Pontiac - Street No question too basic here!

          
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 07-17-2026, 11:18 AM
zippy's Avatar
zippy zippy is offline
Chief Ponti-yacker
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: BC Canada
Posts: 786
Default Q-Jet acceleration Question

So, my 455HO (470cid) runs great, get about 15mpg when drive easy. But when hard accel, say from 30mph, Pull out pass someone, WOT itll starve for fuel after a second. Then kinda come back, If I ease off a little, she fine.
Also, If I slowly ease into her, she fine all way up to top speed, 6000RPM for long Hwy run. AKA, dusting that BMW who thought he was fast on the 2 mile straight.

I have Elec fuel pump, Holley Blue, and a .110" inlet seat.
Would you think its the small inlet seat not letting enough in when I really accel hard? Letting bowl drop and fuel slosh to uncover jets? Ir pump not keeping up to the acceleration demands?

Only happens on a Hard launch or accel when there lots of 'push you into the seat' G forces.
I can burnout for days no issues either

__________________
Dan Pesonen




"If it ain't broke, modify somethin till it is"
  #2  
Old 07-17-2026, 11:36 AM
66_Cat_Jon 66_Cat_Jon is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2024
Location: High Point, NC
Posts: 22
Default

I'm far from an expert, but fuel uncovering the jet seems like a logical place to start. And the simplest thing to check first is if the floats are set high enough. Don't go and just raise the floats though. Setting them too high causes other problems. Just make sure they are within the upper end of the acceptable range. If they are, then move on to one of the other potential and more difficult problems.

__________________
Philosophy on Life: Try not to be an A**hole.
  #3  
Old 07-17-2026, 11:56 AM
johnta1's Avatar
johnta1 johnta1 is offline
Ultimate Warrior
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: now sunny Florida!
Posts: 22,514
Default

I'd say check the secondary air valve adjustment?
It's probably flopping open to quick. There is a little spring adjustment on the top. Or could be the vacuum dashpot also maybe.
If you can see fuel squirt out of accelerator area when opening throttle immediately, then check what I said.



__________________
John Wallace - johnta1
Pontiac Power RULES !!!
www.wallaceracing.com

Winner of Top Class at Pontiac Nationals, 2004 Cordova
Winner of Quick 16 At Ames 2004 Pontiac Tripower Nats

KRE's MR-1 - 1st 5 second Pontiac block ever!

W.E.C moment


"Every man has a right to his own opinion, but no man has a right to be wrong in his facts."

"People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid." – Socrates
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to johnta1 For This Useful Post:
  #4  
Old 07-17-2026, 01:00 PM
steve25's Avatar
steve25 steve25 is online now
Ultimate Warrior
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Westchester NY
Posts: 17,511
Default

A instant good reaction to backing off the throttle a little with a problem like your stating you have is far more likely to be due to air valve adjustment related much more so then fuel supply related.

__________________
Wernher Von Braun warned before his retirement from NASA back in 1972, that the next world war would be against the ETs!
And he was not talking about 1/8 or 1/4 mile ETs!

1) 1940s 100% silver 4 cup tea server set.

Two dry rotted 14 x 10 Micky Thompson slicks.

1) un-mailed in gift coupon from a 1972 box of corn flakes.
Two pairs of brown leather flip flops, never seen more then 2 mph.

Education is what your left with once you forget things!
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to steve25 For This Useful Post:
  #5  
Old 07-17-2026, 01:38 PM
Butcher455 Butcher455 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2026
Posts: 1
Default

What size fuel line

  #6  
Old 07-17-2026, 01:42 PM
67drake's Avatar
67drake 67drake is offline
Ultimate Warrior
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Muscoda WI
Posts: 3,071
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by johnta1 View Post
I'd say check the secondary air valve adjustment?
It's probably flopping open to quick. There is a little spring adjustment on the top. Or could be the vacuum dashpot also maybe.
If you can see fuel squirt out of accelerator area when opening throttle immediately, then check what I said.


