice Cutlass! That's a Chevy Qjet by the way. Replace that whole booster line with brake line then rubber line at end or put barbed fitting in the carb and use rubber line to booster.
Rule of thumb with.: Rochester/Holly/Edelbrock-390/600/850cfm... Fully Seat both idle mixture screws, then back both out by 2 &1/2 turns...Then back Both out again, but do so one to the other, using very small increments...Until you "hear & feel the Sweetest Idle!" Afterwards, usually you'll need to Reset engine rpm's to approx; the 640-700 range... PS. While the engine is "Hot, & Choke is fully open..."
Answering the question: Yes, I got something out of this. I really thought this was going to be a case of the EGR Valve being stuck open. I never expected multiple vacuum leaks at the carb. Good work UT. I enjoyed the entire procedure. I'd like it if James came back with a report after fixing it. That's real nice looking Oldsmobile. I've always liked Olds mid-80's styling, and James seems to be a great body man. I'd have liked a pan of the car. This is unrelated and I've never done this before, but some may find interest here. We're living in a distrustful time. I want to offer observations that point toward a stranger being a good person. James is a nice guy. His overall demeanor is good and he's polite. He's honest. Unasked he became engaged in making the effort to help, first by holding-open the choke plate while UT fastened it. Then he offered his own trim screws. Then he offered his own long screw driver. He assisted in a genuine way without complaint, and made himself ready to help UT. And he was a gentleman from start to finish. These things say a lot about the goodness of a man.
Q-tips that may help out next time. Never put more then 12 ft. lbs of torque on the mounting nuts/bolts. At minimum you want to turn out the idle screws 4 turns. Use screwdriver down air horn vent tube to be sure power piston is is moving up and down. Can visually checked with engine idling as well. Make sure there is a fuel filter. If no filter is present.. Or just because. Do a quick trash/debris removal. Rev engine up to 3,000+ rpm. Slam the choke plates closed and go to WOT. Right before engine dies. Let off and feather throttle open and closed until it comes back to life. Repeat as necessary and most likely will benefit from doing this 2-3 times.
Absolutely one of the best automotive videos in the history of youtube hands down. Didn't need a lecture, didn't need diagrams, music or affiliate programs. This is "lost" knowledge being resurrected for a new generation. Big thanks for all that you do.
If your of any age close to Tony and haven't done what he's doing you might as well give up it's no big deal.
Agreed
Holy smokes! Someone get this guy a tissue to wipe his nose!
I like how u treat people. Old school knowledge. Old school respect. Guys like u are becoming less common due to many factors
Many shops would just send you down the road once they heard you threw a carb on and it didn't work... They don't have time for it. Once more don't have a clue about it...
@@kramnull8962 Most shops only know how to throw parts at cars too!
@@bigbear5510 Yep yep.
@@kramnull8962 In my defense as a young guy who went through auto mechanic training 10 years ago none of our instructors even taught us how to work on older stuff like carburetors or even how they work. They just taught us how to work on modern cars because when you go out into the world looking for employment as a mechanic that is usually what you will be working on. Can't really expect us to know how to fix or work on stuff that we have never been taught to fix and have never had the opportunity to even work on.
@@GnarshredProductions I know. I had Auto Mechanics in High School, as well as a Mechanic Dad. But I really doubt many High Schools even offer it nowadays. Sad but true. Just like Carpentry classes...
Gotta love the 80 engineering "hey this thing makes vacuum we'll run everything on vaccum
Vacuum stuff is neat though because it is analog and 99% of the time can be repaired with out replacing any parts with the exception of vacuum hose. The old vacuum ac controls were easy to diagnose and fix but the modern electronic ac blender controls and actuators usually fail without warning and generally have to be thrown away and replaced. They both have their issues but the vacuum stuff seems to have stood up to the test of time better.
That's '50s engineering.
Yeah damn heater controls, PVC, Power Brakes, Vac advance, Vac secondaries and a bunch to emissions junk.
