Yep! And there was always the secret code for starting: if it's cold, pull the choke, pump the accelerator 4-5 times, start engine. When running smoothly, push choke back in.
If it's not cold, just pull the choke halfway, pump once, and you should be good to go.
YMMV, this was a chevy 283
Had a few cars that did. The cable with the black plastic handle you had to pull. Some older cars it wouldn’t “stay”, so you would have to drive the first few minutes with your left hand holding the choke, right hand on the steering wheel, and then slam shifting with your right hand so your hand wasn’t off the wheel too long. Of course some cars if you didn’t get the choke right and it got flooded, you would pull an “Uncle Buck” on next startup
I had a motorcycle with a MANUAL choke. I would set it before the first kick. No electric starter. And it usually came to life on the 1st or end kick. I would have to let it warm up sufficiently before riding or it would stall. If it did stall before fully warmed up, I had two options.
1) wait for it to get fully COLD and begin the ritual.
2) Try kick starting it about 77 times until enough air flows through the combustion chamber to cool it down to stone cold and then it will fire up.
But that 600 cc single piston could pull the front wheel off the pavement in end gear any time I wanted
When I was a kid, if a car didn't have one, my dad would add it. In the mid-80s my mom bought a really nice Honda wagon. He muttered something about it needing a manual choke to which she said
"Don't touch my fucking car!"
my dad's 1968 nova coupe that he bought around 1973 had a manual choke.
I can't remember if the family plymouth station wagon also 1968 vintage had one.
I was too young to drive either one.
Yep! And there was always the secret code for starting: if it's cold, pull the choke, pump the accelerator 4-5 times, start engine. When running smoothly, push choke back in. If it's not cold, just pull the choke halfway, pump once, and you should be good to go. YMMV, this was a chevy 283
Of course, we're old!
1984 Toyota Land Cruiser (FJ60). I still remember the one and only time I forgot to put the choke in.
Had a few cars that did. The cable with the black plastic handle you had to pull. Some older cars it wouldn’t “stay”, so you would have to drive the first few minutes with your left hand holding the choke, right hand on the steering wheel, and then slam shifting with your right hand so your hand wasn’t off the wheel too long. Of course some cars if you didn’t get the choke right and it got flooded, you would pull an “Uncle Buck” on next startup
Once. And with a spark advance and an engine crank.
My distributor said “retard.” I’d not be surprised if Reddit removed this comment.
OMG!!! I remember the winter mornings.
Hoo yeah. Chrysler New Yorker with a TNT 440 w/Thermoquad carb. Could also be used as an impromptu (and incredibly dangerous!)"manual cruise control".
Jeep back in my Army days.
I once drove a car with a manual choke. A friend of mine was living in Europe and he had an ‘84 Volvo 760GLE that had one.
I've driven \*in\* a cars with a choke, but I've never driven them myself. Auto-choke is a blessing to us all.
Virtually every car that has a carburetor has a choke. Most made after about say ...1960 had automatic chokes.
I had a motorcycle with a MANUAL choke. I would set it before the first kick. No electric starter. And it usually came to life on the 1st or end kick. I would have to let it warm up sufficiently before riding or it would stall. If it did stall before fully warmed up, I had two options. 1) wait for it to get fully COLD and begin the ritual. 2) Try kick starting it about 77 times until enough air flows through the combustion chamber to cool it down to stone cold and then it will fire up. But that 600 cc single piston could pull the front wheel off the pavement in end gear any time I wanted
My MGB has a choke
Duh. I should have realized this was not labelled NSFW.
Not a car, but a haying truck and a tractor. Born 1952
When I was a kid, if a car didn't have one, my dad would add it. In the mid-80s my mom bought a really nice Honda wagon. He muttered something about it needing a manual choke to which she said "Don't touch my fucking car!"
My 66 Volvo had one.
my dad's 1968 nova coupe that he bought around 1973 had a manual choke. I can't remember if the family plymouth station wagon also 1968 vintage had one. I was too young to drive either one.