electric choke

[maxreps]

Have a 4160 holley on my truck and the choke doesn't close the plate on the carb when power is applied to it.. I check volatge at the choke thermostat cap and it was 12v, also removed the cap and hooked it up right to the battery but no movement of the spring at all. My main question is, on a functioning choke thermostat should movement in the spring be noticeable? As a way to check operation...

[Turbo85GMC]

An electric choke heats up, beacuse of the power applied to it, which causes it to move. It's not an instant movement because of the electricity on/off.

[maxreps]

But when voltage is applied to it, the "closing" of the plate is pretty much instant for cold cranking right? Then the release or opening is over a period of time 30 seconds +.

[mhicks]

Do you not have to put it to the floor once the key is turned on?

[BoeJaker1976]

Heres what i learned from the holley dvd:

wire up the choke so that power is applied to the choke when the key is turned to on, turn the key, step on the gas pedal all the way to the floor, depending on the ambient temperature the choke plate and fast idle cam will set. this is when the choke plate should close (if its about blow 60-70 degrees). if its warmer it may not set all the way.

so thats the proper operation, if not, check to make sure nothing is wedged in the fast idle cam or choke lever. if not... go to the holley website and get a new choke

[maxreps]

I took it apart and hooked it up to voltage and sat for a minute, marking it's position before voltage and after a minute. It actually did move and after doing thing I figured out the method it should work by and then found the real problem. The rod that connected the choke plate to the arm that the spring moved was held securely on by a very small cotter pin, the pin was missing from the hole so the rod wasn't all the way in the arm. Creating just enough resistance that the spring couldn't close the plate. So I fixed the cotter pin issue and hooked everything back up.

My initial thinking was backward, I thought that when voltage was applied it closed the plate then opened after a certain amount of time. Well since these are all mechanical chokes via the bimetal springs that is impossible, there'd have to be circuitry inside to open then close. So with all that said, the plate should be closed on a cool engine that is shut off, when voltage is applied the spring expands rotating counterclockwise which causes the plate to open and stay open until the truck is shut off and cool down. Then the spring contracts rotating clockwise which closes the plate.