When do you use your choke? When it's below 35f how do you start your 60?
Cold weather choking fj60
- Thread starter Lou the fj60
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Every morning. Winter or Summer.
and usually if the car has been shut down for 6 hrs or so in the winter.
Rule of thumb:
If the radiator/engine is cool to the touch, the choke is likely needed.
and usually if the car has been shut down for 6 hrs or so in the winter.
Rule of thumb:
If the radiator/engine is cool to the touch, the choke is likely needed.
Not quite as extreme as @Output Shaft but normally about this time of year in the high desert (Northern NV) is when I start having to use the choke in the morning. I do not daily drive it as my office is only a couple miles away so I ride my bike. Once temps start hitting about the 40* mark at night that is when it starts being needed, ESPECIALLY if I haven't driven her in a few days. So basically, I use the choke if the truck hasn't been run in at least 6hrs from September to April-ish and that really depends on temps. Once temps start consistently dipping below 40* then she is used to fire up.
Procedure that works for me:
When its been 24-32* overnight-- (I'm at 43* N. 111* W. 6,000 ft. Alt.)
Pull choke, 2 pumps on throttle, start, let choke kick in for 20-30 seconds, push to half stop.
Get out and scrape ice... Shut down choke after one side of windshield clear
When its colder, I may do 2-6 throttle pumps, and run choke for a minute or two before half stop.
Always run 87 octane. Occasional premium.
HTH
When its been 24-32* overnight-- (I'm at 43* N. 111* W. 6,000 ft. Alt.)
Pull choke, 2 pumps on throttle, start, let choke kick in for 20-30 seconds, push to half stop.
Get out and scrape ice... Shut down choke after one side of windshield clear
When its colder, I may do 2-6 throttle pumps, and run choke for a minute or two before half stop.
Always run 87 octane. Occasional premium.
HTH
BeBe only really likes mid-grade or premium so I have only been running that. Seems to do much better and less dieseling when things are shut down.
Same process for the most part as @micruz60.
Same process for the most part as @micruz60.
For the past few weeks here in mississippi its been no choke 1/2-no pump lol
first thing in the morning every day, otherwise she just turns and turns and floods and nobody has time for that while trying to get to work in the morning. she doesn't need the choke later around lunch but if i leave her all day then yeah choke
Lucky you!
Most summer days, i don't choke, just 1 pump on throttle, starts up.
Both are very lucky and have nicely tuned trucks. Mine is atleast 2-3 pumps and then start. Lately it has been more like 5-6 pumps before she will start unless choke is added or she is already warm from being in the sun all day.
Exactly @gregnash
Sometimes I point downhill, angled into the morning sun for free warmup.
Sometimes I point downhill, angled into the morning sun for free warmup.
Usually, starting problems and lots of pumping indicate a lean condition. Check all your vacuum systems for blown diagrams and leaks. Dont get me wrong, choking is needed when really cold but excessive choking and pumping is tough on cylinder walls when cold. The distributor and VSV for the distributor dryer are big failure points i see in my shop. Try some BG 44k to clean up the valves and you will see improvement. Of coarse tuning and valve clearance adjustments are critical too. Bill
Unless you've done something to raise the compression, there is no reason to run anything but regular. These motors can almost run on fuel that is half water. Something ain't right here.
Oh there is lots that ain't right with BeBe's heart... She needs lots of engine work but with many of the parts NLA now it is not worth the time to do it, at least for me. Recently I found metal in the oil, some flakes and some small 1-3mm long pigtails which means my rings are probably scraping the cylinder walls. She runs rich for sure, probably has a small hg leak between cylinders 5 and 6 as well as need a new rear main seal and a few other things. Running 89 octane vs. 87 octane makes things run much smoother for her and the extra dollar or two at the pump is worth it to me.
I figure that I will do what I can to keep her running well for the next year or so while I save up the money for the *bleck* vortec swap....
EDIT... oh and my truck is desmogged with the wrong BVSV valve used since the correct one was broken off in multiple spots.
eastern pa, where winter over night temps can be 0 or less.
weber 38, i don't have a choke hooked up. i haven't felt the need for one. pump the gas a few time and turn it over normally fire right up. keeping it running for the first 5 minutes can be tricky when it is super cold in the mornings, after that no problems.
weber 38, i don't have a choke hooked up. i haven't felt the need for one. pump the gas a few time and turn it over normally fire right up. keeping it running for the first 5 minutes can be tricky when it is super cold in the mornings, after that no problems.
