When it comes to ATVs, not all throttles are the same. Throttles can be made up of a simple lever that you push up and down or they can be more complicated with buttons on them for different speeds. This article centers on how an ATV choke works: how to use a choke.
Regardless of how your throttle is set up, there’s one thing in common: a choke. The choke is an important part of the engine and it’s often used as a safety measure to prevent it from flooding or over-revving when someone has their foot wide open on the gas pedal.
To understand the function of a choke, we first need to know what a carburetor does.
What Is a Carburetor?
A carburetor has two parts: the venturi and fuel/air mixture. The venturi is where air enters the carburetor which mixes with fuel that comes from the float bowl located below it in the fuel line.
During times when you don’t need much power such as riding over flat ground or even pulling a trailer, you can do just fine with a simple lever-operated throttle without using your choke.
However, when full throttle is needed, it’s important to use your choke so all of that fuel doesn’t flood into your engine and cause it to stall out on you. You don’t want that to happen when you’re going down a hill!
What Is an ATV Choke?
A choke is a device used on an internal combustion engine to regulate air intake. It works by restricting the flow of air into the carburetor, which in turn restricts fuel delivery, hence “choking” the engine. This prevents it from flooding or over-revving when running at full throttle.
Chokes are usually controlled by pulling out a knob or lever on the dashboard or handlebars; some chokes pull out automatically when they sense too much air being drawn in through the carburetor.
A choke is not just a simple way to control how much gas you have going into your engine and prevent it from flooding or over-revving, but also an important safety measure that can help you avoid dangerous situations like this altogether.
How Does an ATV Choke Work?
The choke is operated by pulling a small lever or knob on the dashboard or handlebars, which opens up more air holes in the carburetor so that it allows for more air to enter than normal.
This should be done before you start your ATV because it can take a couple of minutes for all the extra air to enter through the carburetor and into the engine’s cylinders.
When you first started the engine with a choked carburetor, you probably noticed that it was popping and stumbling as if it couldn’t decide if it wanted to go or not. Once any fuel leftover in your lines has burned off, however, this problem should resolve itself and your engine will run smoothly again.
Once an ATV gets flooded out, it’s not usually a problem that you can fix by just opening the choke and letting more air in. You may need to remove the carburetor and clean out all your fuel lines with JET-CLEANER (TM).
Once you have opened up the choke, it should stay open until your ATV doesn’t sound like it is flooding anymore. After this happens, pull in the choke again so that less air is allowed into the carburetor than normal.
This will give you better control over how much gas goes into your engine and prevent flooding or over-revving which could damage it or cause dangerous situations while driving or riding down a hill.
It’s important for anyone who plans on driving an ATV on public roads to know how to use a choke properly and safely as it could save them from some potentially dangerous situations.
If you take your ATV out for long rides on public roads, you should never run the engine at full throttle until you are sure that it doesn’t flood out when you pull in the choke. When this happens, pull over somewhere safe (or pull off of the road if you can find a spot) so that no one hits your ATV before you can solve this problem.
Once everyone is okay and the engine isn’t flooding any longer, re-open up your choke again so that more air enters through the carburetor into the engine’s cylinders. After doing this, continue driving down the road or go back to full throttle again.
Read Also: How to Start an ATV?
How an ATV Choke Works: How to Use a Choke
When your ATV flooded out or it was over-revving, please stop and pull up the lever on your handlebars or the knob on your dashboard. It is very important to have an ATV that is safe for you to operate and which won’t flood out when you try to use it in a public area.
And, of course, if your carburetor starts flooding or blowing smoke even after you’ve tried pulling in the choke, this would be another good sign that something isn’t right with your engine.
For some people, it can be difficult to figure out how an ATV choke works because they don’t know where their carburetor is located on their vehicle. It’s usually located near the front of the engine and should be connected to a metal rod that attaches to your handlebars.
Sometimes, you can find this knob or lever on your dashboard because it’s usually attached to the throttle cable which is drawn in when you pull the lever out. Remember to re-open up your choke if you would like more power from your engine again so that it doesn’t flood out again.
Pulling the lever completely out (or pushing a button) will turn off both the choke and throttle at once. however, this isn’t recommended because it allows for too much air into the carburetor and could easily flood out or over-rev your ATV’s engine.
How an ATV Choke Works: How to Use a Choke – Conclusion
Try to keep an open mind about how an ATV choke works: how to use a choke and remember that it’s there for your protection and safety.
If you ever have any issues with your carburetor flooding or over-revving, please contact the manufacturer of ATV to find out what parts you’ll need to replace in order to fix this problem. In fact, if anything on your vehicle is overheating or making loud noises while you are driving it, don’t hesitate to take it into a shop for a full inspection as soon as possible.
It’s better to have a defective part replaced before you end up causing more problems for yourself (and potentially others) because you don’t know how an ATV choke works and you weren’t paying attention.