Ford model t and model a had vacuum operated windshield wipers. Wipers would slow down or quit when the throttle was opened up like when going uphill.
@@davidleonard8369 a buds 52 international pickup had em too.
Excellent series started here. My uncle ran a shop for 50 years. This is exactly why he had lifetime customers. You were treated with respect. Patience and a smile, no one ever felt dumb for making mistakes as they learned.
Now this is the kind of stuff I want to see Uncle Tony get his hands into! Great idea for the channel. Would love to see more of this kind of thing.
Also: Use 10,961 for chiggen wire: holding a choke open
Please do more of these. It’s really helpful to see where pitfalls could happen for us regular garage guys.
Tony remembering why he stopped working in shops... Lol
@Bulitt Nose It's a labor of love and a love of labor.
@@oldpolak5203 We call em a Basket case.
@@jamesmay9345 Basket case means its completely torn down last I knew. When's The grand tour season 4 coming out?
@@jamesmay9345 Lol Nah, a basket case is "well here is the block and those boxes have all the parts...I think"
everyone needs an uncle Tony to help them learn this stuff.
Not this mutt. lol I can do my own stuff. Quadrajets are my thing. I'd have pulled that carb off the engine real early. much easier to deal with the vac leks around the carb. verify its got the right gasket. examine the throttle plate to make sure its not damaged. Jiggling the accel pump is an easy way to see if its still lean and that engine was dramatically lean. but Tony didn't waste much time getting it a lot better than it was. incidentally that is a '74 or earlier carb . the '75 and later has different look at the front. I like to pick electric choke carbs as they are much easier to get the choke ligned up properly for a tap the pedal once and crank. The choke pulloff solenoid seems to be missing. the choke would hold the plates solidly closed . the extra rich would suck fuel into the engine rel quick and the pulloff as soon as there is vacuum would pull the choke open to a proper setting. allowing the engine to run without flooding. the heat riser and various other choke systems are far more finicky. One more thing, without the choke being held open the linkages will prevent the secondaries from opening. Not surprised by the customers report of the first attempt of having a bad float. current remans are of horrible quality.
@@blair79bear38 come on not every guy needs to be a car guru I’m 100 percent sure that he’s looking at these comments and calling him a mutt isn’t gonna do anything but resent uncle Tony’s perceived audience of pretentious car weirdos
@@theeoddments960 I was calling MYSELF a mutt. Thought I was clear about it.
@@blair79bear38 I agree with you. Quadrajets are the easiest carbs to get functioning correctly, consistently and smoothly. I just recently found out from online forums and stuff that the have a bad reputation, which blows my mind. It's so much easier to get a good running chevy with a Quadrajet than a Holley or eldebrock etc. I'd say it takes very little intelligence or mechanical aptitude to work on anything automobile related but I've been blown away with all the ridiculous comments about such an old and simple device as quadrajet carbs.
People really over think Automotive mechanics. It's technology that is well over 120 years old, vast amounts of information available for free but folks just make it seem so difficult. Anyone with an IQ at the bottom level of average can learn all aspects of this technology within a year or two if they would just look at it, for what it is.. it's simple well over a century old technology that a monkey can do
I suspect his mechanical skills are much better than my first paint job.
Or my tenth pait job...
I’ll second that.
or my first attempt at welding
Lmao i knew from 30 seconds in somewhere in this video a bolt would go in a vacuum hose hahaha
Golf tee's were always found in my dads tool box and now you'll find them in mine.
@@ljshoreslokal The plastic golf tee's don't suck vacuum like the wood ones can when used for testing purposes.
Those cheap rubber caps don't last. Bolt in a hose is an upgrade.
@@carlt6932 The vinyl caps seem to last, I have some about 5 years old now still in good shape. I don't understand the rubber caps, the ones you buy new last about a year at best, but the ones made in the 70's still work. There was a vacuum tree on our old dodge van, had about 5 rubber caps on it and had those caps on there since the 80's, they were still like new when we sold the thing 3 years ago.
