Edelbrock carb vacuum leak

[fireguyfire]

Anybody ever had a problem with Edelbrock carbs having play in the shaft leading to a vacuum leak? I have a brand new performer carb on a brand new Mopar aluminum 4 bbl intake, and I have located a vacuum leak at the passenger side rear area of the carb. If I sprayed brake cleaner there I could stall out the car. I removed the carb, both mating surfaces on the carb and the manifold look good and it appears that the gasket is fitting right, so I reinstalled it and still had the problem. It is hard to tell just where exactly the issue is, but if I spray where the throttle shaft goes into the carb body it stalls out; not sure if the spray is being sucked in through the carb base underneath the shaft, or in the shaft. I noticed there is alot of endplay in the shaft on the passenger side, as compared to the drivers side where all the throttle linkage connections are. Is this normal for a brand new out of the box carb? How can I positively tell if it is the shaft or the carb base in that location?
I am going to change the gasket to a new, thicker one and see if that helps, but if it doesnt then I am sure it is the shaft.

[John_Kunkel]

Vacuum leaks at unsealed throttle shafts are common in new carbs and don't usually cause a problem, the shafts are loose in their bores to prevent shaft binding if the carb body/baseplate becomes warped from over-tightening.

About the only way to prevent shaft leaks is to bush the shaft bores with Teflon bushings, they can grip the shaft tightly and still allow some misalignment without binding. DIY kits are available to do this.