I always clock the choke to wide open on ALL my carbs. I live down here in Hawaii so I never felt like it was necessary. I do have a thumper cam with very little vacuum...7hg at idle in gear...so I just pump the pedal 3 times and it lights right up at 4am! I do bring up the rpm to about 1500 for a minute then I drive off. Basically I am manually doing all the things the choke is designed to do but without the risk of malfunction of choke components. Sometimes I want to just hook up the damn choke though🤣
I hate the electric ones, so I tend to upgrade to a manual. No problem with when I need it or not. Otherwise, I usually put my choke wire on a toggle switch with a constant + on one end. That way, if I run into the store or if its warm out, I control when I want that power to choke. Dont leave it on though by accident!
@@daviddntait when I leave my choke all the way open when I put in drive are reverse the car cuts off do you know why thanks but If I close it to about a pencil open it’s fine rpm’s is great
I live in Colorado with my 347 stroker Mustang. The air is choked naturally. After fouling 2 sets of plugs I..........put in 63 jets instead of 66's......gave it 4 degrees more advance......put wires in the IFR's.....too lean took the wires out.......drilled 2 holes in the primary butterflies.....didn't touch the idle screw after setting the transfer slots....used the secondary screw to make a slight adjustment to idle.....adjusted the idle mixture screws with manifold vacuum. The best.....the BEST....adjustment I made was removing the electric choke. The whole thing. Gone. Didn't even replace it with a cable choke. It starts cold, idles rough for a few minutes, starts hot without having the choke stay on when not needed and carbonizing my plugs and valves. #getridofelectricchokes
Yes, you absolutely due need the choke, I use it for the holley tps bracket, also the choke does two things is does the fast idle and chokes the engine incase your in really cold weather.
i am no choke camp. they stick on you washing down cylinder walls and loading the engine with carbon and diluting oil. i use the accl pump to prime it. now i am in control how much cold start mixture it needs. to have no issues with no choke you need a hot spark as well as the right amount of base timing.
I have all these issues with the carb on my 383 sbc. Mostly with cold starts and the choke won't come off quick enough. So the motor bogs and almost dies when it's cold outside. I have the housing turned almost all the way clockwise. It will finally even out. Sometimes I need to add a little throttle. While watching this I just realized I could probably just turn the key on for 30 seconds and the choke will be more or less open. Then I can start it. Gonna try that tomorrow.
Great video and explanation. I have a 78 Ford F150 which I swapped the intake and carb to an aluminum intake and Holley 4160 carb w/electric choke. I have had issues with the choke from day 1. Just like your video explains, It works somewhat ok when cold, but then when it's warm, it comes back on after being in the store for 10 minutes. I have learned to live with that as it still starts fine, but it idles high again for a few minutes. I have a new problem that just started. It refuses to idle down. It stays at around 1500-2000 even when warm. I have tried lubing everything and removed my throttle linkage to be sure it's not hanging up, but I have to pull hard on the throttle to make it idle down. I backed the throttle set screw all the way out so it's not that, and I also moved the return spring further back to put more tension in it. Didn't work. Randomly it'll start to work properly for a little bit after blipping the throttle really hard several times, but as soon as it's cold, it starts again. Could it be the kickdown you mentioned? The red gear thing? Thank you in advance
Hey man, when the issue happens, have you tried pushing on the red cam down with your finger while its running? Itll have a ball on the end that you can move. Its a common problem that they get hung up when they become a little worn. You'll probably have to readjust the chock at the shaft and at the flap. We have a 73 duster that I deleted the choke on the 625 since we started having issues with the old 750. Its been over a year and the car starts right up whether its 110 or 30 degrees outside.
@@NightWrencher thank you for your feedback. I will try that, I'm really not that great with carbs and I wasn't sure how that all worked until your video. I will check that out when I get home
@@NightWrencher so I finally had a chance to have a look at the truck, and that redcam is definitely what's hanging up. Is there any way to stop it from hanging up?
I have an aluminum intake with the exhaust crossover and divorced choke thermostat still active. I have the divorced choke linkage only running the fast idle cam, the choke plate is removed.
@@NightWrencher For many months I have watched videos trying to answer what you described. I even watched several on one site that specializes in carbs along with contacting Holley. Nobody has helped and nobody mentioned the spring cooling too quickly..Thanks Again!
