> > I have a stuck choke. For those of you who are too young to remember when cars had a choke, it is a little butterfly valve in the carburator that chokes down the air flow to produce a richer mixture of gasoline vapor and air. This makes a cold engine start easier. With fuel injection, you don't need one. This one is stuck open and I've tried WD40, carb cleaner, and penetrating oil and applied some pressure. Nada. Anybody have any more ideas? I also have an aluminum engine with an overtightened spark plug. This usually results in stripped threads and a ruined cylinder head. Any ideas on that one. Fortunately the spark plug is on a spare engine and not the one on the scooter I just bought.
> > Howard
>
> If you took off the butterfly from the shaft could you persuade it with a pair of plyers? Or do you have to remove the shaft to release the butterfly? I've seen 'em both ways.

That's the method I usually use on lawnmowers and it works. But this is a 37-year-old motorscooter that has been parked for 20 years and I'm afraid I might booger the shaft like I sometimes do on mower engines. I'm going to try some of Dan's ideas first and then go for the pliers. Fortunately, I have a spare carb in case something goes wrong.
Howard