@@MattsRageFitGarage It is because they didn't cheap out on the vulcanization of rubber.
James, thanks for being willing to expose your best effort to help the rest of us doing the same… Tony love this type of video!! So helpful And entertaining!
My 318 had a vacume leak intake.. Put rtv worked till I got another engine installed uncle tony big help videos👍👍
Many move videos exactly like this!!! Nobody on YT seems to show the old-school hand over carb. Screwdriver to valve cover and ear. Spraying carb cleaner to find vacuum leaks. Pulling a plug wire at a time to find dead cylinders. Squeeze the different coolant hoses to troubleshoot cooling. All the basic internal combustion stuff.
So many great customer lines, but my favorite was when asked if he had adjusted the mixture screws and he said, "not a whole lot." Pure gem.
The hand over the carb was a new one to me. The worst-2-fix vacuum leaks I found were from dried out valve seals.
This is a really nice side of Tony we dont get to see often, keep it up!
I learned more from this problem solving than any lecture anywhere else!
Awesome that you are willing to help ppl out with there car issues tony not to many ppl do anything for free anymore
This things got more leaks than a tampax commercial.
Ain't that a kick in the head
2 things can make anyone look good now days carbs AND flat tapet camshafts. Haven't wiped a love yet(knock on wood). Carburetors are the mystical jedi art now guy's. I get to be Sidious 😁
Not only do you have the skill to fix everything you also have the patience to put up with peoples mistakes
That's because he plays with his stress chicken everyday. LOL
Not sure if ya seen that video.
At least the guy was trying to figure it out. Isn't that how we all started?
@@annamariequigley6594 Yes, most of us have all been there. At least he went to right place to get some great advice.😎
@@annamariequigley6594 Absolutely but usually when somebody knows something about obscure things they act like douche bags but Tony generally really wants to help people
I liked the idea of Tony troubleshooting viewers' cars right away. I like this video, I think it proves the concept. I can't wait for the next one! Two thumbs up!
James, thanks for bringing your car in, I hope you can get it sorted and we can see that black beauty again! Watching Tony work through the steps here and identify problems really helps put a lot of the theory videos into a usable format that just goes to show that carbs are just basic machines, and not some magical hunk of metal that's beyond understanding even for us younger guys who grew up in a fuel injected world.
Old-school mechanic here. First, that's a Chevy Q-Jet and not a BOP "electronic Q-Jet" as it came from the factory, which is why the rear vacuum port didn't fit. But a pre-1981 BOP (Buick Olds Pontiac ) Q-Jet would have worked perfectly. All vacuum ports would have matched and not had the issues this one had. Tony worked it the way it should have been with what he had. This is a great venue to show the young'uns how it's done.
Probably still has the ccc distributor too.
What a mess... Fun to watch Tony work. This is how my grandpa taught me how to diagnose engines too. Made a lot of money in college fixing other people's mistakes like this 😂
This guy found out one of the quirkiest lessons in life. You have to tighten the carb or you'll have a vacuum leak. Over tighten and You'll have a vacuum leak... At the same time, I think UT also tightened the carb wrong, seems like you would tighten in a X pattern to not warp the carb.
in/lb. torque wrench and a manual is your friend in this case...
@@kramnull8962 yes if that was me I would have loosened them all up a bit and retorqued them. Probably would have flattened out nice. But either way it showed the issue.
Poor dude freaking out inside his head as Tony squirts gas on his running engine lol
I use an unlit propane torch to hunt for the source of the vacuum leak. The engine rpm picks up when propane gets sucked in, just like with gasoline, but there is no puddle of gas waiting for it's number in the spotlight.
