water or electric choke

[KCOpel]

I own a 72 gt, and I want to scrap my solex for a weber dgav or dgev, but don't know whick kind of choke will work better and is easier to install and adjust?
I live in KC, MO which gets real hot in the summer and can get pretty cold for 2-3 months in the winter....

I also need to know if it is better to use an adaptor kit for the original air filter, or if I should just get the weber air filter.

Thanks.

[namba209 (R.I.P.)]

An electric choke is by far the easier to install, and you can remove the water hoses going to the carb and run the heater hoses straight to the heater core. A weber (VW type aircleaner) draws in hot air from the engine bay while a modified original intake system draws cooler air from in front of the radiator. Just my $.02.

Ron

[opelbits]

I'm over in St. Louis, so I know all to well just how hot and cold it can get. Although I think you get just a little hotter and little colder. We just get a little more humidity!

Anyway, my experience is that an electric choke (especially in a Manta) tends to cool down too fast below 40 degrees. If I was doing some running around doing errands and left the car for 15-20 minutes, the fast idle would kick in. I used too much gas this way. I also found that if I spent some time on the highway when it was 25 or below, the airflow through the engine bay was enough to cause a fast idle when I got off the highway. It both cases, a few minutes of driving would give it time to warm up and work like it should.
There is always the chance that my choke was not set right. The previous owner installed the carb brand new six months before I bought the car. Aside from idle and mixture adjustments, I never touched the choke or jets because the car ran so good, for fear of messing it up.
I've been happier with hot water chokes, but I think they may lead to vapor lock and 'percolating' gas in the fuel bowl in warm weather in a GT. This is something I am currently dealing with in my GT. I had a water choke DGAS in it, but it seemed to get too hot. I switched back to my 32/36 DGEV and the car runs better, but still has a tendency to 'run on' or sputter through the carb when shut off hot. Then it is harder to start. When cold it jumps to life and runs just fine. Insulating the fuel lines and running a heat shield are important.

[RallyBob]

It all boils down to preference. I prefer the electric choke. The hookup is simpler, and I eliminate the potential for a coolant leak.

Electric chokes take about a week to adjust correctly, major PITA! Gotta get out in the (cold) morning and start the car, and quickly try to adjust the choke before it warms up. Didn't get it just right? Wait until tomorrow morning....

Otherwise, they're easier to deal with. Just my opinion, we certainly get our share of odd weather in New England. 95-100 degrees in summer with 95% humidity, but in the winter we see single digits often enough, and the mid-20's on a regular basis. Still, never had a DGES-equipped Opel not start in that type of weather. A bit grumpy the first few miles (no heated intake manifold), but I never had one that didn't get me to work, except for when the damn fuel lines froze (water in gas, another story).

Bob

[KCOpel]

Thanks everyone for the advice, I think I will go with the electric. Eliminating some coolant lines can't hurt, and I'm all for easier installation....

How much difference in performance do you think the opel stock vs weber air filter makes? The weber just looks so much nicer......

[72opelguy]

what do they not make webers with manual chokes anymore i have this on my car during the winter i would snatch it out pump the gas once id would start right up no heated intake nothing let it run 2 or 3 minutes and it was fine
we also have one of these on a carb chrysler 2.2 (dad stole it off opel but i got a new one) anyway the best adjustment is you so i think if you arent lazy go this route also it helped me find my vacuum leak

[West Coast GT]

A manual choke makes it real easy. Easy to modify, easy to install, easy to operate. One less electrical problem down the road. One less coolent leak to mess with.

Don't know if these new carbs have that option. Mine was a Weber DGV we put on the '71 GT back in 1981.

[72opelguy]

well you can call me stupid
my dad bought my new carb a year or 2 ago and it came with manual choke
i think he got it from pierce manifolds but im not sure