Electric choke malfunction.

[Kikwear]

Sometimes the boat is hard to start. I remove the arrestor and sure as ****, it's closed when cold. Usually, I have to hold it open until the boat warms up. This usually happens more than not. Any ideas on how to remedy this problem?

[MOP]

With the engine dead cold remove the breather, loosen the three screws on the choke retainer. It should move easily if not a slight tap with the screw driver should free it up. Once loose rotate to see which direction opens and closes, rotate to the closed position with just light tension ( feel the tension with your finger on the choke plate)snug up screws and start, after a few minutes the choke should go to full open. Also a good idea is to lube all pivots for free operation.

[Kikwear]

At dead cold, the choke plate is completely closed. Is that right? I need to have it completely open to idle when it's cold. Maybe that points to another problem?

[MOP]

Yes when it is dead cold it should be shut but with light tension. when the engine starts the engine will pull it open enough for it to run. The electric coil in the choke housing will over about 1 minute fully open it.

Phil

[mrfixxall]

are we talking Q-jet,replace the choke pull off----carter then listen to mop...

[Kikwear]

Ok, I understand what you are saying. However, my boat runs like crap on cold start until I manually hold open the choke butterfly. What's the deal?

No name, just some numbers.

807312
301

Here are some pics to identify...

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/7676/carb17ln.jpg
http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/4273/carb23dr.jpg

[mrfixxall]

ok now i see what your talking about.....listen to mop,just make sure theirs not a gasget brhind the choke reastat because it wont make a good ground which it needs to work properly....just make it as loose as possible..I see you live near chicago ,,,,my shop is in glen ellyn out side sub of chicago...If you want to tow it to my shop and it would take a woopin 3 min to adjust it...Em me if i can help...

[joel3078]

I gotta ask, what is the electricity doing to cause the choke plate to rotate open? Maybe a better way to put it is what is inside/behind the round adjuster plate you turn. I've rotated them for tweaking the adjustment but never opened one up as they don't fail very often.

[mrfixxall]

I gotta ask, what is the electricity doing to cause the choke plate to rotate open? Maybe a better way to put it is what is inside/behind the round adjuster plate you turn. I've rotated them for tweaking the adjustment but never opened one up as they don't fail very often.
it looks like a small recoil spring on a pull starter for a lawn mower..when it heats up it unwinds and opens the choke...

[tiger lily]

replace it with a manual choke, thats what is on my boat, works like a charm, never had a problem with the choke, even though i think we''ve only used it once or twice when very very cold..

[MOP]

Try adjusting it again, when you push on the choke plate there should only be a little tension just enough to help to suck enough gas to keep it running any tighter and it will drive you nuts! Once you get it right you can't beat it!

Phil

[farmer tx]

Make sure you hold the throttle plate open a little while you adjust it or you will get an erroneous setting.

[MOP]

Make sure you hold the throttle plate open a little while you adjust it or you will get an erroneous setting.

Thanks Mark see what happens when you get old!!!

Phil

[joel3078]

it looks like a small recoil spring on a pull starter for a lawn mower..when it heats up it unwinds and opens the choke...

Educate me a little futher. Why is the electric setup any better than the old bi-metal coil spring that heated up via the little well in the intake manifold. I would guess the electric one would heat up faster, open the choke quicker, and cause less running rich/pollution. Maybe those old style choke coils didn't have the magical black rotate ring for adjustment. I can't remember that far back.

[LSUTIGERS74]

One of my 460's has that exact problem, every time I go to crank the engine after it has been sitting up for a while, I have to pull the damn arrestor and give the engine a little more fuel. Then she fires right back up and runs fine, I will try to adjust my choke as specified and see if that helps any b/c having pull the arrestor and crawl down into the engine bay is becoming a pain in the ass.

[joel3078]

Hey LSU - for restarting the engine when cold, I just stroke the throttle from idle to full throttle 3 times, back er down to idle, go one click higher/faster than idle, then turn the key - she starts every time. The 3 strokes of the throttle makes the accelortor pump on the carb squirt gas down the intake manifold. It's the priming the engine needs to fire up. The throttle settting of 1 click lets it run on fast idle - about 1500-1800 rpms. Try this next time instead of taking the flame arrestor off. This all makes the assumption that you get a good squirt of fuel when stroking the throttle all the way. Confirm this by shining a flashlight down the carb - you can see and hear squirts of gas when the throttle opens up all the way.

[LSUTIGERS74]

Joel, did I see your 24' Black Widow online yesterday for sale?

I tried to bump the throttle up but it just ends up flooding out the engine, I did this one time and I could see the fuel sitting in the engine. Maybe I just left it at full throttle for too long. I will keep the three bump in mind next time I go to crank the engines up.

Hopefully my engine will work fine when I go down to Destin at the end of the month and the other engine is gettin machined next week and put back together the next.

[BUIZILLA]

back to your original question...

the pic shows a Carter or Weber or Edelbrock carb style, not a Rochester Qjet.

to that end, Edelbrock makes an electric choke kit that uses your coil receiver in the existing housing, just change the outer cover, run a 12v power wire, and adjust the cover tension 2 notches rich for starters... That should solve your problem.

JH

[joel3078]

Joel, did I see your 24' Black Widow online yesterday for sale?
I tried to bump the throttle up but it just ends up flooding out the engine, I did this one time and I could see the fuel sitting in the engine. Maybe I just left it at full throttle for too long. I will keep the three bump in mind next time I go to crank the engines up.
Hopefully my engine will work fine when I go down to Destin at the end of the month and the other engine is gettin machined next week and put back together the next.

Ya but the yacht broker has not updated the pics yet. It now has the new trailer, new custom covers, and new upholstery done. The best pics, background story, and a home video of it running are at my website:
http://www.joelek.com/pages/11/index.htm

[Moody Blu']

to tell ya all the truth... i don't have any choke, what-so-ever in my carb.... :D


who needs them things anyways ;)

if one pump flooded the engine on one stroke with the throttle maybe the accel setting is set to pump to much. pumping it three times will probably put even mroe fuel into the intake

[joel3078]

Yup could be. Best to get two people, one to stroke the throttle all the way and the other to check things out with the flashlight. See how much gas is squirting and also confirm the carb plates open all the way when the throttle is stroked all the way. Check choke plate working while your in that engine compartment. As we all know by now, each boat has it's own way it likes to be started, warmed up, and run. Yet another reason they are referenced as female gender vs. male.