ok round 1 of dumb quesions - need help with choke and throttle cables

[neverwinter]

for 63 c10 283 w 4 speed on floor and i believe factory 2 barrel carb.

i got the brakes bled and wanted to take a spin. went to start the truck and would only run with choke cleaner so i added new gas and discovered that the choke cable wire is kaput and isnt working the choke. i rigged the choke shut manually and the truck starts every time without the need for carb cleaner.

so can i just go get a simple universal choke cable and rig it up? how does the manual choke work? in other words currently when i start the truck it runs fine till i let off the gas at which point it stalls immediately. i am assuming this can be fixed by getting a new choke cable?

also what is a manual throttle cable - i know that sounds dumb - but for some reason all i can picture is someone trying to speed up/slow down by pulling on a knob on the dash? i get the manual choke idea but a throttle?

thanks for any clarification. oh and also my gas pedal likes to stick to the floor - fine for hiway but no good in the city. could this be related to the choke and some sort of vaccuum?

[jocko]

neverwinter - a manual choke cable is just a cable the you pull (just like the stock choke) that is connected to the choke plate on the carb. Choke has nothing to do with going faster or slower, it simply adjusts the air/fuel ratio temporarily when starting a cold engine (i.e. it may need a little less air/more fuel when you start until it warms up). The reason you need a cable is 1) to "choke" the engine some when you start it and 2) "un"choke it when the engine warms up.

To be honest, unless you live in Antarctica, you really should not have much use for a choke in the dead of summer - if you need it constantly to make it run in warm weather, probably indicates an over-lean condition in your carb's jetting or primary idle adjustment screw(s) (and I don't mean the idle "speed" screw - the primary idle circuit adjustment screw is a spring-loaded needle-seat set screw (for lack of a better term) that meters the air-fuel ratio in the carb). If your truck dies each time you unchoke it, I'd check those screw(s) settings. If it won't run long enough for you to adjust it in the old fashioned way (i.e. turn them IN until it starts to choke off, then back out to whatever gives you a max stable rpm - that's how I get it in the ball park anyway) then you will have to check a manual to see a factory setting (I don't know what it would be). That's my 2 cents - you DO need to fix your choke - and since the stock one is manual (if you have a manual choke pull on the dash....) I'd replace the stock one with a factory replacement from LMC or something rather than mounting a "universal" one from autozone under your dash, right under the original manual choke. If you have an aftermarket/non-original 2 bbl, carb, then you may not have the factory manual choke and universal one may be the only way to go. Either way, you need your choke cable fixed - but if your truck is dying as soon as you open the choke - you have another problem. Have you allowed the truck to warm up long enough (up to operating temp at least) before opening the choke back up? If you haven't, then I'd try that first (i.e.. if it's warmed up and you unchoke it and it runs fine... then your carb is fine and you just need a new choke cable). If it still dies after it's warmed up, then you need some carb tuning along with a new choke cable, etc. Hope that helps!

Obtw, gas pedal stuck to floor.... I would not drive it until you get that sorted out - i.e. NOT ok on the highway. It is probably some binding linkage - maybe tangled up with your choke cable if it's kaput..? But, generally speaking, a stuck gas pedal is NOT related to the choke or vacuum - and it is kinda dangerous. Seriously, get that fixed before you drive.

Obtw #2 -sorry, I misread part of your post - you said manual THROTTLE cable (I was thinking you were still talking about a manual choke cable - my bad).

#3... Do you have to keep your foot on the gas to keep it running even when choked? Not sure I understood your statement above. Assumed it is dying when you unchoke it, but you said something about letting off the gas. If you can clarify, might be able to help.

[neverwinter]

thanks Jocko. i posted over at the hamb and first thing i got was a salty answer. just never understood why someone would take the time and effort to post something that is either unhelpful or snide. whats the point? but anyways thanks for your help.

ill try and clarify. if i manually put the choke on at the carb the truck starts fine but i must have gas pedal down or else the engine dies. the carb prob needs a serious cleaning and adjustment so illl try that.

ill take a look at the pedal linkage - i just didnt know if they used a vacuum oranything to help pull the brake pedal back in.

my question regarding the manual throttle cable was out of curiousity. i see some trucks had a knob for a throttle cable. just had no clue what that was for? i may just be way overtired lol!

- jason

[markeb01]

In earlier trucks and cars particularly from the 1940's, the carb linkage was not very sophisticated. These vehicles frequently had both a choke cable and a throttle cable. The choke only closed the butterfly valve, it did not increase idle rpm. The purpose of the throttle cable was to increase the idle rpm independently of the choke plate setting, but both were intended for cold engine starting.

And yes the throttle cable could be used to hold an increased engine speed, but using this as a poor man's cruise control could be very dangerous as there is no disconnect with the brakes in a driving emergency.

I'm also confused by some of your original question/statement. Do you actually have an electric choke you are operating manually with a cable, or do you simply have a manual cable operated choke that isn't working correctly?

And I'm with Jocko. A sticking gas pedal can result in a crash. That needs immediate correction. You might try just pulling the pedal off the floor and see if there is binding at that location or if it's upstream in the mechanical linkage.

[jocko]

one more question for ya...

Since your 2nd post mentioned brake pedal (not gas pedal)- when you made your original post, did you mean to say brake pedal rather than gas pedal? Thought maybe you just made a typo

If that is the case, then yes, a brake pedal issue could be vacuum related (only if you have power brakes). If it is yoru brake pedal you're asking about - my follow-on question would be does it "stick" to the floor when you take your foot off - or - does it sink to the floor when you put your foot on?

First case still an unsafe situation (i.e. imagine if you needed to make an immediate emerg stop right after you took your foot off the pedal, you'd have no pedal to push!)
Not sure off the top of my head what could make a pedal "stick" to the floor.

In the second case (sink to floor when pressed) that could certainly be a bad brake booster, torn diaphragm in the booster, etc - bad check valve, etc).

Anyway, probably some useless input there, but hopefully something of use.

Markeb01 - great answer on the throttle cable - I was never sure how one worked!

[neverwinter]

sorry for all the confusion!!

brake pedal is fine, the gas pedal is getting stuck but the issue is up at the linkage by the carb. basically the linkage is getting stuck in the forward position. one more dumb question - is the pedal itself supposed to be welded to the arm that connects the linkage? sorry if that is asinine but basically my pedal can seperate itself from the rod that actuates the throttle linkage. hope that makes sense!!

i am going to pull the carb and give it a good cleaning and try and find the original specs to set it. ill order the real choke lever from lmc unless i use this time to get a new carb setup. i wont do that till i rebuild the stocker tho as from what i have read on here the 500 cfm carbs may not make the 400 investment all that worthwhile on a 283?

[neverwinter]

got it! had to adjust the settings on the screws in front of the carb - starts and idles good now. brakes are bled. she shifts and stops. now to the local mechanic on tuesday for a look over and a quick tuneup. already registered and insurance on monday! pretty psyched. oh i saw that i need a new return spring on the carb linkage so i think that will help both the acceleration and the sticky linkage.... hopeful anyway.
thanks for the help all!
- jason

[jocko]

Good news Jason - glad the mixture adjustments got you rolling. And yes, if yhou'r emissing a thro ret spring, that is probably your throttle issue. Any of the truck parts mfgrs have the exact spring you need, but any auto parts store will also have a universal one that yhou can make work and get you on the road safely. Nice job.