Technical 56 olds rocket 324 high idle

I hope i can explain this right and get some help here. I have been working on this issue now for over a year now. I had to put it off while finishing another ww2 halftrack project. Now I'm back, and I just want to get her on the road for the first time. Please help.

Complete rebuild of the 324 motor and has the 4 jet original carb that has been rebuilt and cleaned 4 times. I cant get her to idle at the 600 to 700 rpms she's supposed to be at. I have been through so many redundant processes that I just don't know what else to do. Obviously I'm no expert, but I feel like I should have figured this out by now by working through all these issues. I know it's something little I'm not thinking of here.

When I did the time again I realized I should have checked the tdc with a screwdriver in the cylinder instead of going off the Mark on the balancer. It looks like the original balancer did move about 5 ° back. So I re marked the pully and reset the timing. It use to idle at a crazy high 1900rpm. With new timing and all the idle and highspeed idle screws adjusted. I cant get her under 1100rpms. Even at that she spudders like she wants to die.

I'm set at about 14 btdc, anything else she wants to die. The springs are still on the distributor weights. Distributor points are at 14 gap 32° dwell. Plugs are gamed write and have a nice tan dry color. Vacuum reading is about 16 and dropps to around 4 at the carb ported. Above the check valve to the brake booster it stays constant at 16in when reved or not.

I have a plugged ported port at the carb before check valve. Another ported point at the front pass side of carb going to a new vacuum advance to distributor. When timing and vac advance is taken off I can get to 900rpm but still somewhat rough. It runs though, just a little missing maybe. When I plug the vac advance back in after timing. It goes back up to 1100 1200rpms. When I spray starter fluid around the carb base. It does rev up a little at back pass side of the bottom of the carb. Just not sure if it's getting in the top a little because it's a little red. It's possible being at 16in vac that maybe there is a little vac leak. Just not sure what it could be in that back area.

I am using an electric fuel pump, but the fuel seems to be getting to the carb bowl just fine. Although when moving throttle linkage and looking in the carb. It seems to be a weak small stream, but it revs up just fine. So I'm not sure if that's normal for this carb.

So that's where I'm at and I don't know where to go from here. She's so beautiful now and I just want to enjoy her, but it's driving me insane going g over all this stuff again and again with no results. Oh and sometimes when I put her in gear she hops forward hard and dies. If I hit the gas as I go in gear, she will drive around the yard fine. Is that because it's idling too high?

Please, ease help me out guys. Bestow some knowledge on me to pass on.
Thank you for any help guys.
Mark

 

I tried to add photos but said it has wrong extension.

 

Vacuum leak at the back of the carburetor. Right where you sprayed.

 

Found this post of yours from some time back. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/56-olds-88-vacuum-issues.1285341/ Putting up this one pic (many more pics in the thread for others to review)… you have a lot going on here relating to vacuum!

 

I'd start by rechecking every thing you mentioned.
use a positive stop in the number one plug hole not just a screwdriver that can move up and down, roll the engine by hand till it comes up on the stop, then roll it over by hand in the opposite direction till it comes up on the stop again, measure exactly halfway between the two marks and mark it TDC
open the carburetor and verify all passages are clear, especially the idle circuit, the idle tubes have a very small opening at the bottom and it will never run right it debris clogs them as well as anywhere else in all circuits.
verify correct carburetor gaskets are used, vacuum leak at base gasket indicated by change in rpm when spray at rear?
disconnect and plug vacuum accessories one at a time, Olds can have a lot of vacuum accessories and any one of them can affect air fuel if faulty.
dual action fuel pump, vacuum trunk latch, vacuum reservoir canister, or any number of line connections etc.
even basics like float level need to be set correctly

 

what's with all the rubber boots on the distributor cap?
looks like a hodge podge mix, at least one is a plug boot and another is a coil boot on a plug tower?

 

What does "The uploaded file does not have an allowed extension?" This is what i get every time I try to post a picture. Every forum i have ever used has issues uploading pictures.

That red line in the back of the carb in the picture you found from last year. Is the vac line I plugged. It is also the same area that revs up when I spray starter fluid on it. Someone on you tube mentioned 2 small holes in this type of carb that always get plugged up from old fuel. I cant remember what holes he was talking about, but he said use a bread tie. I don't know how to clean this carb any better then I have. I cleaned it 4 times. The float level seems to be correct. Yes the rubber boots on the distributor are not very cosmeticly appealing, but I don't think that's the issue. I have a number of things to do to button her up and finish. The main thing I'm trying to do is just get her on the road to enjoy all this hard work I put into her. I cant believe I'm stumped on this carb. I have never had so many issues on a vehicle.

The vac lines on top that go to the brake booster and reservoir canister. Are behind a check valve, and have no effect on the system according to vac readings. I guess I'll take the carb off again and clean it..... idk....idk.

 

Sometimes the secondary butterfly’s can stick open a little, make sure they are closed fully on idle, just a thought.

 

Worn throttle shaft bushings is where I’d go if you can’t find any other vacuum leaks.

 

Spray some starter fluid on the throttle shafts on both sides of the carb. If the engine speeds up there is your problem.

 

How did the engine idle BEFORE the rebuild ???

Jon

 

When you rebuilt the carb, did you happen to remove the individual throttle plates? It can be a bit of a challenge to replace them properly.

 

Vacuum leak somewhere for sure. Might also check the secondary linkage for something causing the throttle plates to not completely close. Check the plates aren't hanging up on a gasket.