Who the hell needs obd 2 diagnostic computer, and an "automotive technician" when you got old handy mechanic uncle Tony pouring gasoline on vacuum lines. Straight up old school, reminds me of the times when I was 6 or 7 years old watching my dad work on his car, sometimes he'd yell, get away from the car, hed squirt starter fluid or gasoline on carburetor, lines, just like uncle Tony, no fire retardant clothing, gloves, protective eyewear, or fire extinguisher, just all mechanical no gimmicks. "I know what I'm doing". I love you UTG, seriously I'm not trying to mock you. But you remind me of an era where it was about getting things done, not worrying about what if this or that may happen.
Sadly now its digital technological era where there are no more mechanics of the old way of doing things.
Uncle Tony proving a cigarette won't ignite gasoline is one of the greatest TH-cam clips I ever saw. 😅
@@christopherjohnson1348 You should try Drilling holes in your 72 ElCamino Floorboard To install Camaro Bucket seats, then realizing you just drilled through your Fuel Line!?!! Good Times!?!?😜🤣😂😃
I love these early 1980s Oldsmobile Cutlass cars. My mom had one and it was the most comfortable riding car I have ever been in. The Olds 260 left a LOT to be desired but everyone already knows that 😁
Love the concept of this series...practical real world troubleshooting of classic car problems. I can imagine a garage of guys like Tony in the late 70s/early 80s troubleshooting cars with bottles of gas and a screwdriver in their pockets...no OBD ports or scan tools needed!
I"m 67 years old and I remember those things were emissions nightmares with tons of hose ,solenoids. I even think I remember an adjustment screw inside the vacuum hose connection on the distributor to set the vacuum advance limits. I remember that clearly because I had to deal with it once. I have to laugh now because I remember everybody tearing all that off of those cars when they couldn't figure out what was screwing it up.
These cars didn't have vacuum advance. Timing was controlled by the computer. So was the fuel ratio. Factory cars didn't have adjustable vacuum advance but you could buy an aftermarket adjustable vacuum canister.
He reminds me of me when I was young working on my own stuff using plumbing fittings on carbs LOL
He said pvc valve, so I thought he was using plumbing parts, until Tony silently said "pcv valve"
@@skyartrc8286 Looks like he went to Home Depot and picked up some plumbing adapters that use a different thread the standard thread thus cross treading and leaks, my guess anyway could be wrong
Pretty darn nice to offer help like that to people. Way to go Mr. Tony!!!!!!!!
I like this concept of real-time troubleshooting 👍👍
This is going to be an awesome series. I think the guy crushed a gasket when he installed the carburetor.. he knows it lol.
Yep.
It won’t last long. None of Tony’s “series” last very long.
@@millionare46pk what's your point?
At least he didn't RTV it all around.....yet. 😂
Yeah, But, I Bet You Didn't Expect A Brand New Spark Plug!?!! LOL 🤭😜
Car guy helping a car guy! We all have different strengths and I enjoyed the mutual respect. Great brotherhood.
That was some old school diagnosing there. Good to see these days!
UNCLE TONY, ROLL UP YOUR CIGARETTE!!! LOL
Great video and great camera work Uncle Kathy!👍👍
When in doubt pour some gas on it. Works every time!
Uncle Tony is a great guy, did ya notice how he didn't call him a dumb ass or talk down to him. I know some people that will and I've have experienced that when I first started working on cars by myself.
I would bet that he had these issues before he changed the carburetor and just assumed it was problem. I think I heard him say he was a painter so he may not know much about engines, tuning, etc. He also may have gotten some bad advice from someone else too.
We all learn from our mistakes and this right hear proves that.
Have a nice day and a better one tomorrow!
Spoke to ya later.😎
Good step by step process of elimination , that man is a good teacher .
nothing like process of elimination! back to basics! loved it
Its crazy how one of these first viewer vids was with a G-Body and I’ve been needing adjust the idle on my Monte SS, I’m excited for the series!
Please don't tell me that you got to watch a video to see how to adjust the idle?
@@79tazman Please don't tell me you demean babies for having teeth to chew a steak...
@@79tazman it's almost like he wants to learn and do it himself. It's almost like everyone isn't born with all the knowledge. Its almost like you probably had to learn it sometime yourself.
