Manual choke

Noxious89123 · Hello. I am New! Talk to Me Joined: 26 Mar 2008 Posts: 16

Choke fully on, tiniest bit of pressure on the throttle. Will fire first time ;] Both my bikes were like this.

Leaving the choke fully open when the engine is warm will make it run like a dog too. You don't need the choke on to warm the engine up, merely to start it.

So once your started and moving, push it all the way in.

minigirl · Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 2:11 am Post subject:

Guest · Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 6:35 pm Post subject:

[quote="Noxious89123"]Choke fully on, tiniest bit of pressure on the throttle. Will fire first time ;] Both my bikes were like this.

Leaving the choke fully open when the engine is warm will make it run like a dog too. quote]

Have you ever seen a greyhound run?
Smooth, fluid and very fast.

sarahjane113 · You Go Girl (100+ Posts) Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 169

Yes i suppose my mini does need a service. Took me ages to start this morning as Ive been on holiday for a week. I hope it starts after work.

retrofiesta · Guest

hiya, i have just bought a 1989 ford fiesta, only my 2nd car, been driving only for 2 months...anyway this car has a manual choke which im strugging with.
i have read all the threads i can find, and they're all saying that with the choke pulled out fully, it should start...
my car wont start properly with the manual choke, it turns over, but struggles to 'catch' and when it does, its a real job keeping it going!
i takes about half an hour to start first thing in the morning!
all i want to do is to be able to start and drive when i need to!

ANY HELP APPRECIATED!!

Guest · Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 4:09 pm Post subject:

try just a little choke - i.e. pulled out only slightly. in warm weather u may not need it at all.

sarahjane113 · You Go Girl (100+ Posts) Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 169

Oh dear poor you yes I know the feeling. I was sat for ages trying to start my mini this morning too. I had the choke right out but it took aobut 8 tries this morning to start then i had quite a job to keep it going and stalled a few times. Once its warmed up its ok just cant get it going when its cold.

machanic · Guest

I don't understand the problems with the chokes. A full choke (pulled out all the way) should keep a car running until it warms.

Guest · Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 8:14 pm Post subject: Re: problems with manual choke

sarahjane113 · You Go Girl (100+ Posts) Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 169

Maybe, but I do pull the choke out and it still takes ages to start. Stalling at a junction is always a headache for me, happened the other night just near work and took ages to start again so I got a lot of cross people beeping at me as the traffic lights went back to red. Did feel really silly and embarassed

Minifan · Guest

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that just because your car won't start, you always need to pull the choke out. If it stalls at a red light once it has warmed up a bit, it might be because you are giving it too much choke and flooding it.

The point is that the engine runs on a mixture of petrol and air, which the spark plugs ignite and make it explode, which is how the engine runs. When the engine is cold it needs more petrol in the mixture, which is what pulling out the choke does.

The same problem can occur even when the engine is cold, if you keep trying to start it repeatedly with the choke out, because more and more petrol is pumped into the engine every time you try, and wet unburnt fuel gets all over the spark plugs.

The solution is to leave it for a minute or two (difficult I know if you are late for work, or stalled and holding up traffic) then try to start it with the choke in and your foot right down on the accelerator.

A useful thing to know is that if the choke is only a little way out, it doesn't increase the fuel in the mixture but just makes the engine run a bit faster. So as the engine begins to warm up, gradually push the choke in, and you should find the right amount to stop the engine stalling and also avoid flooding it when you stop at a red light.

Hope that helps with the stalling thing, although I can't explain why sarahjane's mini takes eight tries to start, and retrofiesta's car takes half an hour Sad

By the way sarahjane, how old is your mini - I know they haven't made the proper ones for some time and it can't be one of the flash bmw ones as they don't have a manual choke - so it must be on its way to becoming a classic car!

sarahjane113 · You Go Girl (100+ Posts) Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 169

Hi Mini Fan, Thanks for your help. My mini isnt always that bad altho it hates wet mornings. Its a 1967 mini cooper which I love to bits other than when it doesnt start in the mornings lol.

Greg39 · Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 7:48 pm Post subject:

minigirl · Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 2:04 pm Post subject:

sarahjane113 · You Go Girl (100+ Posts) Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 169

Thanks for all the advice. I have booked it in for a service in a couple of weeks time so maybe that will help. It was a bit better this morning, started after 4 tries so I dont mind too much.