Photos of Weber 6-pack linkage

[jmackro]

Like Jay said, there is no auto choke, only manual "cold start valves" which are not needed unless you live in a very cold climate. Most just remove them and blank them off so they don't leak air. There is no fast idle choke like on down draft webers so you have to manually keep the car idling higher until it is warmed up.

All my experience with DCOE's is on 4 cyl Alfas, not on 6 cyl BMW's. Maybe BMW's are somehow different. But despite living in a warm climate (southern California) I always use the cold start device on the DCOE's on my Alfas, summer and winter.

Whenever I mention the cold start device on the Alfa discussion forum, someone makes a comment like Stevehose did above: that the cold start device isn't really needed. I guess I'm in the minority, but I find the car easier to start and easier to keep running while still cold when I use it.

 

[Ohmess]

So, did you install a cable into the cabin to actuate the cold start devices?

 

[Stevehose]

I have no experience with Alfa's (although I want one with Webers very badly) but the BMW 6 cylinder doesn't seem to need them if in good tune (maybe it's a 4 cylinder thing-what do the 2002 owners with Webers think?).

My starting ritual after a week or so of dormancy is to turn the key so the fuel pump fills the bowls and shuts off (3 seconds-relayed) then 2 pumps of accelerator, hold the pedal down a little, and bang - starts right away, even in cold weather.

Then I massage it till it warms up - Weber sidedrafts make you earn it

All my experience with DCOE's is on 4 cyl Alfas, not on 6 cyl BMW's. Maybe BMW's are somehow different. But despite living in a warm climate (southern California) I always use the cold start device on the DCOE's on my Alfas, summer and winter.

Whenever I mention the cold start device on the Alfa discussion forum, someone makes a comment like Stevehose did above: that the cold start device isn't really needed. I guess I'm in the minority, but I find the car easier to start and easier to keep running while still cold when I use it.

 

[jmackro]

Weber sidedrafts make you earn it

That's where I disagree with you. Alfa (and other Italian manufacturers) installed DCOE's on street cars driven by people who didn't want to earn it. When tuned properly, Webers can be as docile as EFI (well, almost).

Sure, if you pump the pedal a few times, the car will start. Heck, you can squirt gas from a spray bottle into an intake manifold with no carbs installed and the engine will start. It just won't run long/well.

But as I noted in my earlier post, other Alfa owners agree with you, saying that they don't use the enrichment device either. All I can say is that my experience differs. My point to was8001967 is that they are so easy to hook up that it's worthwhile giving them a try.

So, did you install a cable into the cabin to actuate the cold start devices?

Didn't have to on the Alfas. The factory provides a nice lever assembly with adjustable friction washers. You pull back the "start" lever and it pulls the cable that actuates the enrichment devices and holds them in the full or partial positions.

I did have to install a choke cable on my 2800 CS to accommodate the manual chokes on my 32/36 DGV down draft Webers. But of course, those have a conventional choke butterfly at the top of the carb and a cam that advances the main butterfly shaft.

 

[Stevehose]

Do the Alfas have a mechanism to increase cold idle throttle opening? Or is the cold start enough to keep it idling till warmup?

That's where I disagree with you. Alfa (and other Italian manufacturers) installed DCOE's on street cars driven by people who didn't want to earn it. When tuned properly, Webers can be as docile as EFI (well, almost).

Sure, if you pump the pedal a few times, the car will start. Heck, you can squirt gas from a spray bottle into an intake manifold with no carbs installed and the engine will start. It just won't run long/well.

But as I noted in my earlier post, other Alfa owners agree with you, saying that they don't use the enrichment device either. All I can say is that my experience differs. My point to was8001967 is that they are so easy to hook up that it's worthwhile giving them a try.



Didn't have to on the Alfas. The factory provides a nice lever assembly with adjustable friction washers. You pull back the "start" lever and it pulls the cable that actuates the enrichment devices and holds them in the full or partial positions.

I did have to install a choke cable on my 2800 CS to accommodate the manual chokes on my 32/36 DGV down draft Webers. But of course, those have a conventional choke butterfly at the top of the carb and a cam that advances the main butterfly shaft.

 

[jmackro]

Do the Alfas have a mechanism to increase cold idle throttle opening? Or is the cold start enough to keep it idling till warmup?

That's a good question. That lever assembly I spoke of has two handles, one that pulls the enrichment device levers on the two Webers, and another that pulls on the gas pedal. That second one will increase the minimum engine speed, but it's kind of a coarse adjustment: either regular idle or 1,500 rpm. See photos below, which show the handles in the fully pulled out positions.

In normal operation, I just use the enrichment device. The idle speed does come up a bit, I suppose from the additional fuel. But the big benefit is that the engine doesn't stall and idles fairly smoothly while it is cold. So yes, the cold start is enough to keep it idling till warmup.