Just wondering if anyone has had this problem or any ideas how to fix it thanks.

Its a 1981 Buick Regal, V6 3.8L engine. Idles fine but when you start accelerating normally it begins to die and then stalls unless you quickly take your foot off the gas. If you snap the throttle open then accelerate normally itll go but its very sluggish and wants to stall and when you hit second gear it no longer stalls but still runs very sluggish for a 3.8L. Im pretty sure the problem has something to do with the carburetor. It isn't a vacuum leak, already checked for that. Its also not an issue with the fuel pump or fuel filter because when i slightly cover the area where choke plate is (not sure the technical name, i think air intake?) with my hand and rev it it does just fine without any hesitation or stalling. I dont do much work with carburetors so im not actually sure what the issue could be. Any ideas or advice is greatly appreciated! Thank you.

 

Boy a 1981 sure takes me back a bit.
One possible cause for the "stumble" would be the accelerator pump in the carburetor.
There were some problems when they came out with unleaded gasoline and the float needle valve in the carb would swell and cause the same condition as a low float level and the symptom was similar to what you are describing. I believe , if it has a two barrel carb, that it is an E2SE Rochester carb. They can be repaired if you can get a carburetor kit. I have done many of those carbs and if you are careful you may be able to just replace the accelerator pump only. A carb kit will usually come with complete instructions on disassembling and reassembly. If you don't mess with any of the adjustments replacing the accelerator pump isn't too difficult.
If you don't want to get involved with the carb you can always get a rebuilt one and it might be the cheapest way to go . Let me know what you decide. Thanks.

 

I decided to go with a full rebuild of the carb, never done one before so even if it doesn't work ill count it as a very interesting learning experience cause it definitely was interesting. Gonna put it in later today and ill be sure to post how it goes.

Also that was the exact carb, and i could tell when i took it apart it had been rebuilt before and it may need some adjusting of the mixture screws cause it looks like someones adjusted them before. It seemed like the float needle was ok but the float itself was starting to crumble so i just replaced both for good measure. Guess well see how it goes when i put it in.

 

Were you able to get a rebuild kit for the carb?

 

I did get a rebuild kit yes. Followed the steps exactly. Put everything back together and put all new wires and spark plugs just because. Now i have a new problem, when i first started it, it ran but was backfiring a little and gas was coming out the top of the carb! It was like a volcano every time i reved it. There wasn't anymore stalling issue or sluggishness just the gas and backfire thing, ran slightly rough too. Also it wont start back up now, even if i put some gas right in the carb, ill let it sit and try again because maybe its flooded who knows.

One other thing is that i didnt adjust the mixture screws at all, could that be a cause? Help please!

 

Ok so i figured it was the float wasnt positioned correctly, went in and fixed that because it wasn't right, and cranked it a bit afterwords. Still not starting. Cranked a few more times let off then went to crank again and nothing, no crank no start no clicking nothing! The radio still shuts off like it normally would when going to start but the lights dont dim at all. Battery isn't the fault either, still got a solid 12 volts.... any ideas now? Seems too quick to be a starter to just go out like that without showing any signs of a problem before this.

 

Since I had no idea of what equipment you had to work with or your level of experience I was hesitant to make too many suggestions.
Taking this one step at a time-----
1. If you followed the steps for setting the float exactly, why did you have to go back and redo it?
2. When you checked the specification for the 7 digit carb # in the rebuild kit, didn't it give you the exact float level dimension to use for that # carb?

3. When you replaced the plug wires , did you replace them one at a time? If not you may have altered the wires on the cap from the original required firing order.
4. If the float needle valve wasn't working as required it probably poured fuel into the intake manifold and now has to be cranked with the accelerator pedal held to the floor in order to clear the extra fuel out.
One of the carb choke adjustments (choke unloader) requires when the pedal is held to the floor it opens the choke butterfly to prevent additional choking to clear a flooded engine.
Now lets get to the electrical problem.
I don't know where and how you are measuring the 12 volts you stated.
A battery can show 12 volts when measured with no load , but if the cable connections are no good , the starter won't do anything. Check the positive cable for corrosion under where the cable bolts to the battery.

In the instructions for rebuilding the carb; they should have given you a # of turns to back out the idle mixture screws from the fully seated position. Be careful when turning the idle mixture screws in because if too rough you can mess up the taper on the screws. I believe they suggested a starting point for adjusting those screws out like about 2 full turns from the seated position. The screws have a very fine thread so 2 turns isn't a lot , but usually is enough for the car to start and final adjustment can be made with the vehicle running. They used what was called the "lean drop" method.
Once you get it running , I can explain the proper way to adjust them.

 

Thanks for being so helpful, also my experience level is pretty decent, i currently work at a dodge dealership its just I've never worked on older cars like this because you dont see them at dealerships. Now in response:

1. A new float didnt come with the kit so I went out and bought one and put it in along with a new needle, i just overlooked the process of setting the float cause there was another area in the instructions for that, so thats why i went back and did it, everything else was done correctly.

2. Yes it said set to 3/8 i just didnt notice that until after but i did go back and adjusted it.

3. Yes i replaced them one at a time and in the correct order.

4. Ok ill try that when i manage to get it cranking again. Also the choke on this carb is one of those electric chokes, so there weren't any adjustments since i didn't take it apart. I left all the bigger assemblies together so i didn't have to adjust them.

As for the electrical problem, i measured across the terminals just to check the battery itself. My starter is buried to the point where you cant get to it unless its jacked up so i haven't had a chance to check the connection between the battery and starter. My positive terminal is corroded a bit but it should still be making contact good enough to at least hear clicking without a start. I have a feeling the solenoid might have gone out i just haven't checked it yet.

Yes i set the idle mix screw back 4 turns which is what it said to do. Again thanks for the help, im going to be gone for the next few days but when i get back ill try and test further and let you know. Thanks again.

 

Sir, the pleasure was all mine. You're welcome.
Thanks for filling me in on your experience level, it makes things much easier now.
You should be able to get things straightened out as soon as you can back to it.
If I can be any further help, just ask! I spent a lot of time in the GM schools and If the little I've learned can help someone I can't see any sense keeping it to myself.
Will watch for your progress when you get a chance to post. Thanks!