Hard Start
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Sorry okie - it was just an opinion based on the symptoms - no intent to offend. 
Diagnosing problems on the net is hard to do if you can't see or drive the car.
To Good old Bill - that's what was generated when I put in the word fast in quotes - have no clue why. Maybe the forum blog program does not like my keyboard.
To Steve - in those years, the choke was designed to open very rapidly because the emissions testing system for the EPA ran the test from a cold start. Lots of choke = lots of emissions, so the car companies wanted to spend as little time as possible under choke to pass the emissions test. The speed of opening that resulted made the choke system close to useless - even in a new car.
You are absolutely correct in not attacking too many things at one time. One suggestion is that you can mark your original choke spring settings using white correction fluid - that way, you can always go back to the original position.
The speed of opening you describe might get you out the driveway without stalling, but after that it would be pretty bad for a couple of minutes. Adjusting the choke plate tighter is the first move. Do the simple solutions first. Only if that does not work, you may have to try to slow down the heat getting to the choke spring. If the engine is using exhaust heat to heat the spring (via a tube) some crimp the tube (bad choice - hard to impossible to fix) and others block the flow in the tube to some degree (better choice but hard to do right). If the choke coil is electric - adding a resistor in the power lead will reduce the voltage and lower the speed of opening. The answer to how long it should take depends on your driving circumstances and climate, and only you will know the answer. I would say that if you time how long it takes for your problem to disappear after start up, that should be about how long it should take the choke to fully open. You should not have to warm up the vehicle for more the 15 seconds before being able to drive off without stalling.
As for the space in the choke plate - with the engine cold and turned off, there should be no opening in the choke plate after one full throttle pump. If it is open, something is either maladjusted, bent or crudded up. If you can manually (without force) close that 1/8 inch with your finger, then I would adjust the choke more fully closed - that may be the majority of your problem. If not, figure out what is preventing the plate from closing and remedy the situation. Remember, the smaller opening I wrote about earlier is created by the choke pull-off only after the engine starts - until the engine starts the choke plate should be fully closed. You can only adjust the fast idle after the plate is closing properly - so do the plate first.
Your engine hunting implies that the fast idle is not set correctly - which is why giving it a little gas helps. Your foot is doing what the fast idle screw should be doing.
HTH
Diagnosing problems on the net is hard to do if you can't see or drive the car. To Good old Bill - that's what was generated when I put in the word fast in quotes - have no clue why. Maybe the forum blog program does not like my keyboard.
To Steve - in those years, the choke was designed to open very rapidly because the emissions testing system for the EPA ran the test from a cold start. Lots of choke = lots of emissions, so the car companies wanted to spend as little time as possible under choke to pass the emissions test. The speed of opening that resulted made the choke system close to useless - even in a new car.
You are absolutely correct in not attacking too many things at one time. One suggestion is that you can mark your original choke spring settings using white correction fluid - that way, you can always go back to the original position.
The speed of opening you describe might get you out the driveway without stalling, but after that it would be pretty bad for a couple of minutes. Adjusting the choke plate tighter is the first move. Do the simple solutions first. Only if that does not work, you may have to try to slow down the heat getting to the choke spring. If the engine is using exhaust heat to heat the spring (via a tube) some crimp the tube (bad choice - hard to impossible to fix) and others block the flow in the tube to some degree (better choice but hard to do right). If the choke coil is electric - adding a resistor in the power lead will reduce the voltage and lower the speed of opening. The answer to how long it should take depends on your driving circumstances and climate, and only you will know the answer. I would say that if you time how long it takes for your problem to disappear after start up, that should be about how long it should take the choke to fully open. You should not have to warm up the vehicle for more the 15 seconds before being able to drive off without stalling.
As for the space in the choke plate - with the engine cold and turned off, there should be no opening in the choke plate after one full throttle pump. If it is open, something is either maladjusted, bent or crudded up. If you can manually (without force) close that 1/8 inch with your finger, then I would adjust the choke more fully closed - that may be the majority of your problem. If not, figure out what is preventing the plate from closing and remedy the situation. Remember, the smaller opening I wrote about earlier is created by the choke pull-off only after the engine starts - until the engine starts the choke plate should be fully closed. You can only adjust the fast idle after the plate is closing properly - so do the plate first.
Your engine hunting implies that the fast idle is not set correctly - which is why giving it a little gas helps. Your foot is doing what the fast idle screw should be doing.
HTH
