250 inline 6 2bbl flooding...

[hotrod24]

Hey, I finally got the c10 ready to hit the road. Well I thought it was lol. My wife and I were going to ride around town, but we get in the truck and I turn the switch and it cranked and then quit, lol.  I cranked it again, then I pulled out on the road and it would spit and sputter then quit.  Finally I got it back to my house and checked the the fuel line and it was not getting enough fuel because the fuel filter expanded in the valve.  So I replaced it and it ran a lot better.  Then it flooded really bad and started skipping, so I changed the spark plugs and it ran really good..  I then took it out on the road twice and it still was running pretty good.. But, last week I was driving it and I come to a intersection and it quit on me, we got it to the gas station and it was flooded again, so I drove it to my granny's and parked it. The next few days went by, we go get it and it cranked up and ran great. I took it to the gas station, the store and the whole time I left it idling. When I got back and started to take off, it was acting funny.  Every time I would give it gas it would skip... I hope y'all can help. Thanks...

[Henry]

Hi Hotrod24:
It could be carb problems...carb problems sometimes allow the truck to run but give weird driveability problems depending on the air temperature and amount of time running. What brand and model carb do you have? When was it last rebuilt or cleaned? Has your truck been sitting without running for a while? Are all your vacuum lines in good shape? What kind of choke set-up do you have? What kind of ignition system do you have?
Regards,
Henry

[hotrod24]

Hey thanks for the reply Henry. The carb is a 2 Barrel and it's a Rochester e2se. As far as I know it's never been rebuilt or cleaned and yea it did sit for a while. With out running. I have looked at the vacuum lines that is left anyway lol. The motor has a intergated head and had all the vacuum stuff on it and I took alot of it off whitch brings me to thinking that I hope I did not take one off that was important? I am not sure what kind of choke I have and the
ignition I have is a hei system... Thanks Dusty...

[hotrod24]

Hey Henry the carbs got a electric choke....

[Henry]

Hi Hotrod24:
I do not have first hand experience with the Rochester Varajet 2SE or E2SE carbs, but with Rochester Q-jets. If your truck is a 1980 model, I would have expected it to have the 2SE and not the E2SE as I think the E2SE was introduced in the 1983 model year. The 2SE did not have the electronic control that the E2SE did when it was introduced. So the 2SE was not computer controlled. Does your truck have a computer command and control system (CCC with ECM)? Does your carb have the electronic connections? If so, are they being used? Is your engine the 250 cu in six or the 292 cu in six? Do you have any literature showing what your carb vacuum connections to your engine should be? Is your HEI the oem GM one? How old is it? If it is original, these things have a pick-up coil that can go intermittent and give symptoms that look like carb problems...but I would look at your carb first.

From the little I know about the Varajet, it was the last carb Rochester (GM) made before throttle body carbs and was a design that met the emissions, fuel economy, and power requirements compromise at the time for 4 and 6 cylinder engines...so it was a very specific and highly tuned carb design and not amenable to modifications or lack of routine maintenance. I suspect that if it has not been internally cleaned or rebuilt in the last 5 years or 25,000 miles it is what is causing your driveability problems. In addition, you may have other problems compounding the problem like incorrect vacuum connections or disconnected vacuum and electrical connections. Probably time to give it a rebuild.
Regards,
Henry