Why do I have to choke?

[kudzu3 323]

Not really a problem, just a curiosity, but I always have to choke my 1970 raider 10, tecumseh to crank it, even when warm. Just wondering if anyone else has to do this and what would cause it. I'm thinking weak fuel pump (?) but not sure.

[stevasaurus 22,229]

I have 2 ten horse Kohlers, and I do that with both of them.  You are able to turn off the choke after starting, right?  Mine crank a little slow at first and then get up to speed...I don't know why, but I would say it is common with the 10 hp Kohlers.   

Edited August 1, 2015 by stevasaurus

[kudzu3 323]

Thanks Steve. Yea, immediately after it hits, I push the choke in and all is well. As I said, this is not a problem, just a curiosity.

[stevasaurus 22,229]

You may be right.  I am thinking that if I took the time to spray a touch of starting fluid down the carb, she would pop with out the choke. 

[WNYPCRepair 1,875]

Well, horses don't get coffee, so they need a little extra shot of fuel to get going.  

[MalMac 1,328]

I have some tractors that are the same way and I have a couple you don't have to choke at all at first start up. These tractors are just like real horse's they all have their own personality. Some bite, some don't, some kick , some don't, some are just plain mean, some nice and gentle.

[Don1977 604]

Nature of the beast. Some need choke every time you start and some don't. As long as it starts don't worry about it.

[stevasaurus 22,229]

Ya, but the road apples all look alike. 

[953 nut 51,656]

The Tecumseh and Kohler engines both have a mechanical compression release built into them to make them easy to crank over, the down side is that this also results in lower vacuum on the intake stroke. Since our carburetors require a great deal of air flow through the venturi to draw fuel from the float bowl into the compression chamber the reduced air flow requires a little human intervention, we need to pull the choke. I you are running a little on the rich side you may not need to.

[doc724 924]

Rich, nice explanation.  I never even thought about the effect of ACR.

[Pullstart 59,687]

Between grand parents, the in-laws and myself, we've got quite the handful of predator engines from Harbor Freight.  Same with those, some pieces of equipment require the choke every single time and some never require.  And the most drastic differences are on the engines both bought in the same day!

[Coadster32 793]

Every engine likes what it likes. I consider it to be personality.

[stevasaurus 22,229]

I knew about the ACR on the "K" series, but for some reason it just takes a few more Amps to get her turning.  It is probably my 4 year old battery not fully charged.  She cranks good right off the bat if I put the 10 Amp charger on it for a while.  I still have to choke it when it has set for a while.  They do start without the choke if they are warm...like they should. 

[kudzu3 323]

Wow, I just keep learning stuff.

[stevasaurus 22,229]

Wow, I just keep learning stuff.

I know...I learn something every day.  Sometimes it makes me mad to do that.  I'd like to think that maybe, just maybe, I could get though one day in my life without learning something...but then I would learn that I got through one day without learning something.  Dang it.    This is an "original...the world according to Stevasaurus"  quote. 

[kudzu3 323]

Deep .

[MikesRJ 552]

Strange. The 10hp Kohler I just rebuilt required choke every time before the rebuild, it even required choke after the rebuild. Even when I got the points mechanically timed and the carburetor tuned, it still required choke. But, when I used a timing light and re-tuned the carburetor, it no longer needed choke to start. Funny how that works out.

[squonk 38,916]

My C160 & RJ require no choke and throttle no matter what. My 73 12, and Power King  needs the choke and no throttle. 704 & 1267 need choke and 1/4 throttle. All are Kohlers.  My 2 cycle Teckys require an occasional kick in the hind quarters. 

Edited August 9, 2015 by squonk