Greetings from Russia, your video is very useful, but here the temperature ranges from +40° to -60°, so the best way is to manually control the air damper... The Bible says “Simplicity is the truth”🤝👍
I have an older Holler 4010 series vac/sec. The choke is electric with a vacuum pulloff. There is also what it seems to be a brass nut that is open on the choke to the left of cap. Is that for heat to the coil from the motor to keep it open longer? Almost seems you can install a small copper tube in there with a compression fitting and run it down to a real heat source..
Manual choke is the way god intended. Im a control freak. Another benifit of manual choke is the ability to bump up the RPM a touch at red lights. This helps the old school AC systems perform better when at at idle. Also spins your belt driven fans faster to help cool the engine better. Lots of cars like the 69 MKIII in my profile pic had a vacuum switch to do this....but IMHO all the extra vacuum hoses are a chore and clutter the bay.
I actually really like have a manual choke. Even simple things like uneven terrain or running out of fuel can be accounted for when you can control the choke
@@NightWrencher We are a dying breed. But it does seem as though there is a bit of a carb revival taking place which is awesome. Ive allways been an eddy guy and I love my 1407s. But im preparing for a trip in my 83' k10 suburban with 454 / th400 combo from Kansas City Missouri to Panama City Beach FL. The eddy carb with its non adjustable floats really performs best with no corn fuel which cost $$$. I bought a used Holley 3310 that seemed in good shape for $120 hoping to be able to better adjust for ethanol variance on the fly. Put a kit in it and got the truck running ok but Sadly its got a nasty vacuum leak on the primary shaft....cant drop the idle under 950. Your videos have been a huge help for me dealing with the Holleys.
I have a 35 year old PCM 351W with e choke not working properly. Only starts with half gas (in neutral). What are the steps to properly set up the e choke and fast idle for the cold engine?
Hey man, in '97 there were no more carburetors but if the car is all stock and youre sure its flooding, I would check the spark plugs to see if its just 1 cyl or all of them. If its just 1, check the injector, if its all of them, check to make sure the sensors, fuel pressure, compression, etc. Are all in spec
Depends on the engine. Engines close to stock dont have enough cyl pressure to start well when cold. Recurve the distributor and bump up initial timing to 18 degrees and you'll see how much of a difference that would make.
My truck has a 350 with a cam, intake headers and HEI. Holley 600 (4160). The guy I bought this truck from didn’t know anything about the engine build- I noticed the choke isn’t even hooked up to ignition on the + terminal. The choke plate stays open all the time. Would this cause an extreme lean mixture at low idle causing it to stall out when at a stop light or idle RpM?
The choke on a holley would never cause a lean mixture. When the choke flap is forced all the way open it just disables the choke feature during cold starts but does not affect any of the driving circuits. A choke that is closed will cause a rich mixture if its held closed for too long but once it has been opened up all the way, the carburetor should meter like normal. Chances are there's is something wrong with the initial idle adjustment on the carb so If you havnt watched my holley idle tuning video I would try that out first before doing anything else.
The only thing that will open when you give it gas is the primary butterflies. The choke plate will not move in relation to the accelerator. If the choke stays closed, its going to run rich.
I have a strange problem with my Holley. I can't adjust the fast idle. Seems to idle at 2k when cold and stalls out quickly. Electric choke is set properly. 650 mech dp. 302 Ford with aluminum heads. Where should i start looking?
Has it always done this or is this a recent thing? If the issue only happens when cold, I would look that your choke. Its designed to kick up when cold using the red plastic cam by the baseplate. If the issue stays even hot, I would look for a vacuum leak. I dont think ignition timing would have anything to do with this situation
@@NightWrencher thank you for the reply! Its a new issue/new carb. Went from EFI to carb for my 65 cobra replica build. It only happens at cold idle. If I have electric choke, do I have to press the pedal down on start up or just turn ot over and let it run & then kick it down when its warm?
@@miker351w when you first start it up cold, you're supposed to pump the gas pedal twice. The first pump closes the choke flap and kits up your idle cam and the second pump offers a bit more fuel to aid in start up. To me it sounds like normal operation, turn it on, let it idle and warm up, blip the throttle to open the choke flap back up and kick the idle back down.
