AMC 304 won't idle

[DaveB]

I am working on my friends 72 CJ5 with the 304 V8. He couldn't keep it running near idle. I found that the carb was leaking gas out of several places where it shouldn't. My son found what looks to be a brand new carb at the junk yard so I swapped it on. No gas leaks but it still won't idle. It runs fine if it is above idle. I checked all of the plugs and they looked good. Checked compression on the cylinder that had the dirtiest plug and it was 120. I cleaned the idle circuit as best I could without tearing it apart still no idle. I put my vacuum gauge on it and it reads 16 inHg when it is running above idle. When i drop the speed down the vacuum drops way off. i know a carb idle circuit must have vacuum so I'm guessing I need to go on a leak hunt. A full compression test would probably be a good idea to check for leaky intake valves. Am I on the right path ?

 

[DaveB]

Well I think I found the issue. It required having my wife keep the jeep running while i squirted starter fluid around the carb. I found I could speed the engine up by spraying on the back side of the carb near the base of the carb. There is a spacer between the carb and the intake manifold and when I took the spacer off the four bolts that hold the it on were loose. The thick gasket has shrunk over the years. Now I need to find a source for the two old gaskets.