1983 Riviera V6 turbo-- vacuum line and carb help(or selling it)

Hello. I'm new to the group. I have an 83 Riviera v6 turbo that I bought almost a year ago. When I bought it, it wouldn't stay started due to vaccum line issues. None were connected correctly or at all. It had sat for over a year and was days out of improper storage when I purchased it. I'm not a mechanic, but I was able to (for the most part) run the lines correctly and get the car to idle and drive fine. I was driving the car almost daily for about a month, with 2 or 3 100 mile + highway trips with no problems. Recently I had trouble with the car flooding itself after running perfectly fine...and that eventually turned into the car not starting at all... ive changed the fuel filter in front of the carb. I haven't drained the Tank but have ran about 3 tanks worth of fuel so far. I've changed plugs, oil and filter and added fuel treatment about 100 miles ago. It's for sure carb related and idk enough to troubleshoot and fix it myself. And I'm not financially able to dump any money into it. I'm either looking for tips or advice from someone who has knowledge about V6 turbos and carbs (Rochester 4bbl) or I'm looking for someone to buy the car and take the issue on themselves.. thank you

With that car having sat so long, I'd suspect it's time to remove and clean/overhaul the carb. That Rochester has an Idle Air Control gadget that might be giving you problems. I don't know b/c I am not there to look. However, you say the car is flooding. What you say about the car flooding after running a while and over time not wanting to run at all is consistent with your float becoming more gas-logged over time. That is my guess as to what is likely to be wrong. It's only a guess and this advice is worth what you paid me for it ha ha.

MMmmmKay - consider getting yourself a rebuild kit or at least some gaskets, and a float. Let me explain. One thing that happens with the '70s and '80s carbs is the floats, if they are plastic, get gas-logged over time. That is, they are made of a plastic closed cell foam BUT they still slowly soak up gas. Some take (much) longer than others to get logged but they pretty much all do if you have them long enough. When that happens, the needle pintle rides out of its seat all the time and the fuel pump floods the carb with gas as a result. At the age of your car, if you've not replaced that float it is probably overdue; all you need to do is replace them and adjust the carb, but what you should do is overhaul the thing while you have it apart on your work table. There are a couple books on that, one is https://www.amazon.com/Haynes-Rochester-Carburetor-Techbook-10230/dp/1563920689/. Bottom line for me is that what you say about the car flooding after running a while and, over time, not starting/running at all is consistent with your float becoming more gas-logged over time.

Right now the gasket kit will cost about $9.00 + shipping (rockauto), the book (used, Amazon) $7.00+, the float less than $30+ (rockauto).

On the carb that was on my dad's '74 Plymouth Valiant, it was a Carter or a Holley, don't recall which - the float could be replaced without taking the carb off the car - matter of fact, I did it (years ago) with hand tools in less than an hour. I admit that I put in a float from an older car, matched perfectly except it was brass. I think it came out of a '64 but I am not sure. I don't know about your Rochester, so I suggest you get that book. You may find your local/regional library has the book for you to borrow, actually.

As for selling your Riv, you can compare it to these https://classiccars.com/listings/find/1983/buick/riviera - but what you can get for it is anyone's guess.

The carburetor most certainly needs a rebuild.  One problem is the ethanol in fuel today.  It eventually eats all the rubber parts and gaskets.  Make sure you buy an updated kit that has ethanol resistant parts.

Try www.quadrajetparts.com.  It is run by Greg Gessler, an old time Buick racer who used to port heads.  Great guy to deal with.  Get the part number off the carburetor and give Greg a call.  He will set you up with the good stuff.

Also, if you intend to keep this car and work on it yourself, you will need a 1983 Buick Chassis Manual.  This is not optional IMO.  That book will answer any question you have, and help you diagnose any problem, or fix anything else on the car. It will save you money and frustration.  It is the single most important investment you can make in the car.  There are plenty of opportunities on E bay.  If you're a smart shopper, you can get a good deal.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=1983+Buick+Chassis+Manual&_sacat=0