Ok - just about ready to get the electric choke set up on my Holley. The directions are useless. So far I hooked up the ground to the carb as they advised and also hooked up the 12v source to an ignition source. Ok - so how do I set the choke - do I, with the car cold, loosen the three screws on the choke and rotate it till it just closes? Or do I wait till the car is hot and adjust it so it's just opened. I'm ok with setting the fast idle screw - got that much clear from the directions.

Thks

Rich

It's recommended & correct to set cold. Loosen the screws so that you can turn the cover with moderate effort, you do not want it too loose or tight. If it's too loose it will not stay in place as you tighten & if too tight you run a significant risk of damaging the mechanism from over exersion.

Thks - so just to be clear, I loosen the three screws with the engine cold and turn it until the choke just closes or slightly closed?

Thks

Rich

Originally posted by richr:
Thks - so just to be clear, I loosen the three screws with the engine cold and turn it until the choke just closes or slightly closed?

Thks

Rich Yes. Then adjust the fast just high enough so that the car idles smoothly on a cold morning.

Thku Gentleman - will play with it later today.

Thks

Rich

Remember it's electric. The engine doesn't have to be cold. Don't put power(electricity) to the choke as it opens up with power. Set it and then apply power and it will open.

Chris,

Thks - I will be setting it cold with the ignition off so no power will be going to it - sounds correct?

Thks

Rich

Yes Rich, that's correct.

hold throttle part way open while turning choke to allow fast idle cam to lift as choke closes.

you want to set it with the engine stone cold- as in not run for at least a few hours. even tho it is electrically operated, engine heat will cause it to open a bit.
just set it so the choke is barely closed when it is cold, and set the fast idle to the lowest speed it will maintain steadily when cold. you might have to adjust the choke a little bit after you run it up to temp to get the choke to open faster or slower, but it really isn't that hard.

C'mon guys, this is NOT that complicated. Power, no power, hot, cold, it doesn't matter .

The plastic cover that holds the coil has a line molded into it on the edge.

The metal housing that the choke coil screws to has index marks on the upper part, with the center one larger 'n' bolder. (look straight down on the carb--you'll see a batch of "hash marks" cast into the choke housing.)

Engage the coil into the choke lever, and turn the coil so that the choke begins to close-continue turning until the line molded into the plastic matches up with the center index mark of the housing. The choke blade should be tensioned closed, and the line molded into the plastic will be pretty much at 12:00 (straight up).

That's factory adjustment on a new 80508 universal 750 vacuum secondary carb. Tweak it from there if you need to. Do NOT turn the coil farther than the end of the index marks. You probably won't need to mess with it at all.

If your carb uses an EXTERNAL vacuum source (rubber hose) for the choke, don't forget to connect it. If you use an internal source, don't forget the tiny gasket that seals the passage. If you do not have proper vacuum to the choke, you'll spend the rest of your life trying to adjust the coil to compensate.

Route the power for the choke heater through a 3-terminal oil pressure switch, so the coil does NOT get power until the engine starts (has oil pressure.)

it has been my experience over 15 years of screwing around with carbs that the lines usually don't mean jack. sometimes a car likes the factory spec, most times the line is nowhere near any marks on the housing at all.

That's why Holley changed the design on the newer Street Avenger carbs, to prevent moving the coil too far rich or lean. Going too far rich can distort the choke coil.

If you're more than a few "hashmarks" away from the center position, most likely SOMETHING ELSE IS WRONG.

That something is generally related to the vacuum portion of the choke control. A small piston inside the metal choke housing opens the choke blade as soon as the engine starts (develops vacuum.) It is the same principle as vacuum break diaphragms on other carbs. Hence, my warning about making sure the gasket is in place, or hose is connected. After that, if the engine starts, but dies without flooding, and the fast idle is set appropriatley, consider adjusting the vacuum piston/linkage to keep the choke blade closed just a bit more. If it starts, then blubbers and gargles on gas, and the fast idle is OK, adjust so the piston opens the choke a touch more.

There are about seven things that make for a properly running engine in cold weather.
1. A choke blade that closes as needed based on temperature. This is designed into the choke coil.
2. A choke blade that opens just a bit as soon as the engine starts. This is adjustable on-the-carb via the vacuum piston/linkage, or a vaccum break diaprhragm/linkage.
3. A choke blade that opens just a bit FARTHER (unloads) if you stamp the gas pedal all the way to the floor, to clear a flooded condition. This is adjustable on-the-carb, but you'll probably never need to.
4. A choke that opens as needed as the engine warms up. This is what you set when you align the plastic choke coil to the hash marks on the housing. You are not adjusting the CLOSING rate, you are adjusting the OPENING rate! Not understanding this is one reason guys end up messing with this for fifteen years. The difference between opening the choke and closing the choke is BUILT INTO the choke coil, and not adjustable. It's the opening that is important.
5. Properly set fast idle, and a means to gradually reduce the fast idle speed as the engine warms up. Easily adjusted on-the-carb.
6. Gasoline that vaporizes in cold weather. The refineries take care of this based on general weather trends. This is one of several reasons why old gasoline burns poorly--Summer gas won't vaporize in cold temps, and winter gas vapor locks in the summer.
7. Some way to heat the intake manifold, (and/or the incoming air.) usually by forcing exhaust through a crossover in the manifold. Most of us hot rodders are screwed on this one, we do everything we can to keep the manifold cool for added horsepower. If you keep having problems with the engine dying at idle when it's 40 degrees and raining, you might want to get rid of that Air-Gap manifold...

