Choke issue, not a biggie, but........

[dngharvey]

My 1988 Yam 70hp two stroke has a fussy electric choke, rarely ever works so the manual is what has to be used. Not a big deal as it can be reached pretty easy from the helm, but, I am one of those that likes everything to work.
Anyone run into this?

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I personally haven't but you have to remember, that engine is 25 YEARS OLD.

A marine engine yet, exposed to constant moisture/(possibly salt, etc).

Its served a long time and I wouldn't think twice about replacing it, its probably due...

[dngharvey]

25 years old but runs like a swiss watch! I can live with the choke thing for a long while if I have to. New motors are expensive, but many thanks for your input.

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I wish got half that long on my old Evinrude 150HP

[99yam40]

You need to find out if the switch,wire,and the solenoid works when hitting the choke all or just sometimes.
Could be just the linkage is not adjusted properly or is hanging up

Hard tell from where we are sitting

[boscoe99]

As noted, it could be a choke switch issue (key type or toggle switch), wiring to the choke switch, wiring from the switch to the choke solenoid, wiring from the solenoid to ground, the choke solenoid itself or possibly a linkage issue between the solenoid and the choke mechanism.

You are just going to have to do some troubleshooting to figure out where the problem is. On an older motor the first thing I might check is the electrical connections. Just a bit of corrosion between the terminals can cause an electrical component to be erratic. Pay particular attention to the solenoid ground.

Good luck.

[boscoe99]

The choke switch gets 12 volt positive power from the ten pin harness. When the key is pressed in, or the choke toggle switch is pressed, 12 volt positive power is fed to the solenoid via a blue wire in the ten pin harness. The choke solenoid is grounded. Or, it should be. With the application of 12 volt positive power to the solenoid its armature will pull in and close the choke plate. Or at least it should if the linkage is working correctly.

Your job is to trouble shoot and find out why the choke is not being activated each and every time the choke switch is used.