Table of Contents
opening a stuck choke
| Field | Operating a car |
| Went Obsolete | 1990s |
| Made Obsolete By | Fuel injectors instead of carburetors |
| Knowledge Assumed | Open the hood, remove the air cleaner cover |
| When useful | Carbureted, non-computerized car won't start, especially if you flooded the engine |
If your engine is cranking well so you know the battery is good, and you're sure you've got fuel, and you've set the choke, maybe you've flooded the engine or the choke is stuck shut when it should be open. Open the hood, remove the air cleaner, and stick something (ideally plastic, like a pen or comb, you might damage something with a screwdriver) into the carburetor throat to hold open the top butterfly valve, which is the choke. Now try starting it again. Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly – be careful getting the wing nut back onto the stud that holds the air cleaner cover on with that rough-idling engine running.
