Which half-way should I go CHOKE CHOKE?

GPster · March 21, 2006, 02:27:43 PM

The Rochester carb on my truck project ( '53 235" six ) has got the factory automatic choke on it. It seemed to work just fine in a heated garage but I drove it (under it's own power) outside to clean its' stall. Now the choke doesn't seem to warm up enough to kick down to slow idle. This is probably due to the fact that there's no hood so the enginge is out in the open (30 degrees this morning), on fast idle the cooling fan moves quite a bit air and the meg right off the exhaust manifold provides * little back pressure and manifold heat. The choke assembly on the carb is the standard round/black part that has 3 screws that hold it into the housing and is fine adjusted by spinning it in its' housing. Now because I don't want to correct the fore mentioned problems I wonder about changing the choke actuator. Should I just go to a cable actuated mechanical choke or should/can I go to one of those electric choke (now 12V) stoves? If the electric is a yes has anyone got a part nunber for the local NAPA store? If the manual choke is the bast suggestion I'll go to Tractor Supply or someplace. With it running on fast idle it would probably go through the garage door and out the back of the garage before I knew what happened and I don't want to spend time in a hospital trying to design a neutral safety switch. GPster

enjenjo · March 21, 2006, 08:00:55 PM

I'd see what I could do to adjust what I had, I am not a big fan of manual chokes with an auto trans.

phat46 · March 21, 2006, 08:31:31 PM

Quote from: "enjenjo"I'd see what I could do to adjust what I had, I am not a big fan of manual chokes with an auto trans.

O.K. I'll bite.....why not?

EMSjunkie · March 21, 2006, 09:10:14 PM

Quote from: "phat46"
Quote from: "enjenjo"I'd see what I could do to adjust what I had, I am not a big fan of manual chokes with an auto trans.

O.K. I'll bite.....why not?

Me too, why not? :?

Vance

GPster · March 21, 2006, 09:11:25 PM

Quote from: "enjenjo"I'd see what I could do to adjust what I had, I am not a big fan of manual chokes with an auto trans.

I'm not a big fan of manual chokes on anything. Opening the choke manually causes you to loose control of the fast idle cam. I've had good luck in the past with the electric chokes in the past, namely on and aftermarket Carter AFB. I was hoping for an explanation why that type of choke wouldn't be a good idea or the numbers to get one. GPster

enjenjo · March 21, 2006, 09:26:56 PM

Well, I don't know if they make an electric conversion for your carb. Is the cover flat, or cup shaped?

Why I don't like manual chokes on automatic cars. they are never right. Either they coke too much, or not enough. You are always fiddling with it trying to keep it running without the idle being so high you can't get it to stop.

58 Yeoman · March 21, 2006, 09:31:07 PM

I can't remember how that choke looks; where does it get its' heat to open? Could the spring just be worn out? Got any numbers on it? There is a store here that has quite a few old items...you never know, he might have a new one.

GPster · March 21, 2006, 09:51:46 PM

Quote from: "enjenjo"Well, I don't know if they make an electric conversion for your carb. Is the cover flat, or cup shaped?

With my memory so flakey, I had to go out in my bathrobe with a flashlight in the snow to check. It is just the flat cover one that has the bi-metal coil sitting in the aluminum cast rather than inside the plastic cup. On your explanation on why you don't like manual choke on automatic cars the extra playing and fiddling is the reason it was suggested that I don't try to drive a car with a manual transmission. It would surpass by manual coordination capabilities and I don't judge engine speed by hearing so well. GPster

enjenjo · March 21, 2006, 10:10:01 PM

OK Joe, let me look, I might have an electric choke stove here that would fit your carb.

GPster · March 22, 2006, 09:19:44 AM

Quote from: "enjenjo"OK Joe, let me look, I might have an electric choke stove here that would fit your carb.

Rooster put me on another hunt so maybe I don't have enough stuff. There is a line going from the choke housing to the bottom of the carb that I thought should be the only hook-up but I can't remember anything coming from around the exhaust manifold going to the choke. Maybe this line is there to suck air from the exhaust manifold and it's just sucking cold outside air. The Chevy Six group dosen't feel to strongly on electric chokes but if I need but don't have the exhaust side of this equation I might still go with a fix this way. GPster

jaybee · March 22, 2006, 10:27:55 AM

Yes, you need hot air from the exhaust manifold as well. I once bought a repair kit that used a sheet metal shield that would tie to the manifold or header with hose clamps. I don't remember all the details because it was a long time ago and the car is long gone. I only used the tubing from the kit as I was able to attach to the point where the OEM tube rotted off the manifold. It would be no big deal to fab something similar (but better looking). Some cars built before electric chokes became common also clamped the heater hose against the side of the choke stove for additional heat.

Arnold · March 22, 2006, 11:46:27 AM

Quote from: "GPster"
Quote from: "enjenjo"OK Joe, let me look, I might have an electric choke stove here that would fit your carb.
Rooster put me on another hunt so maybe I don't have enough stuff. There is a line going from the choke housing to the bottom of the carb that I thought should be the only hook-up but I can't remember anything coming from around the exhaust manifold going to the choke. Maybe this line is there to suck air from the exhaust manifold and it's just sucking cold outside air. The Chevy Six group dosen't feel to strongly on electric chokes but if I need but don't have the exhaust side of this equation I might still go with a fix this way. GPster

I'm not aware of any set-ups that actually had any vacuum/attachment/effect in sucking warm air from any heat source.Heat sources "stoves" were very common and called such because they usually had some type of sheet metal around the heat source..and a "pipe" that the hot air naturally travelled up in to the choke element.I can't recall any that actually used ex gas either.True..there were set-ups were there was an actual hole in the exhaust manifold.The ones I have seem this was a blind hole.The tube end was in there and the tube was often coverred in some sort of heat resistan material.

I have a GM(Roch) carb "line manual"(from about 1938-1986) that I am pretty sure would have a picture and part #'s of what you're into.And GM factory parts books for 1 1/2 to 5 tons for roughly the same years.I can take a looky in a few days if you want.

GPster · March 22, 2006, 03:23:52 PM

OK, the latest on the saga of "How hoods and air cleaners can be a bad thing" Yes the heat pipe from the exhaust manifold to the choke is in place. Yes the external line from the choke housing to the base of the carburetor does have a vacuum on it while the engine is running. Yes the automatic choke works as it was designed and the choke does open and kick the idle cam to the low position. The big problem appears to be when I got the drivers door frame of the cab fixed and the floor tied to the front and back of both door openings the cab must have settled to a place where the gas linkage was out of adjustment. It acted like the choke was stuck closed in the cold and dark but at 45 degrees on a sunny day with the hood and air cleaner off, I found the problem. Because it's from '53 I'm older than this. I should be smarter than it too. GPster