The manifold choke heat tube in the Gray Ghost wagon burned thru several years ago and gave me an exhaust leak. That hot exhaust buggered up the nylon sleeve in the carb choke air passage, so after fixing that I plugged the manifold tube and installed an electric choke coil for 83 E4ME carb. I use the factory 2 notch rich setting.

This works fine until it gets witchtitty cold like it did last couple of weeks. Below 25 degrees the fast idle simply will not kick off even after 20 miles driving. Aggravating because it's wasting fuel, and I have to put it in neutral at traffic lights as I don't want to mess up the torque converter. If I back the choke setting to index or lean I lose choke function after weather warms up and I get tired of constantly fiddling with it.

The 81 Pontiac wagon I had (307, E4ME carb) ran the heater return hose against the choke thermostat coil using a curved bracket attached to the choke coil screws. I'm thinking this is the setup I need with that electric choke as I no longer have any heated air going to the choke stat.

Anyone have a junk QuadraJet that still has the choke heater hose bracket and willing to sell the bracket? PM me if you do. Or if other ideas and solutions, share here in the thread.

I could probably mickey-mouse it with nylon cable ties but I like things to look like someone cared what they were doing. I'm also wary of trying to replace the heat tube since odds are good those bolts have never been messed with in 43 yrs (74 350 engine) and I can see that job going downhill quickly.

 

For what it's worth, I picked up a nos q jet choke housing at a swap, when I got home I realized it was for a Elec choke, I can't use it.

 

I think my442 uses an electric choke from NAPA that has a temperature sensor attached to the intake manifold so it opens based on the engine temperature and not on how long the electric coil has been energized. That style may work better for you.

This may be the one:

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/CRB21666
Product Line
Echlin Fuel System

PART #
CRB 21666

$34.99 /Each

 

Cool, never knew this existed. Allows the choke to work like the hot air choke on a RPM intake.

 

Didn't know about it either. Looks like the way to go! Kenneth, many thanks!

Now to figure a place to bolt it to... natcherly the best place is one of those damn hot air tube bolts!

 

If I remember correctly, it was mounted to a bolt on/near a water passage in the intake. It's supposed to sense the engine temp, so attaching it to a bolt on the exhaust crossover would make the choke open way too fast.

 

Looks like there's enough wire included to do that.

Soon as this ten inches of snow we got yesterday clears out I'll trot me down to NAPA and see if they can get me one. Tomorrow is my weekly trip into town to feed the wagon so might work out well. The non-ethanol pumps are about a mile from the NAPA. Et Voila!

Speaking of which- found a local-owned convenience store that has 87, 89, 93 octane, ALL non-ethanol. About 40c higher a gallon on 87 and 5c difference from most of the 93 pump gas around here. Pay at the pump too! The wagon and the 93 F150 truck run like different engines on it...