I've just bought a Vauxhall Astra (Expression) 1.4 litre hatchback H reg.
It has 120,000 miles on the clock.
The engine runs really well.
However... the automatic choke does not work.
When starting the car I need to keep my foot on the accellerator until the engine warms up to stop the engine from cutting out.
Has anyone experienced similar problems with the CHOKE not working on Vauxhall's Astra range?
Also... any ideas on how to get the choke working again on this type of car?
Mack
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From vague memory the pivot pins on the butterfly flap of the carb of these gets gummed up and in turn prevents the flap from fully closing.
To activate the auto choke you first have to press the throttle pedal to the floor, then fully release and start the engine.
With the engine stone cold, remove air filter and press and release the pedal to see if the choke flap closes or not. Sometimes it can be cured with a squirt of wd-40. In other cases, such as my Dad\'s old Astra, the choke flap had to be removed and the pivot pin holes reemed out slightly to increase the clearance.
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Thanks Dave
I'll give that a try.
Mack
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I've been trying to get the choke to work on an E23 carburretor in a Vauxhall Astra 1.4 (H reg)with no joy so far.
The choke remains fully open all the time. It does however move freely when pushed however springs back to the fully open position (I remember posting a few weeks ago and someone mentioned it may be stuck).
Any ideas why it remains fully open?
Mack
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It sounds like the bimetallic coil inside the choke housing has moved out of position or is damaged.Suggest either renew the choke unit or convert to manual choke.
David Davies (Tune-Up Raglan)
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Cheers Dave
Ta! for getting back to me!
I repositioned the housing on a similar carburretor today(one that I took out from my old Vauxhall Cavalier 1.3 E reg)before I scrapped it - and noticed that by moving the 2E3's choke housing casing clockwise by a few degrees the spring inside forced the choke to close to it's start position. This is making me now think that vibration and wear and tear within the engine are loosening the screws on the choke housing - resulting in the coil slackening.
Alternatively I am wondering whether the coil itself slackens with age and small incremental clockwise adjustments to the housing are required when the spring slackens.
Am I barking up the right tree with this one?
I don't want to spend lots of dosh as the car only cost me £290 after my Rover was trashed by vandals.
Mack
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The central part of the b-m spring is pressed onto a spigot in the choke housing.After years of temperature changes the press fit becomes loose,so simply rotating the choke assembly will be a very short term solution-the whole thing will move out of position again.Repairing this problem is not always successful.I think you could obtain a new choke unit from Southern Carburetters of Wimbledon for a reasonable amount.
David Davies (Tune-Up Raglan)
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Hi Dave
Cheers! I'll have a tinker and re-post when I've tested the one in the Astra itself.
Mack
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