ok when i start my car the car can be a little hard to start but it will run a really low idle like it might die, idling at like 500 - 700. then after i drive it abit the car gets warmed up to a decent temp 190 or so in that nice area... the car will idle really high like at 1400 - 1700... so what do i need to do... adjust my choke ?? or what ??

by the way i'm running a edelbrock 600cfm electric choke on 305 block.... right now the electric choke is set at the center index mark.....



Vetter

 

I'm assuming your experiencing typical fall Iowa weather (lived in Iowa many a year). If you have the manual for your carb, use it to adjust the carb. If not , try this first. NOTE. When playing around with the choke adjustments, you can flood the engine from playing with the linkage too much. If you do, wait ten or 15 minutes, start the car for a minute, shut it down and start from where you left off.

The electric choke will determine how long the choke is controlling engine speed. Leave it alone for now.

With the engine off and cold and air cleaner removed, manually push the throttle wide open and hold it. If the choke is working, the spring pressure will close the upper choke plate at the top of the carb. On the side of the carb with the adusting screws, the fast idle cam, which is attached to the choke plate linkage will rotate to some fast idle position. Release the throttle and make sure the fast idle screw is against the cam. This holds the throttle plate partially open. If the fast idle screw is not touching the cam, crank it in a turn or two to get some fast idle on start up. (You can adjust it more precisely after starting the engine.) Push the throttle wide open and watch the linkage and cam. If the fast idle screw catches the cam, release the throttle lever and start the car. Be sure not to touch the gas pedal as this may cause the fast idle screw to move away from the fast idle cam.

If it won't idle without giving the engine more gas, then the fast idle adjust screw needs to be adjusted. On fast idle you should have about 12-1600 rpm until the engine warms up. As the engine warms up the speed will also go up some and you may have to hit the gas pedal to cause the fast idle cam to rotate and lower the engine speed. When the engine is warmed up and off the fast idle adjust your curb idle to about 750 rpm for auto tranny (gives about 600-650 in gear with brake on) or 600 - 650 with a manual tranny.

Typically you should not have to adjust the spring tension to more than one or two notches rich when it is expected to get really blistering cold. I would leave the spring setting at center and see what happens. As it gets colder, if the engine comes of the choke too early, (not warmed up adequately to run) adjust one notch richer.

When you first get in the car in the morning, pump the gas pedal once about 1/2 way to the floor. Then push the gas pedal slowly, all the way to the floor. This does 2 things. Gives a little extra fuel to compensate for the poor atomization at colder temperatures, and sets the fast idle linkage.

 

Make sure you have the electric part of the choke hooked up properly.... it needs 2 wires; one should have 12V on it when the car is running but not when it's off, the other should go to a good ground on some cast part of the engine. If it isn't hooked up right, the choke will stay on forever, which will cause high idle speed and rich mixture.

The other post covered getting the choke linkage working fairly thoroughly.

 

thank you everyone... that was mighty well explained... looks like alotta typing but i really appreciate the help... thx.. later


vetter