1976 280C with a 4360 Holley, electric choke question

[Tomas7]

So, I ordered the rebuild kit, tore apart the carb, cleaned, put new parts in and reassembled. The electric choke cap was cracked so I ordered a new one. I reassembled that and I put a 12 volts on it and nothing happens, my butterfly doesn't close.
I know this feeds off the ballast resistor, will giving it 12 volts be enough to make the electric choke work while the carb is not installed in the car?

Thanks in advance.

[Frank Reiner]

How does an electric choke work? - Hot Rod Forum : Hotrodders Bulletin Board

The electric connection to the choke mechanism serves to open the choke, not close it.

[Mike D]

Use an ohmmeter to check for continuity of the internal spring. Test between the power input and the bowl of the carb.

Which side of the ballast resistor are you connected to?

[97 SL320]

The choke cap is adjustable by rotation, look for a line on the cap and a row of markings where the cap attaches to. The rebuild kit should some some basic settings. If this was an emissions era carb, the cap might have a fixed notch.

There will also be some sort of choke thermostat spring to linkage connection, This will be a pin where the spring wraps around or a slot where the spring slides into. Getting this right is critical to the choke working.

The throttle also needs to be opened once to allow the choke to set. If you have everything assembled but never moved the throttle, the choke will only be slightly closed.

[Tomas7]

Originally Posted by Mike D

Use an ohmmeter to check for continuity of the internal spring. Test between the power input and the bowl of the carb.

Which side of the ballast resistor are you connected to?

Carb is not on the car yet. I will connect to the left side (as I face the car or the passenger side) of the connector.

Thank you.

[Tomas7]

Originally Posted by Frank Reiner

How does an electric choke work? - Hot Rod Forum : Hotrodders Bulletin Board

The electric connection to the choke mechanism serves to open the choke, not close it.

So the butterfly flap should be closed and when the choke is on it should open?

Thank you.

[Tomas7]

Originally Posted by 97 SL320

The choke cap is adjustable by rotation, look for a line on the cap and a row of markings where the cap attaches to. The rebuild kit should some some basic settings. If this was an emissions era carb, the cap might have a fixed notch.

There will also be some sort of choke thermostat spring to linkage connection, This will be a pin where the spring wraps around or a slot where the spring slides into. Getting this right is critical to the choke working.

The throttle also needs to be opened once to allow the choke to set. If you have everything assembled but never moved the throttle, the choke will only be slightly closed.

Thank you.

[Mike D]

No power source or installation of the carb is required for continuity or ohms test. You are checking for internal connections/resistance.

By which side I mean before or after the voltage is amended by the ballast resistance. It should be "before" to get the full 12 volts.

[Tomas7]

...it has a miss but I guess it needs adjusting and I'm also going to throw in a 123igniton system.

We'll report back.

Thank you all for your assistance.