auto choke modification/Electric choke

[B-Hive]

Hello all

Just thought I'd let you know that my Weber Auto choke modification is in and working..

I will post pictures if anyone's interested but after many failed attempts to get the original thermal choke working I decided to rip the whole mechanism off and attach a spare central locking solenoid to actuate the choke.

All I had to do was to make up a small aluminium plate with mounting grooves. To this I attached the solenoid and mounted it all directly in front of the carb and then screwed onto the the top of the radiator (not into the tank obviously). The same actuating rod that was used for the door lock is then attached to the solenoid and the other end to a small hole drilled into the choke actuating plate. The sliding mounting grooves made it possible to adjust/fine tune the whole mechanism.

Wiring was dead simple, grounding to nearby metal, and the positive wire coming from the cabin via a momentary switch mounted in between the front seat in a spare spot.

Ta DAh..!! Electric choke

Hope this helps some one else

[mnde]

Any chance of some pictures please? My car always runs over-rich for the first few minutes because the choke is slow to close.

Cheers,

Mark.

[Way2go]

All I had to do was to make up a small aluminium plate with mounting grooves. To this I attached the solenoid and mounted it all directly in front of the carb and then screwed onto the the top of the radiator (not into the tank obviously).

Sounds novel and workable BUT surely it would be better mounting to the engine rather than the radiator as you are bridging the engine mounts, and damage to something could occur as the engine moves.

[B-Hive]

I'll post some pix soon of both the mount and location of actuator on carb..
As far as movement goes, that's the beauty of using the door lock solenoid/motor as it has total free play in its movement and absorbs any give and take, besides which there really was no where to (practicably) mount the device onto the engine, and any where closer to the carb would just baulk the mechanism.

[tim leech]

[quote="mnde"]Any chance of some pictures please? My car always runs over-rich for the first few minutes because the choke is slow to close.

Cheers,

Mark.[/quote]

My 19TRS is a pig when its cold, being a auto makes it worse, I normally let it run for about 5 minutes, otherwise it dies the second you engage any gears.

[mnde]

I find mine behaves better this winter since I retarded the (too advanced) timing and reconnected the vagrant vacuum advance hose. It's proving a little more difficult to start in the colder weather now so it might benefit from new HT leads etc.

With the central-locking solenoid as choke actuator, I'm guessing you get either "full-on" or "full-off" when you flick the switch?

Mark.

[jeremy]

Wouldn't it have been simpler to use a good old fashioned bowden cable type coke control-available new in many small accessory shops for not much. It would also give you any progression available.

[mnde]

Yes but this is more interesting and innovative, I think! I was wondering if you could rig up a similar system using the motor from an electric door mirror, so you could have all the progression you like?

Mark.

[B-Hive]

Pix coming soon, I promise (bloody motorola) .

Progression is really not an issue with me. I just need that initial "full" choke to kick her over ...release the switch ..then all is good.
On occasions I select reverse (auto) to escape my driveway and she'll stall so for these times ...choke..start ..warm for 20secs.. flick the choke on again ..select gear and move off .... release dah choke switch. I have never needed ANY choke after she has moved more than a metre..

Just returned from a 3000k road trip in a friend's BMW 94 325i ($17000 Aus) ..yes...it did everything so well but such an unfriendly car.. was so glad to get back to my friendly Citroen ($300 Aus). Next year we will be taking my ride !!!