That was my first thought too, but he says “after a second….”
When I’ve had issues with the upper air valve too loose, it bogs instantly, then comes back around.
But it doesn’t hurt to try, as all you need is an Allen and zero parts thrown at it.Well, unless the spring is broken

__________________

‘63 LeMans- ‘69 400 w/ original transaxle. 2.69 gears.
‘55 Catalina
‘62 Mercury Meteor-all original, bought new by my grandfather
71' GTO -original 400/4-speed/3.23 posi
13.95 @ 102.1 on street tires @ 4055lbs.-now my sons ride
  #7  
Old 07-17-2026, 02:14 PM
RocktimusPryme's Avatar
RocktimusPryme RocktimusPryme is online now
Ultimate Warrior
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Bedford, IN
Posts: 2,590
Default

Just a thought because Ive had this and its easy to check.

What flavor of vacuum is your distributor hooked to?

Both Qjets engines Ive had in the past would briefly stumble when you stab it when hooked to full manifold. Swapped over to ported vacuum and the problem went away.


Im not a truther one way or the other on vacuum source. Im much more in the "try and see" camp with each engine. But Ive never had a quadrajet that liked getting the throttle punched with full manifold.

__________________
1967 Firebird 462 580hp/590ftlbs
1962 Pontiac Catalina Safari Swapped in Turd of an Olds 455
Owner/Creator Catfish Motorsports
https://www.youtube.com/@CatfishMotorsports
The Following User Says Thank You to RocktimusPryme For This Useful Post:
  #8  
Old 07-17-2026, 02:56 PM
Kenth's Avatar
Kenth Kenth is offline
Ultimate Warrior
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The Kingdom of Sweden
Posts: 6,093
Default

I would use a .135" inlet valve and float set at 13/32" with about 7 psi.
With 1/2 turn preload on airvalve spring use a DA or CE secondary rod set.
With 3/4 turn preload on airvalve spring use a CC secondary rod set.

Using a ported source for the vacuum ignition advance requires larger primary throttle valves openings and a richer idle circuit calibration wich adds more fuel to the primary circuit going rapidly to WOT compared to using full manifold vacuum wich may or may not be noticeable.

__________________
1966 GTO Tri-Power
1970 GTO TheJudge
http://www.poci.org/
http://gtoaa.org/
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Kenth For This Useful Post:
  #9  
Old 07-17-2026, 03:58 PM
zippy's Avatar
zippy zippy is offline
Chief Ponti-yacker
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: BC Canada
Posts: 786
Default

Fuel line, 1/2" braided line, Pump at tank
Vacuum advance is ported

I'll try tighten the spring a little. Too hot outside right now and shop is full so can't bring her in

__________________
Dan Pesonen




"If it ain't broke, modify somethin till it is"
  #10  
Old 07-17-2026, 04:07 PM
steve25's Avatar
steve25 steve25 is online now
Ultimate Warrior
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Westchester NY
Posts: 17,511
Default

The problem is for him is that running a .135” in the carb is useless because that Blue Holley regulator he’s running only has a .110” in it.

You can’t fit a battleship through a lock in a canal that can only accept a 30 ft fishing boat.

__________________
Wernher Von Braun warned before his retirement from NASA back in 1972, that the next world war would be against the ETs!
And he was not talking about 1/8 or 1/4 mile ETs!

1) 1940s 100% silver 4 cup tea server set.

Two dry rotted 14 x 10 Micky Thompson slicks.

1) un-mailed in gift coupon from a 1972 box of corn flakes.
Two pairs of brown leather flip flops, never seen more then 2 mph.

Education is what your left with once you forget things!

Last edited by steve25; 07-17-2026 at 04:14 PM.
The Following User Says Thank You to steve25 For This Useful Post:
  #11  
Old 07-17-2026, 05:25 PM
carbking's Avatar
carbking carbking is offline
Ultimate Warrior
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Eldon, Missouri 65026
Posts: 3,723
Default

Pontiac used the 0.135 fuel valve in the 455 carbs.

Pontiac did not use the regulator.

Personally not a fan of the 0.135 FOR THE STREET ! We had a number of customers complain of flooding at idle. Unless the customer demands the 0.135, we include a 0.130 in our repair kits.

Back to back dyno runs on a stock RAII engine with the 0.135 valve and the 0.130 valve yielded virtually identical torque / HP

I would want a 0.130 valve in the carburetor, and fix the pressure issue, either with a different or modified regulator or a different pump.

One of the issues of using an electric pump ON THE STREET is that the maximum pressure from an electric pump will be at minimum engine usage (idle) whereas a mechanical pump is keyed to the engine RPM, and minimum pressure / volume occurs at idle. I am not throwing rocks at electrics pumps (I use them on my street vehicles), simply mentioning the characteristics are different and must be considered.

