Have a few kids atvs, one I’m working on now was basically a box of parts. It came factory with electric choke, I’m used to the manual on my machines. Wiring is cut up but I do know what is supposed to plug into the electric choke, so can probably splice it, but should I bother? An electric to manual conversion is cheap and easy, is the electric as reliable?

also have a 50 cc e-ton starting to bog down, starts up. Wondering if while I have that carb off I should be checking this electric choke or changing to manual. Seems that manual would be easier to rule out choke as an issue

 

Electric chokes are fairly reliable but most people have no idea how they work and they get hacked about. It seems very strange but they work off an electric heater and thermostat inside them and that this heater is fed AC direct from the alternator so if no power is generated, no heat, and carb opens an extra fuel passage. Once the engine is turning, the heater warms, opens the thermostat and this closes the excess fuel passage, some are slightly more complex, but that is the basis.

 

Thanks for the info. I played around a bit with my 50 yesterday and once I felt like it was sufficiently warmed up I unplugged the choke and it stopped bogging down and ran great.
Interestingly enough the headlights on this 50 (e-ton lightning) have no power and according to the wiring diagram, the headlights and choke run through to the stator. Very curious now if one issue is causing both problems and where to start looking. Easy enough to switch to a manual choke or rewire headlights with a new switch, but it’d be better to get to the root of the problem

 

Oh dear, you have not taken in what I wrote at all, If you disconnect the choke wires, the excess fuel device opens, letting more fuel in, so putting the bike on choke.

 

Thanks for the clarification, unfortunately it muddies my situation. As soon as I unplugged the choke (mentioned by OPT in many old posts I read-he was apparently not a fan), it stopped bogging down and ran correctly for the first time in a long time. It was instant, unplugged the choke and it took off just fine. Let it cool down and it would not get to idle without the choke plugged in, but would also not run at throttle until the choke was unplugged again. Maybe this is not an electrical issue and the bike is starving for fuel which is why it will only run on choke, but it shouldn't start so easily if that were the case (at least I don't think so). This problem and a look at the wiring diagram has me thinking my stator might be bad, meaning there's no power at all headed to that choke (there is definitely no power headed to my headlights and continuity tests seem to confirm the light switch is ok). I will attempt to test the stator voltage tonight. I tried removing it last night, but there are 3 stripped screw heads holding a sort of white plastic circular cover over top of the stator so I can't get to it yet. I'll have to test it on the bike.

 

Ok well I apparently had 2 problems and since it’s a small 2 stroke they don’t always repeat. 1- connection at stator was loose, cleaned it up, greased it and taped it together. Now have power at headlights and I assume at choke.
2- starts great again and idles like a champ. does not run under throttle unless it warms up for a long long time. Unplugging the choke has no impact on this so perhaps it was a one day fluke. New fuel, new filter (air and fuel). I guess a good carb cleaning/rebuild is next.