You're the reason hobbies die.
I have no shame I’ll admit I don’t know what I’m doing yet but I’m loving learning how to do these things. I changed my heater core a month ago and did some small body work with no prior experience. Plus I have been watching videos (love Uncle Tony’s) but also learning from people in person and experience, keep on wrenching guys 🤘
Today I learned that if you want a problem to go away...
you pour gas on it.
:)-
trying to straighten out a mess in 20 minutes is impossible! Good job guys. thanks for another great video!
There is no way James is not from Tennessee... The man looks more Tennessee than anyone in history. Don't change James, fix the car but don't ever change.
My dad had a 85, but it was shit brown and had a real tired 3.8. Still remember the feeling of that sofa like bench seat.😂😂😂😂
nothing like crush velor I used to love the lower t-shirts back in the day too felt like the interior of the car
Uncle Tony's Garage is about to seriously BLOW UP. I wish I could buy stock in it.
No gas isn't flammable anymore.
Do the brakes feel weird \ funny ??
im just running the fronts right now 🤣😁😂
And Tony didn't flinch when he heard that 'cause he's been there half a dozen times.
My guess is the rears are drums.
Been there
either way i laughed cause ive been there too !!
ive been with ZERO brakes too and that is plain scary
The rears were always garbage on those cars, I remember twisting rear cylinders and stuck proportionall valve pins. You would get one of these for 500 bucks with a new set of front pads in the trunk.
He kept it olds powered !!! Yes
Yes but if he put an Olds Carb on it instead of a Chev he would have a choke and probably less vacuum leaks.
@@Ian-of9oi the electric conversion is fairly easy . Chances are he bought it from a builder. And you just get what you get unless you either ask or send in a rebuild core.
@@oldsrktracer never tried to convert one but yeah can be done.
I never knew that trick of testing for vacuum leaks with the gas squirt bottle. That is clever.
You can find a dry clogged carb this way too.
I like this idea of bringing in viewers' older cars, keep it up!!
Sorry about adding a second comment, we have a company here in Youngstown Ohio Benchwick Carburetor been in business since 1957. The fact that they're still in business shows that they know what they're doing, Uncle Tony knows working on a carburetor is becoming a lost art. But they really can be fairly simple.
Tony!!! I dug watching you old school trouble shoot that Quadrajet! I felt like I was watching my Grandpa and Great Uncle 35 years ago tuning cars in the driveway.
Neat. And I learned something!
I think this is a cool idea.
This was surprisingly relatable. Makes me want to go chase vacuum leaks on my project lol
Great vid learnt something new. Wanted to jump through the screen and loosen off the 3 tight carb bolts and tighten down again to see if that sorted the leak.
Good deal! Trouble shooting other people’s cars is a great way to mix it up a little. Very coo!
Any kid or friend would be lucky to learn from you. Appreciate your humble teachings!
Great idea with the real time fixes, old school remedies and hot rodding all in one, thank you Tony.
What a cluster. Nice work Uncle Tony.
Good video Uncle Tony! I appreciate you demonstrating the procedure and explaining the logic in your diagnostic technique. Looking forward to more, thanks
New paint... maybe need a fender blanket?
Belt buckles or the brass button on your jeans will screw a new paint job quick.
@@billycarr7446 are you guys blind? Look how far tony stands back while working on it. He has to reach very far because he is careful not to lean on the fenders. I have done the same thing for decades. If I'm going to have to work on a car for more than a few minutes than I use a fender cover only because it's tiring to lean over that far.
I know this isnt a CCC car, but on the mid 80s gms with the CCC feedback setup, if the temp sensor on the intake goes bad, they'll do the same thing and refuse to idle. Case in point, my 84 delta 88.
Those 90* fittings on the brake booster line loves to crack too.
This was fun. Showing that the basic troubleshooting skills can apply across all makes.
It was originally a ccc car but not anymore since it's got the wrong carburetor. Who knows what else is missing.
