Choke Question, Edelbrock 500

The answer to your question is hypothetically "yes". It would involve some custom fabrication to allow the electric choke to override the manual cable; probably some combination of slotted plates and springs. It would probably cost more than a case of carburetors when all is said and done.

The "best" solution is to fix whatever ails your current setup, it should function just as well as the OE heated choke and be unaffected by weather. Where are you getting your power from and do you have a phenolic spacer installed?

mhjo said:

I have a version with electric choke. This dosn't always work satisfactory (humid weather etc.)
I wonder if it is possible to combine electric an manual choke? Can I install a manual choke switch and override the elscrtic function?

Click to expand...

Hi,
As was previously and so thoughtfully suggested, fix what you have. If you still insist...
You would need to connect the choke cable to the choke plate, also shared, by the link arm from the electric choke. Having the electric choke's link in place and pulling on the choke plate lever would damage the electric choke. Now, if you insist in adding a manual choke, ( I run one today) you'll need to remove the link arm from the electric choke mechanism. You will need to fab a clamping tab to hold the outer manual cable sleeve in place.
Good luck!

I live in very humid Houston and have the Edel 500 also. If you are referring to the starting problem after you have run the car a bit then starting problems may be caused by carb boil over which a carb spacer can help. When i do a cold start i put pedal to the floor and back up 2 times to set the choke. Then foot off pedal and it starts first turn no problem. But after it gets hot it will have to turn over several turns to start. I too thought about just changing to manual choke but the choke is really not the problem. Once an engine is hot you really should not need to choke it. Edel sent me a 3/8" black plastic spacer and it helped but did not fix the problem. I did research and found out the problem is boilover from residual heat after you turn the engine off. It's caused by alcohol in the gas. Alcohol boils at much lower temp than gas around 175 degs. So i experimented and found that if i don't let temp get over about 190 it will start after a few turns. If the temp is above 180 when i turn off i open the hood about 8" to help keep residual temp down. One old time mechanic said to slowley ease down on gas pedal about 1/3 way not to to activate carb pump while starting. It works. At least it does start now. My most recent problem is the engine will sometimes diesel about 1 second when i turn off in hot humid weather. Anyone have an idea on that?

I know it's frustrating but old cars do not like the new gas.

I have a another vintage car with a Holley that has none of these problems, and we have WIDELY varied weather. My old style 1850 carb starts quicker than any of the fuel injected cars we have. Once in a while, in moderate weather, I have a high initial idle until it has run 30 seconds, but by then the choke coil is warmed up and the choke kicks off. If you insist on going manual, Holley has conv. kits to go to electric or manual choke. I think the choke housing gets replaced. SO, if Edel, does not offer the kit, they are right about some serious mods on the electric choke area. To fix it, 1 .Check for a FULL 12 V power supply- not the ignition resistor wire!!!!, and 2. a good ground. 3. Clean the choke and cheeck for ANY binding. 4. There should be two adjustments, anad it is not just the flap that works on a choke! - one sets how tightly the choke flap spring is set and the other is for how high the high idle cam holds the choke open. The cam adjustment may be hard to get to, but may help your problem.

With paitence your Edelbrock should be better than my old style Holley. Once fixed, you will NOT want a cable to mess with.