1964 Lark 6 Choke Questions

[lindy46]

Well, I bought a '64 Lark 6 and been tearing into it. Question on the "hot air" choke. Does thist type choke require a choke switch on the dash? The wiring diagram shows a choke switch with a red wire from the accessory terminal on the key switch, and a red/white stripe wire going to the choke solenoid. The motor came with the wiring harness and the ignition switch, ammeter, hot light (with an override toggle) but no choke switch. There is a red/white wire at the dash end of the harness, and it does run to the choke solenoid. I'm wondering if maybe it connects to the override toggle on the hot light? That override toggle is a normally closed switch (momentarily pushing it breaks the circuit), and is not connected to the hot light in any way. Seems like that choke solenoid needs some power to it to function.

Also, that choke has a tube running to a fitting on the top of the exhaust cover. There is another threaded hole at the bottom of the exhaust cover, which is open to the outside and not plugged. Should that be open, or is there something missing? See photo - opening is arrowed in red.
Thanks

 

[bktheking]

Re: 1964 Lark 6 Choke Questions

Also, that choke has a tube running to a fitting on the top of the exhaust cover. There is another threaded hole at the bottom of the exhaust cover, which is open to the outside and not plugged. Should that be open, or is there something missing? See photo - opening is arrowed in red.
Thanks

It's open, I had the same question on the 64 big twin 40 we got running in the summer, I phoned the dealer and they told us nothing screws into it and to just leave it as is, it was like that from the factory. On ours we wired the choke switch to a standard ignition switch with push to choke function, works great.

 

[F_R]

Re: 1964 Lark 6 Choke Questions

Well, I bought a '64 Lark 6 and been tearing into it. Question on the "hot air" choke. Does thist type choke require a choke switch on the dash? The wiring diagram shows a choke switch with a red wire from the accessory terminal on the key switch, and a red/white stripe wire going to the choke solenoid. The motor came with the wiring harness and the ignition switch, ammeter, hot light (with an override toggle) but no choke switch. There is a red/white wire at the dash end of the harness, and it does run to the choke solenoid. I'm wondering if maybe it connects to the override toggle on the hot light? That override toggle is a normally closed switch (momentarily pushing it breaks the circuit), and is not connected to the hot light in any way. Seems like that choke solenoid needs some power to it to function.

Also, that choke has a tube running to a fitting on the top of the exhaust cover. There is another threaded hole at the bottom of the exhaust cover, which is open to the outside and not plugged. Should that be open, or is there something missing? See photo - opening is arrowed in red.
Thanks

Ok, here's the deal on that choke from A to Z:

It is a heat-operated automatic choke with an electric assist. The electric solenoid slams the choke shut tight for a cold start. Once it starts, the automatic part takes over, partially choking it till it warms up enough to keep going.

Manifold vacuum draws air from a heat exchanger in the exhaust cover to heat the choke. The second hole you are talking about is the air inlet to the heat exchanger, so don't plug it.

Now, here is the odd part...As it was originally wired (1964 only), the choke solenoid was connected to the start terminal on the ignition switch, with an override switch in series. So, every time you started the motor, it was choked. Of course, sometimes that made for hard starting when hot. Enter the override switch. Holding the override toggle interupted the choke circuit, thus preventing choking when it was hot.

It was so confusing, and difficult to teach the owner to work the "choke" when it was hot but not when cold. So, most of them got converted to a normally open switch connected to the accessory terminal on the key switch. That way, the system was reversed back to "normal". Work the choke when starting a cold motor. The goofy override was changed to a normal choke on the 1965-up motors.

Hope I made it clear...

 

[ezeke]

Re: 1964 Lark 6 Choke Questions

Edit

 

[lindy46]

Re: 1964 Lark 6 Choke Questions

Thanks BK - so if you wire the solenoid to a standard push to choke switch, do you set the choke lever at the carb to "off" or leave it on "automatic"? I guess it wouldn't work on automatic unless you pushed in the choke switch on the dash? Or does the automatic setting work independently of the choke switch? Any idea what the "override" toggle is for?

 

[lindy46]

Re: 1964 Lark 6 Choke Questions

Ok, here's the deal on that choke from A to Z:

It is a heat-operated automatic choke with an electric assist. The electric solenoid slams the choke shut tight for a cold start. Once it starts, the automatic part takes over, partially choking it till it warms up enough to keep going.

Manifold vacuum draws air from a heat exchanger in the exhaust cover to heat the choke. The second hole you are talking about is the air inlet to the heat exchanger, so don't plug it.

Now, here is the odd part...As it was originally wired (1964 only), the choke solenoid was connected to the start terminal on the ignition switch, with an override switch in series. So, every time you started the motor, it was choked. Of course, sometimes that made for hard starting when hot. Enter the override switch. Holding the override toggle interupted the choke circuit, thus preventing choking when it was hot.

It was so confusing, and difficult to teach the owner to work the "choke" when it was hot but not when cold. So, most of them got converted to a normally open switch connected to the accessory terminal on the key switch. That way, the system was reversed back to "normal". Work the choke when starting a cold motor. The goofy override was changed to a normal choke on the 1965-up motors.

Hope I made it clear...

WOW - F_R comes through again! Thanks for the lesson on Evinrude innovative, but not so succesful technology. Almost sounds like they had some politicians working for them at the time. I think I'll replace the "override toggle" with a normally open toggle and choke it in the normal fashion.

 

[bktheking]

Re: 1964 Lark 6 Choke Questions

Thanks BK - so if you wire the solenoid to a standard push to choke switch, do you set the choke lever at the carb to "off" or leave it on "automatic"? I guess it wouldn't work on automatic unless you pushed in the choke switch on the dash? Or does the automatic setting work independently of the choke switch? Any idea what the "override" toggle is for?

We got the motor seperate from the boat, controls and motor didn't match. Choke on the one I did is set to automatic, butterfly should be open, when the key is pushed in it closes the choke butterfly as expected. On the side of the carb is a part to adjust the tension on the choke, when I had it all hooked up the butterfly wouldn't open all the way so we adjusted it accordingly. Now that F_R mentions heat controlled maybe we shouldn't have messed with it, who knows, all I know is that it starts and runs perfectly. I adapted the 64 to a newer style control so I had to cross the old wiring colours to the new ones, it wasn't hard at all, just right it down on paper before wiring up whatever you are putting on it.


Don't know an about override toggle, never wired it in.

F_R explained it in his post:

Now, here is the odd part...As it was originally wired (1964 only), the choke solenoid was connected to the start terminal on the ignition switch, with an override switch in series. So, every time you started the motor, it was choked. Of course, sometimes that made for hard starting when hot. Enter the override switch. Holding the override toggle interupted the choke circuit, thus preventing choking when it was hot.