I remember my ‘85 Monte Carlo SS had a Rochester E4ME carburetor with a mixture control solenoid and all those vacuum lines! What a headache!
Couldn't have picked a better example to chase vacuum leaks on. Those mid 80s carbureted cars had miles of vacuum lines on them. One thing I kept looking at, was the EGR valve beside the carb. Those are known to stick in the open position a lot. The carb base plate is definitely leaking big time though.
This was a major help to me, my exact problems I'm working through on my QJet. Thank you!
UT: Did you mess with the idle mixture screws. JAMES: No. (pause) well, a little...
He should have messed with them more.
Great idea for a video series, should be very helpful for beginners learning how to diagnose issues. I think you should try to explain things back a bit more in the next one. I realize video length is a concern, but you gotta remember that most folks don't have that ingrained understanding of how engines run that an experienced mechanic does. You're doing a good job of showing what to do, but it's the whats along with the whys and hows that allow people to build their understanding and start to connect the dots on their own. You got a car in that doesn't idle right and runs rough, so you suspect vacuum leak. What's a vacuum leak? Why do you suspect it, and why does it cause the engine to run bad? How do you fix it? What does covering the choke do? Why does squirting gas at a leak cause it to smooth out? To people like us, it's almost as natural as breathing. To the average joe, it's witchcraft.
awesome 👍😎💯👍!!! barely open a week and you're already bringing people in and helping them out with their car issues!!! now that's the old school spirit of how I remember it being when I was a kid coming up in the late 70s and the 80s!!! weed help each other at the track and on the streets in the back yards, garages, if you were lucky enough to have one. it was such a great feeling about comaradary of the metal,and better than my home life and supposed family. those were some of the best days of my life, as Brian Adams sang, it wasn't the summer of 69, but it was the same warm and fuzzy feeling!!! cudos guys for passing on the love and valuable mechanical knowledge and time with whoever needs it!!! thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing this.
Ok so he "Shade Tree'd" his carb, the great thing is that you worked with him and solved the problem.
Too many guys would have told him "Dude you need to tighten bolts when you put a carb on"
OR "What the hell is this?"
Great video, this is going to be a great series!
Classic Uncle Tony. Can't find a bolt or a zip tie, but he's on it when he needs a squirt bottle of gasoline lol.
So cool that the first of his “customers” is an Oldsmobile guy! It’s as if uncle Tony came over and helped me with my own cutlass!
....Uncle Tony = real world mechanic..doing his thing on real world cars
Uncle tony you’ve got to keep a zip tie in your pocket at all times! Maybe two! I have always found vacuums leaks with carb and choke spray have never thought of using a bottle of gas. That is why I watch you stuff because it teaches me.
Going to moonshot this series straight out the park man!!!!
Nice looking G body the Oldsmobile cutlass!!!! That car and those carburetors being back so many memories of my 73 chevy Cheyenne short bed , with a 350 V8 with a 4bbl carburetor, I remember adjusting those carburetors, the jets the choke, the fast idle screws ect! I used to hate it when it would load up on me and it would die on me in traffic 😤, but my father taught me how to fix it and get back on the road again. Nice informational video uncle Tony 👍 👌 😀.
~This is going to be an epic series!!!!!!
~I wish I was closer/for the Meat&Greet!!!
~I am a body guy too,never rebuilt an engine (will do soon you influenced me going to try a 360)but can tune carbs etc..remove/install engines/remove suspensions hell take the damn car apart and do the average Joe repair/probably more but nonetheless awesome series man!
~Tony reminds me of many guys I know today and knew as a younger guy who helped me/taught me,awesome series keep it up..
Brings back so many memories. I remember as a kid, Dad used to have spool upon spool of "Winding Wire". That was used for the windings of Alternators or Generators. But the word "winding"; I thought meant you wound it around anything that needed to be tied up; cause that's all I saw Dad do with it......
That was real patience.
Can you imagine what a tune shop would have to do to guarantee their work?