But the 2-mile 6000 RPM run seems to suggest the fuel inlet is NOT the issue. As has been mentioned before in this thread by others, I would play with the air valve spring adjustment.

Jon

__________________
"Good carburetion is fuelish hot air".

"The most expensive carburetor is the wrong one given to you by your neighbor".

If you truly believe that "one size fits all" try walking a mile in your spouse's shoes!

Owner of The Carburetor Shop, LLC (of Missouri).

Current caretaker of the remains of Stromberg Caburetor, and custodian of the existing Carter and Kingston carburetor drawings.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to carbking For This Useful Post:
  #12  
Old 07-17-2026, 08:46 PM
65 Lamnas's Avatar
65 Lamnas 65 Lamnas is offline
Senior Chief
 
Join Date: Mar 2023
Location: Pontiac, IL
Posts: 448
Default

Change the seat to a .135” and set the float to 5/16.

The Following User Says Thank You to 65 Lamnas For This Useful Post:
  #13  
Old 07-18-2026, 04:35 AM
Holeshot71's Avatar
Holeshot71 Holeshot71 is offline
Senior Chief
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: MA
Posts: 455
Default

I’ve been running Cliffs .140” needle and seats for years on the street with no issues. This is with a stock large canister fuel pump with a return at 6.5 to 7.5 psi. I believe he now has them up to .149”!

__________________
'71 GTO, 406 CID, 60916, 1.65 HS, '69 #46 Heads 230CFM, 800CFM Q-jet, TH400, 12 Bolt 3.55
'72 Lemans, Lucerne Blue, WU2, T41, L78, M22, G80
  #14  
Old 07-18-2026, 06:48 AM
steve25's Avatar
steve25 steve25 is online now
Ultimate Warrior
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Westchester NY
Posts: 17,511
Default

All of you folks advocating that the OP needs a bigger needle and seat,( or should try a bigger one ) for Gods sake please read or re-read his second paragraph in his first post.

__________________
Wernher Von Braun warned before his retirement from NASA back in 1972, that the next world war would be against the ETs!
And he was not talking about 1/8 or 1/4 mile ETs!

1) 1940s 100% silver 4 cup tea server set.

Two dry rotted 14 x 10 Micky Thompson slicks.

1) un-mailed in gift coupon from a 1972 box of corn flakes.
Two pairs of brown leather flip flops, never seen more then 2 mph.

Education is what your left with once you forget things!
  #15  
Old 07-18-2026, 08:48 AM
GTO-relic GTO-relic is offline
Senior Chief
 
Join Date: May 2021
Posts: 267
Default

[QUOTE=zippy;6624488]So, my 455HO (470cid) runs great, get about 15mpg when drive easy. But when hard accel, say from 30mph, Pull out pass someone, WOT itll starve for fuel after a second. Then kinda come back, If I ease off a little, she fine.


remove the secondary hanger and rods. chuck the rods up in a drill, spin and file them down to at least .040" on the tips- a long taper. reinstall rods with hanger into the qjet. Then push the secondaries fully open, measure from the top of the carb nearby, to the top hook of each secondary rod. bend the hanger arms (not the rods themselves) so that dimension is 21/64" from top of carb at wide open- this will be the same dimension as the richest "B" hanger of which in 45 years, I've only seen and obtained ONE. start car, happy motoring.
btw this entire procedure is in Pete McCarthy's first SuperStock book in the Qjet section. you can file them to .040" for starters, but if need be even to .030" tips. Pete Mc. also used rods with only .018" tips on his SS class cars. you can make .020", .030", and .040" tips from rich junk rods from other vehicles, use them as cores to file new rods from. then tune as need be to the engines needs.
I'll add one trick found myself recently - my friend's 1972 455 w/7M5 heads had an aftermarket universal electric choke bolted onto it by previous owner, and the dashpot pulloff vacuum pot to control secondaries was completely missing. I cranked up the tension on secondaries from 1/2 turn of tension on the small spring, to 3/4" tension. also filed the rods to .040" - and adjusted the secondary hanger to 21/64" at WOT. the car is now a rocket- my point being you really don't even need the dashpot If the rods are rich enough to make the transition. this is only with a Pontiac Qjet with the square cutouts in front of secondary air valves, and big fuel pullover fuel passages in top front of secondaries on lid.
HAPPY MOTORING


