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Will not having a choke hurt my engine?

SteveSS

SteveSS

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We have a 408 small block that having some issues. My friend is telling because I don't have a choke on the carb, and by pumping too much gas on cold start ups I am washing down the cylinder walls. This leads to thinning the oil and therefore having wear problems throughout the engine.

Is this a real thing?
 
What do you think that a choke does ?
It richens the mixture too.
 
Have to agree with Kdog. Especially in colder temps.
 
Yes, true, but the choke richens the air-fuel ratio along with a fast idle. Dumping raw fuel into the intake gets sucked into the cylinders without burning.
 
I haven't had a choke on my 440/493 since 2011. My cranking compression numbers are within 5% variance and in the 165 psi range. No problems here but I rarely drive in 38 degree weather or colder.
 
You are advised by the factory to pump the accelerator several times for a start in cold weather. The choke does not work well until the engine actually starts and there is some airflow. i find it better to run without a choke, I can control the fast idle with my foot and kick it off as soon as the motor runs on its own. Once you know how many pumps your motor likes to get started, it should fire over immediately and you should never miss the choke.

Once you get the hang of starting without a choke, having your engine start as soon as you turn the key, and not using the fast idle any longer than necessary is good for your motor. A mis-adjusted choke can really pump too much gasoline down the carb and do more harm than good.
 
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How much gas do you actually think you're pumping into the engine ! That's sounds like a ridiculous theory to me. How many pumps does it take to get the car started ? 2, 3, 15 ?
 
No choke here either. I've never liked chokes. I prefer to do my own "keep it running" until the engine runs on its' own when cold,
which it will do fairly quickly if everything is tuned properly.
As far as the question of how many pumps of the accelerator is needed at startup, well, I have one of those Edelbrocks in which the
fuel bowls go dry after sitting a few days, so I guess that's a moot point - when cranking the engine, it'll start stirring to life once
the fuel pump manages to get fresh fuel up to the carb, which to me means it's pretty near impossible to flood the thing.
Gee thanks, crappy ethanol-diluted fed mandated fuel...
 
I like a choke but I run a six bbl and I have no heat crossover so the choke just won't work. (side note, if anybody knows of an electric or manual choke that will work on these, fill in the blanks please) That said, I don't run a choke and I have to agree with the others, choke or no choke, you still have to get some fuel in there before it's going to fire. I don't see any danger in not having one, just convenience if you do have it. They do work if set up properly
 
No chokes here. Haven't lost a engine yet. And remember most of us change oil allot more often than most people. Even on the daily drivers.
 
I do not run a choke either but I don't drive in cold weather. Your friend is misinformed.
 
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I drive my 72 SSP in freezing weather. Nothing better than a properly adjusted choke. One pump and the old girl fires right up and holds an idle. Have a 750 Holley with electric choke.
Mean while my friends are over there pumping and cranking, pumping and cranking.
 
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I like a choke also, both my cars have it and work great. However, not having one will not cause internal engine damage !
 
I have a manual choke on my Holley 750 (vacuum secondary) on a mostly stock 383. I only have to pump it once or twice with the choke pulled out about halfway and it fires instantly every time in any weather. Yes it's in a garage, but I don't always have the heat on. It only takes a few seconds before I can push the choke in and it idles fine. I'm not sure I really even need the choke. I do like having a manual choke much better than an automatic, I can control it the way I want to.

Also, keep in mind, a choke does not add more fuel, it only allows less air into the intake which creates a richer mixture. The fuel amount is the same, choke or no choke. It only controls the air.
 
Mine has an electric choke so I would assume it comes off choke pretty quickly. I only give it one pump and she lights off almost instantly. After about 10 -15 seconds I blip the throttle and let it idle on it's own for a bit. In all honestly though, I've never tried starting it without the choke so I really can't compare.

As for the dried out float bowls, I have noticed the same thing that moparedtn has, but found that if I prime the float bowl through the vents, it starts right up without excessive cranking.

As for "hurting the engine without it", I seriously doubt it.
 
There is no way you can meter the fuel accurately by simply using the accelerator pump. What your friend says is correct to an extent, raw fuel in the combustion chamber will affect the oil and create more wear. But not necessarily engine failure, wear is a cumulative thing. I live in the northeast and when I was younger I saw cars with stuck chokes, icing in the carb, flooded engines from too many accelerator pump shots and oil that was black as coal. Cars with these problems were getting wear from all these situations. A properly adjusted choke can help solve these problems (except for the icing where the choke makes it worse) but even that does not do so entirely. Hence the solution FUEL INJECTION!
 
Has anyone here ever taken apart a customer's engine that had been run for an extended time with a mis-adjusted, extremely rich choke ?
 
WileERobby said:
Has anyone here ever taken apart a customer's engine that had been run for an extended time with a mis-adjusted, extremely rich choke ?
Click to expand...
Lol, not any long term customer of mine. I would the plugs would've taken a crap pretty soon!
 
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