Vlog: What is a choke and what does it do?

I'm no engineer, but I try to discuss what a choke is, why you need it and how it operates, using my Citroen 2CV as an example.

[Dalamain]

hubnut, this was a brilliant video, please do more of these short vids on "how stuff works".

[volvo]

When I passed my drivers test in 1989, my parents had a 1984 Ford Escort with manual choke. My first car was a 1981 Opel Kadett with manual choke, and I've owned a Matra Murena for 14 years which had twin carburetors and manual choke. At some point in history I have owned a Volkswagen with automatic choke, I hated it!
I think a manual choke nowadays is a very good anti-theft device 😂

[davewright]

I’d like to think that everyone watching this video remembers cars with a manual choke! Lol

[landsnailproject]

Please could you do one on 'choking my husband' for when he grinds the gears in my Moggy again, please Ian?

[davidrobert]

I used to own a Morris Ital, and the choke worked well as "cruise control" at speeds of up to 30mph.

[imnotamechanic]

Thanks for explaining - very helpful to those of us who are too young to know such things. I knew roughly what it did (allowed more fuel in) and how it worked, but never knew why it was needed - which of course is still relevant today as cars do have a higher idle when cold, so your explanation about fuel sticking to the side is much appreciated. I remember my friend had a 92 Mini in high school which had a choke, only memory I really have of them.

[richardharibo]

Manual choke on my Avenger only on cold days and after 2 miles return it home no issues. My Fiat Panda much the same but part of how they worked. A forgotten skill. The newest car I saw it on was a 1993 Rover Metro. Great video Ian. Thanks again 😊

[rydermike]

A lovely, simple manual mechanism, none of this automatic choke business! Many thanks Mr HubNut.

[graemew]

Perfect explanation of a manual choke. I worked in a classic car garage in my youth, working on MG's, E Types etc and that was a mine field of manual choke fun, every car is different.

[CauliflowerMcPugg]

I remember using a clothes peg to hold the choke out on one car I had.

[AndyMarsh]

A very worthwhile video for anyone who is considering driving a classic. I find my Minis need full choke to start then immediately push it in to 'fast idle' then off at about a mile or so.

[worldofrandometry]

Many modern lawnmowers still have chokes (not the electric ones!) so it's good that people know what they do.

[veritasvincit]

I had an old Mini and the choke used to act like a sort of cruise control too. Obviously push it in to drop the revs. Pull it out to increase revs.
My body developed muscle memory performing this act.
First time I flew a light aircraft, a Piper PA-28, the instructor allowed me to land it. He was talking me through it as I did it.
Once the aircraft was over the fence he told me to chop the power.
So, my Mini choke muscle memory kicked in and I pushed the throttle forward to the stop which applied full power.
That wasn't good. 😁

[colinp]

The post has now arrived with my HubNut calendar. Mightlly impressed. Ian please thank Mrs HubNut and the cat for being so prompt and thank you, of course.

[mjkeogh]

I am delighted to see you are well on your way to 50, 000 subscriptions, well done that man!

[DalekBuilder]

Another great hubnut video. Its shocking how many people don't understand how to start a car with a manual choke. On my current car it had a automatic choke that used the coolant temperature to decide how much choke it needed. Worked sort of ok but kept the choke on for far too long & trying to set it up was always a balancing act. It got converted to a manual choke and its so much more user friendly with the choke being used for a much shorter time than the auto choke thought was needed.

[mehrzahl]

HubNut College. Great stuff! My injection system doesn't have a separate injector, it just injects more fuel through the main ones. Idle is not even higher when starting from cold.

[danielpothier]

Very very well done shared with my son and daughter, even if they never own a car with a choke they will now have better understand of the cars they do have. Thank you for preserving, for teaching, and entertaining!

[raymondgill]

I was working at a Fiat dealership when the changeover came. We had to register the last cars with manual chokes by the end of Feb 1993 so there are K reg cars both with and without manual chokes. Along with automatic chokes came single point injection and catalysts. I understand it was the introduction of the catalyst that required the changes in order to control the amount of unburnt fuel entering the exhaust system and affecting the cats performance.

[sg]

Remember using the choke on cold winter mornings on my 120y and very satisfying it was getting the idle/revs just right and adjusting as engine warmed up..
Ahhh the good old days.