Last edited by GTO-relic; 07-18-2026 at 09:18 AM.
  #16  
Old 07-18-2026, 09:03 AM
GTO-relic GTO-relic is offline
Senior Chief
 
Join Date: May 2021
Posts: 267
Default

https://streamable.com/xdz1qy

It works. It's a 4 speed with no dashpot, filed rods to .040" bent hanger to 21/64" at WOT. Took owner for ride kicked it open through gears he got really quiet. Got back asked him what do you think ? He said he thought he was going to die, he's impressed. This is nothing new the info has been out 45 years it's just people forgot it.
'72 455 bone stock in a '70 Lemans Sport. Owner is lifetime motorhead now age 75.


Last edited by GTO-relic; 07-18-2026 at 09:08 AM.
  #17  
Old 07-18-2026, 09:11 AM
GTO-relic GTO-relic is offline
Senior Chief
 
Join Date: May 2021
Posts: 267
Default

Here's just a few of his other cars . My next door neighbor, I hung out with his kids since we were 15
All the Chevys are rotisserie restos
'57
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	20260715_153358.jpg
Views:	28
Size:	60.2 KB
ID:	673633  

  #18  
Old 07-18-2026, 09:12 AM
GTO-relic GTO-relic is offline
Senior Chief
 
Join Date: May 2021
Posts: 267
Default

70 SS454 M22 tribute
70 blue 350 4bbl M21 he bought new 1970 when he was 19
Both ragtops
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	20260715_153333.jpg
Views:	30
Size:	47.7 KB
ID:	673634  

  #19  
Old 07-18-2026, 09:12 AM
GTO-relic GTO-relic is offline
Senior Chief
 
Join Date: May 2021
Posts: 267
Default

Last
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	20260715_153349.jpg
Views:	36
Size:	58.0 KB
ID:	673635  

The Following User Says Thank You to GTO-relic For This Useful Post:
  #20  
Old 07-19-2026, 06:56 PM
Schurkey Schurkey is offline
Ultimate Warrior
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: The Seasonally Frozen Wastelands
Posts: 6,346
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by zippy View Post
WOT itll starve for fuel after a second. Then kinda come back, If I ease off a little, she fine.
Also, If I slowly ease into her, she fine all way up to top speed, 6000RPM
FIRST, I would verify accelerator pump capacity. A weak pump might provide enough extra fuel for the initial jump, but not enough for the full transition to the main and auxiliary circuits. Not uncommon for the accelerator pump to deteriorate in modern fuel.

SECOND, I'd verify the air valve operation (spring, and vacuum break(s) as applicable) as other folks have stated.

THIRD, I'd verify that the secondary "accelerator pump" drillings/tubes are functioning properly. As the air valve cracks open, it should draw fuel from the float bowl, up the tubes to the discharge ports on the casting beside the air-valve. I've seen Q-Jets where the tubes have fallen out of the air-horn casting, and one where the float bowl had debris at the bottom, plugging one of the "wells" that the tubes sit in, so the well couldn't properly fill with fuel.
Photo (and it's not a great one) shamelessly stolen from The Internet.


Quote:
Originally Posted by zippy View Post
I have Elec fuel pump, Holley Blue, and a .110" inlet seat.
If it runs good to 6000 RPM, the fuel pressure, inlet seat, and float-level are not the problem at throttle-stab.

Quote:
Originally Posted by zippy View Post
Would you think its the small inlet seat not letting enough in when I really accel hard? Letting bowl drop and fuel slosh to uncover jets?
No. HOLLEYs "uncover the jets" on the secondary side, because they're facing the wrong way during acceration. Some Holleys on Fords are mounted BACKWARDS, so they uncover the primary-side jets for the same reason.

Q-Jets don't, because the jets are at the bottom of the float bowl, not angled 90 degrees from vertical.


Last edited by Schurkey; 07-19-2026 at 07:10 PM.
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:01 PM.

 

About Us

The PY Online Forums is the largest online gathering of Pontiac enthusiasts anywhere in the world. Founded in 1991, it was also the first online forum for people to gather and talk about their Pontiacs. Since then, it has become the mecca of Pontiac technical data and knowledge that no other place can surpass.

 




Copyright © 2017