The choke limits the amount of air coming in so the engine runs rich. If you have to keep the flap closed for it to stay running, your engine is probably running lean. Make sure all your vacuum ports are plugged and not hooked up to anything and try turning out your idle speed screw up so its out of the transition and in the main jets. Make sure your flap is fully open and start turning down the idle until it starts stumbling and turn out your idle mixture screws and see if it starts to clear up the stumble. If it doesnt, you have another issue. Maybe floats too low, plugged metering block, plugged air bleeds, etc
I added enough timing at idle on mine so that itll idle well enough when its cold. Itll hover around 500-600 cold and about 750-900 warm. I let it idle for a few mins while I load up my stuff for work and start driving with no issues
Its 3 bolts and a clip. Then the plate either screws off with 2 screws or pulls off in the newer ones and the shaft slides out. Ill make a video on it soon just for you
I got a holly on my 350 engine with a little cam in it I just started have trouble keeping it to idel it will start right up but it won't idel now I have to keep my foot on the gas to keep it running what do you suggest
Do you guys run a choke? Why or why not?
I always clock the choke to wide open on ALL my carbs. I live down here in Hawaii so I never felt like it was necessary. I do have a thumper cam with very little vacuum...7hg at idle in gear...so I just pump the pedal 3 times and it lights right up at 4am! I do bring up the rpm to about 1500 for a minute then I drive off. Basically I am manually doing all the things the choke is designed to do but without the risk of malfunction of choke components. Sometimes I want to just hook up the damn choke though🤣
I hate the electric ones, so I tend to upgrade to a manual. No problem with when I need it or not. Otherwise, I usually put my choke wire on a toggle switch with a constant + on one end. That way, if I run into the store or if its warm out, I control when I want that power to choke. Dont leave it on though by accident!
@@daviddntait when I leave my choke all the way open when I put in drive are reverse the car cuts off do you know why thanks but If I close it to about a pencil open it’s fine rpm’s is great
Bro I have to say you make some of the most low-key great videos on UA-cam like the knowledge you have amazes me
Thanks buddy, I appreciate it 👍
I live in Colorado with my 347 stroker Mustang. The air is choked naturally. After fouling 2 sets of plugs I..........put in 63 jets instead of 66's......gave it 4 degrees more advance......put wires in the IFR's.....too lean took the wires out.......drilled 2 holes in the primary butterflies.....didn't touch the idle screw after setting the transfer slots....used the secondary screw to make a slight adjustment to idle.....adjusted the idle mixture screws with manifold vacuum.
The best.....the BEST....adjustment I made was removing the electric choke. The whole thing. Gone. Didn't even replace it with a cable choke. It starts cold, idles rough for a few minutes, starts hot without having the choke stay on when not needed and carbonizing my plugs and valves.
#getridofelectricchokes
Great video. You described my issues as I have a ZZ502 with aluminum heads. Thanks👍👍
Hope it helped you!
Yes, you absolutely due need the choke, I use it for the holley tps bracket, also the choke does two things is does the fast idle and chokes the engine incase your in really cold weather.
due? hehehe
Outstanding explanation
I appreciate it! Thank you!
i am no choke camp. they stick on you washing down cylinder walls and loading the engine with carbon and diluting oil. i use the accl pump to prime it. now i am in control how much cold start mixture it needs. to have no issues with no choke you need a hot spark as well as the right amount of base timing.
I keep a manual choke on mine without the flap just so I can keep the idle up when offroading. Cold starts are a non issue. 2 pumps and away it goes
I have all these issues with the carb on my 383 sbc. Mostly with cold starts and the choke won't come off quick enough. So the motor bogs and almost dies when it's cold outside. I have the housing turned almost all the way clockwise. It will finally even out. Sometimes I need to add a little throttle. While watching this I just realized I could probably just turn the key on for 30 seconds and the choke will be more or less open. Then I can start it. Gonna try that tomorrow.
Hopefully it works out, good luck!
Adjust tour fast idle screw, clockwise will open the blades abit more at start up
Great video and explanation. I have a 78 Ford F150 which I swapped the intake and carb to an aluminum intake and Holley 4160 carb w/electric choke. I have had issues with the choke from day 1. Just like your video explains, It works somewhat ok when cold, but then when it's warm, it comes back on after being in the store for 10 minutes. I have learned to live with that as it still starts fine, but it idles high again for a few minutes. I have a new problem that just started. It refuses to idle down. It stays at around 1500-2000 even when warm. I have tried lubing everything and removed my throttle linkage to be sure it's not hanging up, but I have to pull hard on the throttle to make it idle down. I backed the throttle set screw all the way out so it's not that, and I also moved the return spring further back to put more tension in it. Didn't work. Randomly it'll start to work properly for a little bit after blipping the throttle really hard several times, but as soon as it's cold, it starts again. Could it be the kickdown you mentioned? The red gear thing?
