Electric Choke

[Yardpilot]

351 C Carter AFB Electric Choke.

I was mapping out circuits and such and found that the electric choke is connected to the key side of the coil. That seems like a problem to me. Doesn't that drop to 6 V or so when the engine starts? I have heard it said that the stator pin on the alternator is a good place to hook the choke up. There is nothing connected there. What voltage and quality of electricity should I expect from that pin? Can you load accessories there?

[Barry Donovan]

2 wire choke (marine), do what ya want, but one wire..
have it battery run.
the 6v may go with the resistor, no choke is a full 12v, the heat is a resistor (the ground side is always less than 12v) and it is meant to be very stable, helps the carb runtime.."mystery" invisible stuff.

a 351, that can use a big resistor choke, but ford may use disty bleed as well, and cut back on choke volts.

[TheSilverBuick]

On my Thunderbird, prior to the EFI, I ran a wire from the "R" terminal of the starter solenoid to the electric choke I installed on the Autolite. Sure it may get a dose of 12v during cranking, but otherwise it was powered via the same resistor wire as the coil. Of course running it from the + side of the coil will accomplish the same thing.

[squirrel]

On a Ford, the stator terminal is a good place to connect the choke. The R ignition terminal is not really a good place to put it. Chevy used electric chokes in the late 70s/early 80s, they always connected full ignition power thru an oil pressure switch, so the choke would not open if you had the key on but engine not running.

[Huskinhano]

besides the voltage drop of the resistor, the gauge of the wire is too small. I have a relay connected to the ignition switch just before the resistor wire with the relay's NO contacts controling an auxiary fuse block fed off the battery with #10 wire. The circuit for the choke is fed by a #14 wire off the fuse block. The fuse block is only enregized when the ignition switch is on. I also have my HEI fed by a #12 wire off the same fuse block. Can't have a nice hot spark with junk going in. Both work really great this way!