Manual chokes: why not?

Exactly!
That claim–that every driver needs to know how to use a manual choke–is tantamount to stating that every computer user needs to know how to use 5 1/4 inch floppy disks. Technology moves on, and only those who are using extremely old technology are concerned with the details of old equipment that has been supplanted by newer–and infinitely superior–technology.
:unamused:

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These might be our preferences, but there are millions out there who enjoy making music, balancing financials statements, creating fine art, and many things that I’d have zero interest in and less desire to learn. That’s what makes the world great.

My son loves cities. Cities offer arts, variety, theater, and many other great things. Me, I like peace and solitude. Can’t stand cities. Knowing automobiles, welding, etc. is pretty much the same thing. Not everyone likes it.

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If everybody knew how to do all of those things, there would many more people out of work

Or you could be a fleet mechanic . . .

Then you’ll be driving stick every week . . . the only downside is that those fleet vehicles with stick are decidedly UNsporty

What are floppy disks? I’m still using IBM punch cards and programming in FORTRAN. ; )

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Clearly, you just saw “Hidden Figures” :smile:

@B.L.E I save my FORTRAN programs on paper tape. I also keypunched drum cards for the keypumch so that the data entered would go into the proper column automatically and the keypumch would shift from alpha mode to numeric mode. I also sorted punch cards (Hollerith cards) on a sorter and would run a deck of punch cards through a Lister to check out the data on the cards. I am trying to remember whether or not the keypumch had a manual choke.

I just wish I knew what happened to my old Pickett slide rule.

I know where to find mine and my late father’s Dietzgen.

Still have the slide rule, now wifey drove a manual trans for years, found a great deal on a manual trans car for college daughter, she was yes anything that runs, wifey was against a manual trans and now daughter is against it, too much confusion and complications, scared of old school technology I guess.

I never owned a slide rule but relied on people that did.

Ah yeah paper tapes. One of the teletypes at AIT school was a paper tape machine. I remember wasting a morning getting the thing to punch out Happy Valentines Day to send to the future wife. Wasn’t easy picking the right characters to type so the holes would be in the right spot. Once you got one done though, you could use it to duplicate more. Only needed one though.

Computers are wonderful tools, truly amazing, but I for one am getting tired of their being used for EVERYTHIING automotive! Engine operation is truly much more accurate, immediate, and better done by computers (that includes choking the intake, the thread’s original subject), but jeeze, can’t I keep control of my radio and my heating and cooling systems?
Must I interact with a multilevel menu on a computer just to change my radio station?
Must I interact with a computer to change my heating/cooling duct configuration?
Must I have to study the details of the operator’s manual to understand the multitude of automatic things my car keeps doing?
Why did I have to get and follow an “initialization protocol” (distributed to the dealers via a TSB) to reprogram my windows to operate after my battery was changed?
Why did I have to get another initialization TSB to get my power roof to operate again?
There is no mention of these TSBs in the owner’s manual, by the way. As simple as they were, the average owner would have to take the car to a dealer and pay an hour’s shop time to get the windows or roof to operate again.
Why can I no longer simply pop a hood and rev the engine (it’s all controlled “by wire” now)?

My mom, were she still here, could never operate a new car now. She was a safe driver until the end, but even then her car’s controls confused her. Older people often simply aren’t computer compatible. IMHO they shouldn’t have to be.

In summary, computers are wonderful tools. They operate the engine far better than any human could.
But must they take over all driver comfort and driver preference controls too? :tired_face:

PostScript: I miss my '64 Fairlane. :sob:

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In my Yaris, the windows still open and close with a crank, the engine still starts using the ignition key, the doors still lock and unlock with a key, even with a dead battery. I had a battery go bad and I was still able to start the car by letting it roll down a short hill and letting out the clutch. The radio still turns on and off with a knob. The heater and air conditioner controls are still low tech knobs and buttons.
Best of all, the car was inexpensive enough that I didn’t have to finance it. It was 100% mine from he moment I drove it off the dealer’s lot.

But a lot of things today are too automatic for their own good. I had an auto-exposure camera and the only way I could overide the camera’s auto exposure was to tell the camera that it had a higher or lower ASA film speed than was really in it. I guess nowadays, that would be called a “hack”.

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That is why I drive old trucks with manual trans,My 90 F 150 quit on me one day I thought it was the fuel pump as I could not hear it running played with it a couple of days could not figure what was wrong took to a shop & found out itt has the basic computer that I did not know it had till it went out cost for new computer $300 installed. my other truck that I am slowly restoring is a 82 dodge ram with no computers.

LOL, I went digital long ago. But I wish my car’s “discretionary” controls hadn’t!

Recruits for driverless cars.

I think Johnny Cabs will be a truly fantastic asset for old people who cannot drive anymore due to medical issues, and totally driverless cars will be a great option for those with the financial means to buy them, but not because the old people have been made obsolete by technology overload. Most old folks cannot afford driverless car technology.

You were saying . . . ?!

Darn, beat me to it!

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I moved my question to the General Discussion section. It interested me enough to want to hear thoughts specifically on Johnny Cabs. Please respond in General Discussion.
Thanks.