Thank you in advance
Hey man, when the issue happens, have you tried pushing on the red cam down with your finger while its running? Itll have a ball on the end that you can move. Its a common problem that they get hung up when they become a little worn. You'll probably have to readjust the chock at the shaft and at the flap. We have a 73 duster that I deleted the choke on the 625 since we started having issues with the old 750. Its been over a year and the car starts right up whether its 110 or 30 degrees outside.
@@NightWrencher thank you for your feedback. I will try that, I'm really not that great with carbs and I wasn't sure how that all worked until your video. I will check that out when I get home
@@NightWrencher I also considered removing the choke altogether. Is it hard to do?
@@1971gmeek its actually really easy. 6 screws and 2 clips
@@NightWrencher so I finally had a chance to have a look at the truck, and that redcam is definitely what's hanging up. Is there any way to stop it from hanging up?
I have an aluminum intake with the exhaust crossover and divorced choke thermostat still active. I have the divorced choke linkage only running the fast idle cam, the choke plate is removed.
Great info on the choke...thanks!
Youre welcome! Thanks for watching!
@@NightWrencher For many months I have watched videos trying to answer what you described. I even watched several on one site that specializes in carbs along with contacting Holley. Nobody has helped and nobody mentioned the spring cooling too quickly..Thanks Again!
No problem! I hope you can get yours tuned up after this!
Greetings from Russia, your video is very useful, but here the temperature ranges from +40° to -60°, so the best way is to manually control the air damper... The Bible says “Simplicity is the truth”🤝👍
Thanks your video was really helpful
Thanks! I hope it helps!
I have an older Holler 4010 series vac/sec. The choke is electric with a vacuum pulloff. There is also what it seems to be a brass nut that is open on the choke to the left of cap. Is that for heat to the coil from the motor to keep it open longer? Almost seems you can install a small copper tube in there with a compression fitting and run it down to a real heat source..
I had a few similar to that. Had like a little compression cap that you could put a pipe on. Whether It actually did anything or not, I'm not sure
Manual choke is the way god intended. Im a control freak. Another benifit of manual choke is the ability to bump up the RPM a touch at red lights. This helps the old school AC systems perform better when at at idle. Also spins your belt driven fans faster to help cool the engine better. Lots of cars like the 69 MKIII in my profile pic had a vacuum switch to do this....but IMHO all the extra vacuum hoses are a chore and clutter the bay.
I actually really like have a manual choke. Even simple things like uneven terrain or running out of fuel can be accounted for when you can control the choke
@@NightWrencher We are a dying breed. But it does seem as though there is a bit of a carb revival taking place which is awesome. Ive allways been an eddy guy and I love my 1407s. But im preparing for a trip in my 83' k10 suburban with 454 / th400 combo from Kansas City Missouri to Panama City Beach FL. The eddy carb with its non adjustable floats really performs best with no corn fuel which cost $$$. I bought a used Holley 3310 that seemed in good shape for $120 hoping to be able to better adjust for ethanol variance on the fly. Put a kit in it and got the truck running ok but Sadly its got a nasty vacuum leak on the primary shaft....cant drop the idle under 950. Your videos have been a huge help for me dealing with the Holleys.
I have a 35 year old PCM 351W with e choke not working properly. Only starts with half gas (in neutral). What are the steps to properly set up the e choke and fast idle for the cold engine?
What do you mean by creating a vacuum with the choke cover off? There's no vacuum going to the choke cap.
can you just remove an electric choke and flapper or will there be vacuum leak you discussed during the video that needs to be plugged? thanks
Best video really helped me to understand
Hey
I have a 1997 mistsubishi lancer, im having issue with the gas keeps flooding the engine and it smoke like crazy. What could be the cause?
Hey man, in '97 there were no more carburetors but if the car is all stock and youre sure its flooding, I would check the spark plugs to see if its just 1 cyl or all of them. If its just 1, check the injector, if its all of them, check to make sure the sensors, fuel pressure, compression, etc. Are all in spec
My girlfriends Holley could never ever start right. We put a choke on it and it starts now.
