Can anyone help in why my electronic choke doesn’t work. It used too. The light would come on when lever was up at choke but not even that works.
so it makes it hard to start in cold mornings
stephen

 

This is a bit unusual.
The 2.4 had a choke lever with a red light but the 3.4/3.8 cars had the "automatic" system driven by the temperature activated switch at the front and top of the inlet water rail.
Is your car originally a 2.4 which has been retrofitted with a 3.8 engine?
It all sounds a bit non standard and some photos might help. Is it possible that someone used the 2.4 system to get manual control of the starter carbie?
Cheers

 

Add to SU's for manual pull down of the jet like the E Type. Part Number AUC - 8654 ~ Then you have a proper manual choke for your slider & red light. Sounds like someone has made a hybrid mess. e.g your Otter switch has failed ~ common. Your 3.8 should not have a lever & light. Someone has made an effort to give your car a manual choke & botched it.






No 58. ~ pulls up 4.

 

Yeah, I would like to see some photos too.
Electronic choke with a lever, that doesn't make any sense at all.

 

Definitely has 3.8 motor.
and will get photos.
there’s lots of odd things on this car.
it has bench seat in the front seems from the Daimler. Boot badges don’t look right etc
any get back soon

 

That would be appreciated. The more detail you can give us the more accurate will be our response. At present we are guessing. Something is decidedly odd.

 

 

Can you give us a photo of the choke lever system on the dashboard.
I suspect the switch from the light is supplying power to the starter carby solenoid.
The other side of the solenoid appears to be earthed
The switch is only meant to supply a very low amperage to the light .
However the carby solenoid draws about 1 amp.
In which case the switch may have failed with an overload
Cheers

 

That does not really help with thermo carbs & that is not a standard Otter switch. Show us everything from dash lever to carbs. A full manual set up should have a bowden cable that the lever pushes & pulls to open & close the jet against the diaphragm. Otherwise you should have an Otter switch that operates the AED. (Automatic enrichment device).







Operates with an Invar spring & cuts out at approx 35 deg C.

 

 

You are going to have to trace all the wiring. That does not belong on a 3.8 dash. That is for the Solex carbs on a 2.4. and pushes & pulls a bowden cable.

This is the standard wiring for an AED on a 3.8. Mk2s pick up their power from the brake light switch not the wiper motor as shown. Otherwise identical.

Has someone fitted a switch to that slider instead of a bowden cable? What turns the red light on & off?

 

Urgh this forum is playing up tonight. Now all through.

BTW that is a Daimler front seat without the perforations on the centre panels. Looks like Ambla (vinyl)

 

Glyn
I don't think Jag 62 is trying to go back to the original otter switch system.
Jag62
I am fairly sure now that your car started life as a 2.4.
The biggest giveaway apart from the dash mounted choke lever and light which are standard on 2.4s is the speedo.
The 2.4s had a speedo which only indicated to 120mph. the 3.4/3.8 cars had a speedo indicated to 140 mph. Yours is 120mph.
Don't get uptight as there were heaps of MK1s and Mk2 2.4 cars in Australia converted to 3.4 and 3.8 engines and I know of a couple with 4.2 engines.
A great number of Australian cars have had the otter switch bypassed and have had a dashboard switch introduced to manually control the on/off function of the starter carb.
I have done that that to my current MK1 and MK2 and have assisted numerous owners to do the same.
I am now fairly sure that the switch supplying power to the choke light is also suppling power to the starting carby solenoid and could be the cause of your problem.
Ref. your seats they definitely look like Daimler 250.
Cheers

 

I agree Bill ~ It's a bitsa ~ as you say nothing wrong with that. The slider & 120 mph speedo are a dead giveaway. I wonder what axle ratio it has? 4.55: 1 to November 1964, 4.27: 1 from November 1964, 4.55: 1 with overdrive

I just wonder why it stopped working.

I'm giving in now. Too much trouble with the site ~ problem no doubt our end. We are on full fibre now but settling the system in has been less than satisfactory.

 

Glyn
Problem with site must be at your end; working fine here
My bet is the switch itself which was only ever intended to carry somewhere around 50 to 100 milleamps was getting hit with at least 1 amp.
I actually checked a starter carb solenoid two days ago and it was OK and drawing about 1 amp.

 

You guys are awesome great information.
not happy I have a bitsa though.
anyway I need to enjoy the ride.
how can I get to the back of the choke lever on the dash to check power to it.
must be hidden screws.

 

Bill ~ Oh I'm sure it's my end! I'm also pretty sure you knocked the nail on the head ~ namely that it is the switch unless a wire has become detached.

 

Just Reverse for RHD. The manual jumps from LHD to RHD to keep everybody happy. RHD is a mirror image.


Undo thumb screws on centre dash & flap down for easier access.




Or lie uncomfortably on your back & work with a powerful torch ~ not recommended.

 

I'd not worry too much about your car being a bitsa. The Mk2 has always been subject to modifications and swaps by the factory and racers in the 1960s and by the restorers and upgraders of more recent times. The main limitation (in my view), apart from doing the mod well, is to stay in the spirit of the car and consider what would William Lyons and Bill Heynes say. A second aspect is what's allowed by the local vehicle licensing authority.

 

The carb dash pots you have shown in your picture are also the larger 2 inch which were fitted to the 4.2 not the 3.4 or 3.8 engines. Are you sure you have a 3.8 not a 4.2 engine fitted.They can be retrofitted to the 3.8 but are not standard.
If you can find the engine number we can work it out from that or if you look down the right side of the engine underneath the carbs it should be stamped on the side of the cast iron block what size the engine is.

Below is a photo of the markings on my 3.4 engine block showing JAGUAR 3 1/2 LITRE.