Hi again i start my 223 f350 truck.She starts with the choke pulled out she starts.But she will not stay running unless i rev with the pedal.If i put the choke in and dont rev she cuts out.If i pull the choke out she still will not keep running.I have fitted a new choke cable. this is how i fitted it.I Pushed the cable in fulley and made sure the choke was fulley open.Then i tightened the screw up.I pull the choke **** full out so the choke was fulley closed.She will not tick over.Do you think she running to rich.Hope you can undersand what i mean thanks

 

Sounds to me like your carb idle screw needs a couple turns in. The choke just richens the mixture and helps it run when cold. Try turning the idle screw in one turn, pull the choke 1/2 on and start it. Keep playing with the idle screw adjustment untill it runs.

 

Thank you for the help

 

Hi again 350!

I read your post and wanted to offer something, but I wasn't quite sure how to do it without possibly being insulting- but I'll try. Did you know that the choke can be pulled out to any point you wish? In other words, it' isn't just on or off, you can pull it out just a partial amount. I have found that when the choke cable is pulled out all the way it literally chokes off all the air to the engine so it will not run. If you push it in all the way, then the mixture is too lean to run efficiently.

Also, there is a "fast idle" cam that works in conjunction with the choke. It is an eccentric plate that pushes up a second idle screw when th echoke cable is pulled, the more more you pull the cable, th ehigher the fast idle is set. Perhaps you need to adjust this feature.

The initial setting is a guess, but after the engine starts, you can adjust the choke to idle the engine properly. So, pulling th echoke cable serves two purposes, it richens the mixture and sets a faster idle for cold engine driving.

When I start my truck, I push th egas pedal ot the floor and hold it down. Then I pull out the choke cable a certain distance (never all the way) estimated for how cold it is. Pressing down the gas pedal puts on epump of raw fuel into the manifold to start on, and allows the fast idle cam to slip under the second idle screw.

Then, I let up the gas pedal completely and push the starter button. I never "pump" the gas. Once the engine starts you can push the choke cable in to achieve about 800-1000 rpm cold and it should run fine.

As you drive and it heats up little by little, push in the choke cable little by little as well.

Hope that helps,

Julie

 

I hope these folks have helped out....and I learned something myself. I am driving my 53 and the 223 just purrs along---after sleeping for 15 yrs. I agree with the choke and it does make the carb richer.
I have another question along the same lines.....my big 56 has a no choke and it is stock. Also, it does have a throttle cable...and pulling it out acts to rev the engine also. I wonder if this is to rev the 272 for a hoist? It is a f600 and has no hoist. Any other ideas? thanks and good luck

 

Bill,

Thats kind of surprising about not having any kind of a choke. Does the carb have a choke plate? and the truck is just missing the cable? I can see how you could use the throttle cable to increase the RPM and help out after a cold start but it wouldn't take the place of the choke. Choke plates are up at the top of the carb throat and do just what the name implies. They choke off the air thererby enriching the mixture for the cold start. The throttle cable just manually sets engine rpm at a higher level.

About the throttle cable, they are typically found on the larger trucks, and yes, their puirpose is to increase the engine rpm to operate some kind of PTO, winch, dump bed, etc.

I'm glad you're having fun with the 53
Bobby

 

Hi Walford,

On later carbs, they developed and "Automatic Choke." It was controlled by a coiled spring that was put in place of the cams and arms once occupied by the manual choke cable hook-ups. I'm not quite sure when these started to appear, but after about 1960, they were prevelant on most carbs. You might have one. On the side of the carb, it will look like a small drum probably with a "Bakelite" cover about 2 inches in diameter and maybe 3/4 inch deep. It will have a metal tube comng up to it.

You would engage the automatic choke by steping on the gas pedal once before start. The spring would have tension becasue it is cold and would close the choke plate. The beautiy of these things is that as the spring would warm up, it would gradually expand, and proportionally open the choke plate. It would also rotate the fast idle cam dropping the fast idle. It work very similar to the spring of the heater thermostat in your house.

I'd be suprised if there wasn't something there. These "old cold" Ford engines were pretty fussy to start without some type of choke.

Best,
Julie

 

This is the 56F600 that I brought up from Georgia , and I figured it didn't need a choke down there where it is usually warm,and the other thing is that it is heater delete also.
I rebuilt the carb--and it will start up in 20 degree weather with NO choke at all.
It has 21,000 miles and the inside of the yblock is clean as a new one.
I thought it weird that it came with no choke. Bill

 

Bill,..Since I'm a youngster, with no 'real' experience..( and that includes..memory..)...I wonder if what the standard operating procedure was to start the f600..??? Maybe pull the throttle 1/2 way , pump the gas pedal once or twice (2 squirts of the accell pump) ..and lite it off....Maybe let the throttle keep the engine RPM's up untill the temperature of the engine was high enough to allow moving the throttle **** back in....?????

 

Well, that's a good question.

I just happened to have out in my "Dispatch Compartment" a 1951 Ford Truck Operators Manual published by Ford of Canada. And although it doesn't distinguish, all the pictures are of "Big Trucks" There are a few F1 stats but it seems to be a BIG Truck book with lots of BIG Truck stuff.

It says that in warm weather (25 deg F+...I guess in Canada 27* is considered warm weather tee hee), turn on the key, push the clutch pedal to the floor and push the starter button. If the truck does not start, to pull the choke cable half way out.

For cold weather it says to pump the gas pedal twice, push the clutch to the floor and push the starter button. If the truck does not start to pull the choke all the way out and gradually push it in while cranking until the motor starts.

Then it goes on to say for both circumstances to push the choke back in as far as possible without preventing the smooth running of the engine.

Interesting!

J!

 

If, after trying the recommendations above don't work, take a the look at the idle return tube, I think that's what it's call. If your carb is anything like the one in my '49 226 there is an inverted "V" tube you can see at the top of the throat of the carb (Part #9920). The tube is a passage to allow gas to dribble into the carb enough to allow the engine to idle. In my case my truck ran fine as long as I was giving it gas. It ran great down the street at any speed and accelerated without hesitation but would die when I came to a stop. I couldn't figure it out until after I talked to someone about the problem and he told me to check the tube. The tube was packed with gunk. I cleaned it out and the truck ran fine.