Is the Choke plate on my 4 barrel Holley Carb necessary?
I've heard of people removing it
What is its purpose?
I never use my choke
I ask b/c something broke and it stays shut all the time now
I have no idea what part broke so can I just take the damn thing off?
Thanks Guys

4/21/2006 3:31:03 PM

Well the purpose of the choke on a carburetor is simply to allow a "cold" engine crank. Depending on the carb there are different types of choke plates. Many aftermarket carbs use machined groves in the carb body to allow air to flow when the butterfly is closed. After the engine cranks a pring heats up and will open the choke allowing the engine to breathe. The second type is a full choke and is common on most stock carbs. When the engine cranks it opens slightly and after warmup it becomes fully opened by vacuum. Anyways I bet your engine runs like crap if the choke stays shut? If you remove it there will be a little more effort in trying to get your engine to crank.

4/21/2006 4:04:14 PM

"I never use my choke"^^

4/21/2006 4:56:14 PM

the only reason people take off the choke is to improve air flow on full race engines, so unless you want to keep a bottle of gas to squirt in every time you need to start it cold, i suggest you fix the choke

4/21/2006 5:04:59 PM

mayhap you tell us this: if you never use your choke, does this mean that it is manually operated, as in with a pull knob on the dash?

If that's all it is, then sure, take the choke plate out. Because you're never using it.

Now if it's an automatic choke, and you "never use it" by not flooring the pedal and releasing before cranking, then it's probably not a great idea to remove the plate, as the damn thing shuts partially anyway when it's cold (but not all the way without setting via the gas pedal), and your cold starting and driveability will suffer as a result.

But, on the other hand, it won't hurt a damn thing to take the damn thing out and try it and see if it starts worth a fuck. A lot of engines do just fine with about four or five pumps of the gas pedal and thirty seconds of idling before driving off.

So to answer your original question, no, the plate isn't absolutely necessary, but having a choke when you're in a hurry and/or in cold weather is a nice luxury indeed.

4/21/2006 5:15:40 PM

Thanks guys
Its a manual and i don't use it.
I just let it warm up before I drive.

4/25/2006 12:08:32 AM

I have rarely had a vehicle with a working choke. They help a lot, but if you pump the accelerator and warm it up you'll probably be fine. I've wired them back with electric fence wire when I had an automatic choke that wouldn't work properly. Carburetors on vehicles have accelerator pumps, so you can get by without a choke, but on something like a tractor, you really need one. I've got a tractor that sometimes requires you to put your hand over the intake so it will flood a little before it will start.

4/26/2006 9:06:04 PM

i don't really understand why a manual choke is messed up, they only have two linkages, not hard to fix at all

4/27/2006 10:26:12 AM