car keeps dying out at idle

car was running fine until it backfired out of the carb.. the timing was off and know it is set right but the car will idle at 1200 for a little then drop to like 500 and want to die and sometimes dies... I have a 302 engine in my maverick the carb is a 600 edelbrock.... the reason I think its the carb is because everything was fine until it backfired out of the top of the carb since then it does not want to stay running but sometimes it will run and idle fine what gives..... I have a 160 thermostat in their for spring summer cause it use to warm up too much... but I dont think thats the problem... could it be a bad fuel pump or fuel filter.. need help cause I want to sell this car running good so I can get the right amount of money for it... thanx rick

If it was a Holley I would say it blew the power valve, but since I dont know anything about that kind of carb, I dont know. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img]

well , if you blew the power valve the motor
should be running very rich and should be
very hard to start by now.

you, could take the power valve out and check

I just make sure there is no gas on them and
put the flat side against my lips and suck

if the spring side moves in towards your
mouth then its still good.
if you suck on it a you just suck air through
it with no movement then its bad.

if the motor is surging up and down I would
say you have a gasket on one the the metering
blocks that got ruin from the backfire.

also, see if all the butterflies in the carb
are still flat and attached .
during a backfire they can get bent straight
up and down on the shaft or break the screws


good luck

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: tbird on 2/25/02 10:15am ]</font>

That's all fine and good but since the carb is an Edelbrock there is no power valve to pull and check. Otherwise I agree, the butterflys and are a good place to start. I don't think that carb has seperate metering blocks and gaskets like a Holly but there has to be at least one gasket somewhere in there to check out.

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<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: 66Torch on 2/26/02 9:32am ]</font>

my bad, I wasnt paying attention to carb brand

I would make sure you haven't blown off any vacuum lines or plugs.Sounds like a vacuum leak to me. Have you checked the gasket between the carb and intake,intake gaskets etc any of the usuall places you might have a vacuum leak