mg-t
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: Cold Weather Starting

To: mg-t@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Cold Weather Starting
From: Bullwinkle <yd3@nvc.net>
Date: Tue, 07 Feb 2006 16:51:02 -0800
Scott:

Bob gives you very good suggestions in 1, 2, 3, and 5.

When Bob says "manually" check the chokes, that means open the bonnet and 
actually pull the levers sideways.

<<<snip>>>
"Fluttering" the gas pedal gives you nothing.
<<<Snip>>>

I beg to differ. It does help as I've tried it both ways during the past 35 
years.  "Fluttering" that is quickly opening and closing the throttle
causes a momemtary higher vacuum across the jet.  Thus it will draw more fuel 
just as when you "mash" the throttle when accelerating a warm engine.
Quickly returning the throttle to closed keeps the dash pot from continuing to 
rise (Thats the purpose of the carb oil and plungers.) and thus weaking
the mixture prematurely.

A thinner oil in the carbs may actually make starting harder as the pistons 
will rise faster.  Thus weakening the mixture due to a larger bore
opening.

You want as LITTLE slack in the choke cable.  Thus it will ensure that the jets 
come down as far as possible.  In cold weather it will take 15-30
seconds to get the engine to catch.  Quite often you'll get one cylinder to 
fire.  You keep up the cranking and "fluttering" until the engine starts. 
I've needed to keep the "fluttering" going for 10-15 seconds even more after 
getting the engine running on two or three cylinders. You'll also find
that sometimes the choke and interconnected throttle opener isn't enough to 
keep the engine running until you've warmed the engine for several
minutes.

More suggestions:

This is probably you best bet. If you don't have or use the stock oil bath 
cleaner, then squirt a little fuel into the cleaners using a trigger type
oil can. That's what a primer bulb does on a lawn mower or snow blower engine. 
You can try it also with the oil bath cleaner but it won't be as
effective as the oil will absorb most of the petrol.  In the winter there's 
little dust in the air, so running the engine without the cleaner won't
hurt much.  My snow blower has no air cleaner!  You'll have to experiment with 
how much fuel to squirt in.

In the fall when it gets down to about 40d F, I need to use my riding mower to 
shred up the leaves.  The only way I can get it started when it's sat
for a while is to remove the air clean and squirt in some gas.

I think naphtha has a lower evaporation point than gasoline, so you could try 
using cigarette lighter fluid.  It comes in a handy squirt bottle. When
the lighter fluid is gone, then switch to gasoline or buy a gallon of naphtha 
at a paint store.  Alcohol has a lower boiling point then gas, so give
it a try also.

Put a timered heat lamp on the sump that will come on about 3 hours before you 
go. 

You can always try ether. Some don't like to use it. I've never tried using 
propane or butane but they might work also, but it would probably be a two
person job.

You might try experimenting with cranking the engine over several complete 
times with the ignition off, before trying it again with the ignition on.

Regards,
Blake
South Dakota where it is now 27d F and I know what COLD is. (:^~

///  unsubscribe/change address requests to majordomo@autox.team.net  or try
///  http://www.team.net/mailman/listinfo
///  Archives at http://www.team.net/archive/mg-t


<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>