Carb choke lever on a EMPI 32/36

[phaetn]

Quick question. A recent dip in temperature (down to 41F) means that I'm thinking about connecting the electrical choke on my EMPI 32/36. Previously I hadn't bothered as in the summer it wasn't ever cold enough to actuate.

As I went to check the play in the butterfly valves and make sure the lever had a free range of movement, I noticed the valves were stuck open. It turns out the shaft (see arrow) has turned and this therefore prevents the arm from moving. There's a clear cutout in it and in one position it will allow the chock lever to move, while in another it blocks it.



I *think* that shaft is for a different type of choke mechansism (i.e. not electrical) -- possibly based on water temp, but I'm not sure. Can I safely remove or turn it and keep it in an open position? Does it perform any function on an electrical setup? What might have caused it to turn? It wasn't just the cold weather, as I had noticed about a month ago when things were still warm that the butterfly valves wouldn't close.

Many thanks for any advice.

Cheers,
phaetn

[So Cal Mark]

the part in question is the choke pulloff and it's definitely part of the choke. It has nothing to do with water temperature. I've seen a couple of those that could spin and prevent the choke from closing. It needs to be secure for the choke to work properly

[phaetn]

Thanks so much, Mark.

I'll investigate this morning why it's loose and will secure it.

Cheers,
Phaetn

[donm]

A few weeks ago I wrote about having this exact same issue on my Weber 3236. What happens is the shaft rotates out of postiion because a "D" ring which the shaft slides through comes out of postion and allows the shaft to rotate. I fixed it by sliding the D ring back to it's proper position at the end of the tube, which is shown to the right of the shaft in the diagram, and then carefully taking a small hammer and peening the edge of the tube over the edge of the D ring to keep it in place.

[phaetn]

Thanks for the reply, Donm.

I couldn't really get at anything because there's a diaphragm attached at the end of the shaft and I couldn't get under it (EMPI may be slight different in that regard than the Weber). I could still rotate the shaft by hand into position by pulling it out first, and then letting it set in the new, proper position. I hope it will stay!

Today was the first day I ran with the choke live, and I *think* it was better, but it clould also be that temps were marginally better, too. Hard to tell until we're closer to freezing again!

Thanks again and cheers,
phaetn

[tartan18]

Please help me understand the order of assembly of the choke shaft and how the "D" washer is peened to lock it in place (where on the shaft). I have had the same problem of the choke locked fully open (no choke) so something was wrong.

[donm]

Looking at the illustration above, the shaft must be orientated just as it appears in the drawing. The D ring fits into the end of the tube which is to the right of the shaft in the illustration.

If the D ring stays put at the end of the tube, as it supposed to, the shaft can slide back and forth as it should while the D ring will prevent it from rotating our of position. If it rotates out of position it will interfere with the lever that must fit by the notched area of the shaft.

To keep the D ring from coming loose I carefully peened over the end of the tube to lock the ring in place. Of course, you'll have to remove the assembly form the carb to do this.

I'm just going be memory here, but this is the way I fixed my problem.

[tartan18]

All worked out exactly as suggested. Thanks a bunch!