Anyone Using a Factory or Add-on Manual Choke?

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dibbons

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Just curious. I would prefer having a manual choke if I had the choice. The fast idle often does not kick off soon enough for my preference.

choke.jpg
 
go for it. My Honda had one. Pulling it was just like setting it with the gas pedal, but you have to feather it off. would be easy enough to retrofit any auto choke carb with a pull cable, just ditch the heater element.
 
I ran a cheap one for a few years then it started to bind up real bad and I would have to get out of the car and turn it off.
 
my choke is a string from the avs that I bolted a piece of a plastic knife to the carb. I gently pull it and start and it rests open
 
i installed a Holley 600 CFM Double Pumper back in the day. First time I tried a full throttle run down a country road from a stop, the engine shut down without warning. I was worried until I found the choke plate had closed on its own (the choke was not hooked up to anything).

I removed the choke plate after that. Just pumped the accelerator a few times before cranking to start. this was 40 years ago, so I don't remember what system the old aftermarket double pumpers used for a choke.
 
Just installed one for the Wife's truck and it works perfect as well as the fast idle control.
I like being able to control the fast idle if I want, but there is also a lot to be said about a nicely adjusted automatic.:D

The kit from Autozone came with all the brackets, adapters for different setups and even the round black covers in two different sizes for converting from automatic to the manual choke, and was less than 20 bucks.
 
I have two slants with manual chokes, they work super simple. Install a generic cable to the butterfly, and done. As mentioned above, you do have to feather it off as the engine warms up.
 
I have two slants with manual chokes, they work super simple. Install a generic cable to the butterfly, and done. As mentioned above, you do have to feather it off as the engine warms up.

actually mine had 3 settings: off, warm and cold. in that order. Those were just the detents but you could leave it anywhere you wanted. With the electric fuel pump, Keihin slide venturi carb and the So Cal weather, that little air cooled motor (600cc twin) would start immediately but would not idle unless it was choked warm for about 30 seconds. Im sure cold climates would fare worse. My closed air cleaner also had a summer/winter lever that chose a snorkle or exhaust pre-heater duct. I never used it.
 
The one I have doesn't have settings or detents so if it's on high idle I can push the knob in and it will idle down more and more as it's pushed in until it's at normal idle.

It works the other way as well, so I can pull the knob out partially and the idle speed increases with no steps in it's travel.

Of course this is because this Holley 600 has a rounded smooth high idle cam unlike the stepped type like Edelbrocks have.
 
EDIT:Here's an alternative, instead of running any choke at all;
When the weather turns colder up here in September;
I use my dash-mounted,dial-back, advance-box to increase the idle speed, on my 750DP. But yes,when October comes, I do have to babysit it for a half a minute or so. October 11th she goes into storage as the insurance runs out.
Lotsa timing makes a really big deal. At 1400rpm, she has 14*idle+4*mechanical+up to 24*Vcan= 42* available at the normal setting. And I have the box set to a range of +8/-7 degrees additionally;making 50* possible at 1400rpm. When the Vcan drops out she loses the 24. After the initial 30 seconds, I leave the 8* from the box in, to total 14*+8*=22* at 900ish. Then I jump in and drive it. As the aluminum heads warm up, about 3 to 5 miles later, I feel the car surge ahead, and that reminds me to dial the timing back to normal.
This on a mild 360/4-gear
A long time ago, I thought I would plumb the Vcan to one of those thermo-vacuum switches, to switch the Vcan from manifold vacuum to ported vacuum, cuz that would make it automatic.A guy can get those in several different calibration points. But cheapazz me got used to twiddling the knob, and the DP is set rich enough at idle, to work with the 14*initial timing.This is another reason I only run 14* of idle timing.
 
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I'm not sure what any of that has to do with running a manual choke, but yes, I have a manual choke on my Edlebrock 800 carb. Along with my ratchet shifter, I consider it my biggest anti-theft item on my car.
 
I have a 74 Duster 318 with manual choke on a 600 Holly,in cold weather pull the knob all the way out and it fires quickly, then feather it down slowly as the engine warms, usually 2 minutes, in warm weather it takes about 30 seconds,been running this way over 2 years, no problems.
 
"Back in the day" I built several. I used to solder a tab to something like a QJ. The key to getting them to work well is to use two "choke stops" clamps. I used one as a swivel on the choke lever for the cable to SLIDE through. On the outer end of the cable put a very light spring similar to a ball point pen. Leave the choke pull off hooked up. You crack the pedal which allows the fast idle cam to move and pull the cable. You adjust the cable jacket so it doesn't "over pull." When it fires the spring(s) allow the pull off to work somewhat so it doesnt gag
 
Just curious. I would prefer having a manual choke if I had the choice. The fast idle often does not kick off soon enough for my preference.

View attachment 1715251887
A properly working automatic choke can be kicked off fast idle at any time. A couple seconds after the engine starts. The choke going closed moves the fast idle cam and gravity kicks it off when you tap the gas pedal. The fast idle cam must be clean and move freely.
 
A properly working automatic choke can be kicked off fast idle at any time. A couple seconds after the engine starts. The choke going closed moves the fast idle cam and gravity kicks it off when you tap the gas pedal. The fast idle cam must be clean and move freely.

In this app, isnt the choke linkage pulled up by the choke shaft? If you blip the throttle 10 seconds after you start it automatically choked, (link bar up and raised cam under throttle stop screw) the heater or heat stove isnt going to heat the spring enough to pull the choke open and off the linked fast idle cam? It will drop after the heater has acted on the spring and the throttle stop is not holding it there but only if the heater has worked on the spring and the choke shaft has been pulled clockwise into this position, then gravity will allow the free linkage to drop. Im not in a climate that demands a cold weather choke but how long do they take to heat up and expand the choke spring?
P1000868.jpg
 
A properly working automatic choke can be kicked off fast idle at any time. A couple seconds after the engine starts. The choke going closed moves the fast idle cam and gravity kicks it off when you tap the gas pedal. The fast idle cam must be clean and move freely.

That is not true, or at least not for all carbs in general. The choke thermostat determines where the choke "is" in the warmup cycle. What I mean is, "kicking" some types might get them off fast idle but as soon as you stop that and open it slow, the thermostat will try to close the choke back up against the pull off. Otherwise, if you "kick" it clear open, it won't run when that cold. Not only will the choke be open, but the low idle setting won't be fast enough to overcome the cold/ lean mixture

Bear in mind that depending on the carb there can be more than one fast idle. There an be one or two "intermediate" idle below fastest, before it gets to hot/ curb idle.
 
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