I wish I had the machine in front of me when I read and write these replies but in Northern Michigan you need to take the storage you can come by or you're working in a snow drift! Applied doesn't have any electric chokes and they look like they're quite pricey anyways... So when I next go over there what am I looking for to remove and clean up? Maybe it will make sense when I look at it again but I thought I would ask for a little more detail so I know what I'm aiming for before heading back out.

On Jan 31, 2017, at 5:22 PM, James Palmer wrote:

> But one issue still seems to be lingering which I have now gotten around to exploring that involves the choke. It keeps wanting to close prematurely and choke out the engine.

The choke actuator's job is to close the choke in one and only one circumstance: when the starter is ENERGIZED on a COLD engine. The actuator is de-energized at all other times (Onan 6kW service manual, pp27, top right).

If the starter is not energized OR the engine is warm then a properly installed and adjusted actuator will not try to close the choke; it will try to OPEN it - and in fact there is a coil spring in the choke actuator which tries to hold the choke open at all times.

Electrical problems such as a rusty exhaust manifold or a wiring problem to the choke actuator solenoid as others have described can only result in hard starts - which is the opposite of the problem that you have described.

Is there any chance that you installed the choke linkage in a reversed sense when you installed your newly rebuilt carb? There are other choke actuator failures that can account for what you are describing but they are unlikely compared to an error in the linkage orientation.

--Jim

Jim Miller
1977 Eleganza
1977 Royale
Hamilton, OH




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On Jan 31, 2017, at 11:35 PM, Ken Burton wrote:

> Jim is also correct on the electric. Applying electric to the choke closes it. Since you have the board jumpered, I'm wondering if you are also jumpering +12 to the choke ot have some kind of board failure.

Hi Ken,

The choke solenoid is wired to the switched side of the starter pilot solenoid that is located directly below the control board; therefore if the choke is staying energized then the starter would be running too.

73, Jim N8ECI

Jim Miller
1977 Eleganza
1977 Royale
Hamilton, OH

James -
The reason that I soldered the wire to the choke housing instead of using a sheet metal screw as someone suggested is because of the possibility of the screwed connection also getting rusted and corroded. The Onan will pull in lots of air to that area and also rain, fumes from the motorhome running next to it, etc.

Emery Stora

One more thought, the carb was very clean when we got the machine. I only sent it away to Walbro as I didn't want to mess with tiny springs, and gaskets and such and something obviously wasn't right with it. I wonder if it was so clean because a PO cleaned it and then put it back on wrong. I am wondering if I were to adjust the screw on the wire holding it to the choke if I could make the choke wire stretch far enough to connect the carb arm and hold it in the open position as the default??? Is this what has happened to this at some point? I guess the answer will depend on whether it's default is supposed to be open (and closing when starting in the cold) or closed (opening once it gets running.

But, it has a thermostatic coil spring that assists in opening the choke
when the exhaust heats the manifold. IF THAT SPRING IS INOPERATIVE DUE TO
IMPROPER ADJUSTMENT (LIKELY), OR BROKEN (IT HAPPENS) , THEN, the choke will
not fully open and the Onan engine will run like crap. Wasn't that the
original complaint?
Jim Hupy