All that plumbing and mismatches would take parts and hours.
This way, he can go do what has to be done himself, that is, if he can find the small parts.
A tune shop would probably have to use a carb from their own supplier and solve all those issues one by one.
I wanted to see what gasket is in use under there.
Can't wait for the follow up video.
This is what I can’t wait to see more of on this channel...keep em coming Tony.
A person without your knowledge , can witness your experiences,,
Like driving into dangerous waters coming out in perfect condition.
I'm sure you have put on many smiles on many people's faces.
Just what I like to see. Proper problem solving. Unlike a modern garage where their "technicians" just swap parts until the problem goes away. Well done.
Thank you Tony. Your a good man. Helping out other people with their cars
I just happen to have this 3 foot long screwdriver handy
Looks like he got the right guy for the job. Nothing too major to fix but if you never did it before total frustration.
This is like reality television except it's actually 100 percent real and unedited! LOL! Awesome video, I could watch Tony fix peoples old cars all day long
Nice job troubleshooting Uncle T!! And James, the paint looks great!! Go get 'em!
Uncle Tony did you mess with these idle mixture screws? Uhh not a whole lot. 😂
Ya, screwed all the way in. I'd have twisted them out another turn . pretty hard to get the idles too rich.
I WISH more true mechanics would do this to preserve this lost knowledge. I struggle to find a shop that will look at a distributor with points and a carb. I'd LOVE to bring my old girl in for Uncle Tony to give it some love.
I got a car for cheap once because it had a blown head gasket and was "using" brake fluid.
No visible leaks.
We got it home and test ran it.
I knew pops suspected something as he started pumping the crap out of the brakes.
All of a sudden the idle raised and it became a mosquito fogger in the closed garage 🤣
Needless to say , that old booster was totally filled with fluid and felt like it weighed like 25 pounds 🤣
Excellent Real World Application applied. Great Vid.
This is a great idea UTG has going by letting car enthusiasts bring their hard to diagnose classic car in and get a professional 1 on 1 tutorial on how to fix the issue and the steps needed to get to the solution; I would be signing up every week with my D100 Slant six if I lived in the area! And whatever UTG is charging for the training I would have no problem paying to get his knowledge and undivided attention.
This is going to be a great series. Keep it up!
That was Grade A vacuum leak troubleshooting. Unk Tony!
Great video and super respectful from all sides. Motor sounds great. Looking forward to the follow up!
Uncle Tony I love this kind of video as well as everything else you do I hope you will continue to help us friends of your channel this way really hands on thank you for everything
good little chase down demonstration
Had a friend at work buy a truck that wouldn't idle, he drove it in and I took a look at it for him. As soon as he started it I knew it was vacuum, but never saw a leak so bad and the vehicle still run. He had bought some cheap Chinese carb and put it on a 302, but the damn thing did not mate to the manifold at all, I was suorised the bolt holes lined up. We took rags and started stuffing them around the base of the carb, and it ran like a dream.
Edit: The rags were temporarily used just for proof of diagnosis, and we're not left there. I had to add this explanation so Clive, Jimbo, and Von Lee don't tell me how stupid I am for using rags to fix a vacuum leak.
Rags were just temporary until you could get some jb weld in there right?
Even Eddie or whoever knows way more about cars than I know. I didn't have an interest as a kid and my dad was the "get out of my way, go play," type. My dad had an interest. His dad, my Papa (great man) was the "you don't know what you're doing wrong and I'm not going to tell you," type. And my Papa was one of 16 kids. My great grandfather was a teller, not a listener. Great grandfather never learned telephone etiquette. He'd pick up the phone, say his message, and hang up. E.g call to my grandfather "Bush hog the lower 40." click. That meant mow 40 acres of grass. Different time.
I love the new shows with viewers cars. I'd love to see them tackled and fixed every now n then on the show
You can see the guys eyes get real big when Uncle Tony brought out the bottle of gas.
"You're gonna squirt gas WHERE?"
He was standing back too!