Depends on the engine. Engines close to stock dont have enough cyl pressure to start well when cold. Recurve the distributor and bump up initial timing to 18 degrees and you'll see how much of a difference that would make.
My truck has a 350 with a cam, intake headers and HEI. Holley 600 (4160). The guy I bought this truck from didn’t know anything about the engine build- I noticed the choke isn’t even hooked up to ignition on the + terminal. The choke plate stays open all the time. Would this cause an extreme lean mixture at low idle causing it to stall out when at a stop light or idle RpM?
The choke on a holley would never cause a lean mixture. When the choke flap is forced all the way open it just disables the choke feature during cold starts but does not affect any of the driving circuits. A choke that is closed will cause a rich mixture if its held closed for too long but once it has been opened up all the way, the carburetor should meter like normal. Chances are there's is something wrong with the initial idle adjustment on the carb so If you havnt watched my holley idle tuning video I would try that out first before doing anything else.
I got a problem with the cam stucked in the top position
u didnt talk about the fresh air intake on the electric choke!
When u give it gas does a flat have to open and what if it doesn’t open
The only thing that will open when you give it gas is the primary butterflies. The choke plate will not move in relation to the accelerator. If the choke stays closed, its going to run rich.
No choke on all 4 of my carbureted cars. I live in Los Angeles and it’s not cold enough to need it. Just unnecessary parts to deal with.
Exactly right
I have a strange problem with my Holley. I can't adjust the fast idle. Seems to idle at 2k when cold and stalls out quickly. Electric choke is set properly. 650 mech dp. 302 Ford with aluminum heads. Where should i start looking?
Has it always done this or is this a recent thing? If the issue only happens when cold, I would look that your choke. Its designed to kick up when cold using the red plastic cam by the baseplate. If the issue stays even hot, I would look for a vacuum leak. I dont think ignition timing would have anything to do with this situation
@@NightWrencher thank you for the reply! Its a new issue/new carb. Went from EFI to carb for my 65 cobra replica build. It only happens at cold idle. If I have electric choke, do I have to press the pedal down on start up or just turn ot over and let it run & then kick it down when its warm?
@@miker351w when you first start it up cold, you're supposed to pump the gas pedal twice. The first pump closes the choke flap and kits up your idle cam and the second pump offers a bit more fuel to aid in start up. To me it sounds like normal operation, turn it on, let it idle and warm up, blip the throttle to open the choke flap back up and kick the idle back down.
My holley 1850 on my stock 350 wont stay running with the choke more than half open!!! Its driving me nuts. Just rebuilt and still same problem
The choke limits the amount of air coming in so the engine runs rich. If you have to keep the flap closed for it to stay running, your engine is probably running lean. Make sure all your vacuum ports are plugged and not hooked up to anything and try turning out your idle speed screw up so its out of the transition and in the main jets. Make sure your flap is fully open and start turning down the idle until it starts stumbling and turn out your idle mixture screws and see if it starts to clear up the stumble. If it doesnt, you have another issue. Maybe floats too low, plugged metering block, plugged air bleeds, etc
@@NightWrencher i actually just minutes ago got it to idle! I took it apart again and worked over the idle circuit passages in the metering block.
Thats awesome man good job 👍
Use an afr guage and see if its running to rich or lean, also could be your timing
i just rebuild my 4160 750 and tested the choke, it will open after 1 minute
next video cutting off the choke horn
I want to 🤣 I'm planning to buy a milling drill bit and cut the horn off with a grinder and mill it flush on the drill press
@@NightWrencher that will be a great vedio
I like manual chock to help warm it up
I added enough timing at idle on mine so that itll idle well enough when its cold. Itll hover around 500-600 cold and about 750-900 warm. I let it idle for a few mins while I load up my stuff for work and start driving with no issues
Yup. That is what I use. No problems.
And I don’t have that electric choke on this brawler
How hard is it to remove the auto choke assembly? I'm in Florida
Its 3 bolts and a clip. Then the plate either screws off with 2 screws or pulls off in the newer ones and the shaft slides out. Ill make a video on it soon just for you
@@NightWrencher i bet you can probably take apart a toaster and fix it 🤭
I dont know about that one 🤣
I got a holly on my 350 engine with a little cam in it I just started have trouble keeping it to idel it will start right up but it won't idel now I have to keep my foot on the gas to keep it running what do you suggest
I have my choke disconnected
Did it used to idle fine and suddenly it wont idle well? Or did it not idle well since you put the carb on?