At 40 and below 2 pumps and full choke immediate start. Then fast idle at half choke detent for a minute or two and drive away. 45 and up it just starts. 25 and lower add a pump or two and a couple extra minutes
Exact same on 81 fj40. Same motor and same setup
Exact same on 81 fj40. Same motor and same setup
Old post I know, but it’s been below zero at night here in the Colorado high country. My 87 Fj60 has a broken choke cable, courtesy of the sub-zero temps. I use starting fluid or carb cleaner, just a three second spray in the carb, then it starts right up. As far as warm up is concerned, I let it run for twenty minutes before driving it. Like now, it’s outside running, and it’s its 16 degrees F. I’ve got a new cable and knob for the choke, but it’s way too cold to install in our unheated barn.
Hi, Problem for me on one of mine I have to pump maybe 21 times even with the choke out after it sits all night.Runs great but hard to start.
Word for word by the non-USA vocab in the '75 Owner's Manual. However, the original carb had a choke breaker/ throttle positioner diaphragm, which makes it very automated by vacuum if you have such a properly set feature. Why LC never used electric autochokes in the USA is beyond my understanding, other than I guess the market was tech-phobic and they were resistant to keep up with advancement?
My 2F is below factory standards for vacuum, and it needs a rebuild. That said, I never 'pump' the throttle. The truck starts just by itself, then I feather in the choke butterfly in while I attempt to not get the rpms too high with some throttle. When you 'pump' the throttle, it makes unmixed gasoline go into the intake, these trucks run on fuel mist, not a gasoline siphon from a puddle under the carb. I might open the throttle if I predict what others call 'vapor lock,' but never on a cold motor. If the extra gasoline from throttle 'pumping' burns, I'd expect carbon mess if it doesn't have the time to fully burn, which isn't helping your ignition system. My ancient originalish starter has what it takes to pull vacuum thru a cold carb, and I'd rather it be kinda dry so I don't dilute my gasoline. Quick starting is all about correct timing (particularly not too early) and a clean spark that even the most primitive of Fs could fire.
Maybe because of my altitude, but, slightly choked seems to starve the main(nozzles) fuel circuit, and if I need full throttle, I get a kinda lean hesitation keeping up with traffic. If I push the choke fully in, it will idle rough at the intersection, and it needs to be pulled out a bit. Running with the choke butterfly anything but vertical isn't desirable for regular sustained warm motor operation in my experience.
The best way of getting most from cold-weather-driving, without opening the hood, is to fire it up for a brief time, then shut it down, it is like removing cookies from the oven before they are done, because they will finish as the sheet is cooling down. Ten minutes after an initial fire-up it is so much easier than if you just set-out on your trip without letting the heat diffuse for a while. Time for scraping the windows without listening to the motor or having to smell it. Plus, if you were to keep the motor running, you are just drawing (impressive in volume) super cold air thru the carb, until the engine bay finally gets warmer than the outside environment.
My 2F is below factory standards for vacuum, and it needs a rebuild. That said, I never 'pump' the throttle. The truck starts just by itself, then I feather in the choke butterfly in while I attempt to not get the rpms too high with some throttle. When you 'pump' the throttle, it makes unmixed gasoline go into the intake, these trucks run on fuel mist, not a gasoline siphon from a puddle under the carb. I might open the throttle if I predict what others call 'vapor lock,' but never on a cold motor. If the extra gasoline from throttle 'pumping' burns, I'd expect carbon mess if it doesn't have the time to fully burn, which isn't helping your ignition system. My ancient originalish starter has what it takes to pull vacuum thru a cold carb, and I'd rather it be kinda dry so I don't dilute my gasoline. Quick starting is all about correct timing (particularly not too early) and a clean spark that even the most primitive of Fs could fire.
Maybe because of my altitude, but, slightly choked seems to starve the main(nozzles) fuel circuit, and if I need full throttle, I get a kinda lean hesitation keeping up with traffic. If I push the choke fully in, it will idle rough at the intersection, and it needs to be pulled out a bit. Running with the choke butterfly anything but vertical isn't desirable for regular sustained warm motor operation in my experience.
The best way of getting most from cold-weather-driving, without opening the hood, is to fire it up for a brief time, then shut it down, it is like removing cookies from the oven before they are done, because they will finish as the sheet is cooling down. Ten minutes after an initial fire-up it is so much easier than if you just set-out on your trip without letting the heat diffuse for a while. Time for scraping the windows without listening to the motor or having to smell it. Plus, if you were to keep the motor running, you are just drawing (impressive in volume) super cold air thru the carb, until the engine bay finally gets warmer than the outside environment.
Last edited:
Check your accelerator pump to make sure it is working (1} immediately after the engine has been running and (2) the next morning. Take off the air filter cover and see that fluid squirts into the bore when the linkage is actuated.
If it works for (1) but not for (2) the fluid may be leaking out of the bowl. If not (1) or (2) then the accelerator pump isn’t working.
If it works for (1) but not for (2) the fluid may be leaking out of the bowl. If not (1) or (2) then the accelerator pump isn’t working.