@@bigbear5510 You know his fear. I've seen a many of Gbody's with burnt hoods...
@@kramnull8962 Yeah, I rebuilt a Q-jet on a friends '77 Firebird and it kept backfiring through the carb at first but I got it sorted out pretty quickly. Someone played with the timing trying to get it running before I looked at it. They put a new spark module in the distributor but it was bad. I had it checked, they had 4 on the shelf and the first three they checked were bad. "No returns on eclectic parts" but I watched they guy put the three bad ones back on the shelf.🙄🙄😲
@@bigbear5510 I got a 1970 Impala with a 300hp 350. Dad said it backfired through the QJet when it was cold leaving work at lunch. Never ran right again. He put a new factory cam in it, lifters and timing gears and chain. Still nothing ever fixed the idle issues.
He was always a Ford and Mopar mechanic mainly. I took the quad off this year and it didn't seem like the idle mixture screws were set properly. From what I have heard and read they are supposed to be set using a vacuum gauge. Anyways, I'm wanting to rebuild it and throw that mule in a 1992 S10. He passed away so I'm having to just do things on it by ear and hesitant because of the problems he had. Good info you got for me there; Thanks....
@@kramnull8962 Yeah, I didn't have my vacuum gauge with me went I rebuilt my friends carb but I turned the screws all the way in and back out 1 1/2 turns it was pretty close. I did go back and used my vacuum gauge and it was pretty close, just needed a little adjustment. I think I paid about $20 for my vacuum gauge, it also does fuel pressure.
Good luck with your future projects!😎
The body looks great! Good job on that.
Christ, Uncle Tony. Was waiting for you to accidentally wiggle that throttle during the gas test. Like a friggin' ROCK that thumb. Pure Zen, man.
This kind of content is what I like from you outside of the racecars and racing you do
Good job Tony. Nice Cutlass! That's a Chevy Qjet by the way. Replace that whole booster line with brake line then rubber line at end or put barbed fitting in the carb and use rubber line to booster.
Rule of thumb with.: Rochester/Holly/Edelbrock-390/600/850cfm...
Fully Seat both idle mixture screws, then back both out by 2 &1/2 turns...Then back Both out again, but do so one to the other, using very small increments...Until you "hear & feel the Sweetest Idle!"
Afterwards, usually you'll need to Reset engine rpm's to approx; the 640-700 range...
PS. While the engine is "Hot, & Choke is fully open..."
Man that’s a clean car
Answering the question: Yes, I got something out of this. I really thought this was going to be a case of the EGR Valve being stuck open. I never expected multiple vacuum leaks at the carb. Good work UT. I enjoyed the entire procedure. I'd like it if James came back with a report after fixing it. That's real nice looking Oldsmobile. I've always liked Olds mid-80's styling, and James seems to be a great body man. I'd have liked a pan of the car.
This is unrelated and I've never done this before, but some may find interest here. We're living in a distrustful time. I want to offer observations that point toward a stranger being a good person. James is a nice guy. His overall demeanor is good and he's polite. He's honest. Unasked he became engaged in making the effort to help, first by holding-open the choke plate while UT fastened it. Then he offered his own trim screws. Then he offered his own long screw driver. He assisted in a genuine way without complaint, and made himself ready to help UT. And he was a gentleman from start to finish.
These things say a lot about the goodness of a man.
Q-tips that may help out next time.
Never put more then 12 ft. lbs of torque on the mounting nuts/bolts.
At minimum you want to turn out the idle screws 4 turns.
Use screwdriver down air horn vent tube to be sure power piston is is moving up and down. Can visually checked with engine idling as well.
Make sure there is a fuel filter.
If no filter is present.. Or just because.
Do a quick trash/debris removal.
Rev engine up to 3,000+ rpm.
Slam the choke plates closed and go to WOT.
Right before engine dies.
Let off and feather throttle open and closed until it comes back to life.
Repeat as necessary and most likely will benefit from doing this 2-3 times.