Schurkey,

Great info - I wish you could come by and set this thing up for me. I tried all weekend, I hate this thing, it's amazing, I do a full resto on a car and can't get a choke to work.

In any case I think it has something to do with the vacum you mentioned above. This choke does not have a separate vacum line so it must be fed internally. Here is what happens.

If I turn the plastic housing so the lines just start to line up the choke is closed completely and the car won't start. If I set the choke so it is open slightly maybe an 1/8 to 1/4 inch, with the line on plastic housing just to the right of the lines on the carb the car starts and the fast idle doesn't go on and the choke goes off to soon. (I set the fast idle screw while the the motor was warm at 1600 rpms, did this by moving that little red lever up checking the rpm then shutting the car off, open the throttle to reach the fast idle screw and adjust, what a PIA.)

Not sure what to do with it at this point besides smashing it with a hammer, :mad: and while this is going with the choke the little stupid key buzzer decided to stop working correctly, graemlins/angry.gif it now stays on with the key out, but that's another story, will figure that one out soon as well.


So what am I doing wrong.

Thks

Rich

What carb is this, are you converting to electric choke using a Holley kit, and if so, which one?

Just for giggles, what engine, what cam, and what is the temperature where you live?

Shurkey,

Its a 750 3310 - vacuum sec. I added the Holley kit - not sure which part it was, the instructions say 45-224, 45-224s & 745-224, but Holley put the wrong ones in the box as this unit does not have the separate vacumm line as shown in pic, I did call Holley awahile back and they did cnfm the instructions were wrong in the box, I don't recall what part they told me I had. The cam is a Crane Power max - 222/234 degrees @0.050,0.529/0.525 with a 114 degree L.S. The motor is 454 .30 over running 9:5:1 compression. 2.19 intakes oval port heads and pocket ported.

I'm in NJ so the temps are teens to 40 in the winter - 60 90 in the summer

Thks

Rich

Just cnfmd - the choke kit I have is 45-223.

Thks

Rich

You should have plenty of vaccum to run the choke, your cam is fairly mild for a 454. You have the proper choke kit for a 3310. Basically, you are converting a 3310 into an 80508. Be sure the tiny gasket is in place between the choke housing and the main body of the carb, so that the piston gets vacuum supply. On the conversion I did, it was a square gasket, about 1/4 inch, or just a bit larger. I suggest you start with factory adjustment--index mark "straight up". In your relatively warm climate, I wouldn't be surprised if you needed to go a notch or three lean to speed up the opening of the choke blade.

Does the carb run properly once the engine is warmed up? No flooding, fairly smooth idle, etc?

The gasket is in place. Carb runs great, smooth idle, steady vacuum. I called Holley yesterday as well, guy recomends an electronic heat sensor kit - part 45-267 - supposedly will give me more adjustment, no clue.

I did try straight up, the choke was completely closed at start up which from my expierience with Quads does not let the car start, which it didn't. On a Quadrajet I just bend the rod a little to compensate, on the Holley not sure what to do. So then I move the plastic housing clockwise until the choke opens just a little, enough to start the car, at that point the fast idle doesn't kick in and the choke opens too quickly. I'll have to play with it some more this weekend. Any thoughts on the Kit Holley recomends? Ever use it?

Thks

Rich

No experience with that kit. Have to dig out my Holley catalog and take a look.

Are you pumping the accelerator before starting? Closed choke blade "shouldn't" be a problem, provided it opens a bit as soon as the engine starts.

Yup - was pumping before starting - I was hoping the same thing, but it wouldn't open the little bit I needed - in fact it wouldn't even start. I'm going to fiddle with it tmrw night, or over the weekend, I must be doing something wrong but it hasn't come to me. Going to try starting from scratch again. Not sure that kit will do anything either but then again this is the first Holley with an electric choke I have ever had, all my other cars were Carters, Quadrajets or Holleys with a manual choke set up. I'll keep you posted what turns out, but any suggestions are helpful.

Thks

Rich

Figure out how much you have to pump the pedal to get the choke to shut--I'm guessing about 1/4 (maybe less)of full throttle. That's all you need to pump unless the weather is genuinely cold.

At -40, you might need two full pumps. At +40, all you have to do is set the choke.

Thks Shurkey - either tonight or this weekend I'll tinker with it - will keep you posted.

Thks

Rich

Hey Rich... Can't you just turn the heat up in the garage. The car will think it's summer and you won't need the choke.. graemlins/clonk.gif tongue.gif

Good idea Bill - but was considering borrowing the drill, a few holes here and there and maybe a heating pad, maybe a small campfire on the manifold. Lot's of ideas brewing.

Thks

Rich