Preventing Freeze-up

[MNCPRGUY]

Used my 2011 Polaris Sportsman 550 EFI on Upper Red yesterday. Fishing was HOT but when it came time to leave, the wheeler was not! It turned over fine but would not spark, sputter, or fire. My mechanical knowledge would fit in a thimble but my guess is the injectors are froze up (it's -21 this morning). Any other thoughts, and more importantly, how do you prep your machine for cold weather to guarantee a ride home?

[i'majigger]

I have a polaris 500 sportsman and I have had the same problem when very cold, would not start with the electic start but I pulled the rope sart a couple of times and it took right off. I think with the severe cold the battery will not put out enough juice to start it with the starter.

[CaptainMusky]

Put sea foam or some other de ICER in the gas.its possible that even though it was turning over fine the battery may not have had enough juice to properly power the efi system. Only options are pull starting or a jump.

[harvey lee]

When it gets very cold out, I usually pull the rope instead of the starter.

I run 5-30 Amsoil syntheic in the crankcase so it will turn over easier.

I also put Sta-Bil in my gas so I do not have to aorry about freezing up a gas line.

I use mine of and on all winter with zero issues but like I said, I do have to use the pull rope if it gets real cold or it has sat in the cold for a 4-7 hour stretch.

I might guess that with it that cold out, maybe the starter did not turn the motor over fast enough as the oil is too thick from the colder temps or you could have a bit of a gas line freeze up. The thick oil can drain your battery very fast as it is so hard for the crank to turn over in the thicker oil. The lighter synthic oil will help with that also.

[ClownColor]

For future trips, its always a good idea to start your machine ever hour. This will help but most importantly you'll know of problems before its too late. I will always start my equipment before dark or before all people around me have left so I worse case I can get help...especially when way out there.

[broman]

I bring along an old sleeping bad that I use to cover my Snowmobile front. We had an ATV with the same issue a few weeks ago. Put it under an Eskimo 949 and let the heater warm it up for an hour. Starting it up every hour like others said is your best method.

[Esox_Magnum]

You guys had me wondering about mine, been sittin out on the trailer and not started since last Wensday, pulled the choke half way out hit the key and it fired right up....02 700 Sportsman....

[fishing tech]

I bring along an old sleeping bad that I use to cover my Snowmobile front. We had an ATV with the same issue a few weeks ago. Put it under an Eskimo 949 and let the heater warm it up for an hour. Starting it up every hour like others said is your best method.

-31 2 weeks ago after running through snow and slush. Ended up using the fish house covers and heaters to warm up the wheelers. Also brought along my trolling motor battery for back up as I have no pull start.

[broman]

-31 2 weeks ago after running through snow and slush. Ended up using the fish house covers and heaters to warm up the wheelers. Also brought along my trolling motor battery for back up as I have no pull start.

I also brought along an extra battery and cables.

[B-man715]

You guys had me wondering about mine, been sittin out on the trailer and not started since last Wensday, pulled the choke half way out hit the key and it fired right up....02 700 Sportsman....

These guys are talking about a machine starting in Canada........ not Iowa......

[MNCPRGUY]

Thanks for all the feedback. Definitely some good advice for the future!

[CaptainMusky]

Machines with manual chokes always seem to start easier too.

[MnIceman]

I mounted a 300 AH garden tractor battery in the rear storage box and got rid of that thick as mollasess at -15 Amsoil 5w30. Put in Mobil 1 5w30 and it starts all the time. At -18 the Amsoil would not even pour out of the bottle. Mobil 1 poured out of the bottle like it was warm out.

[MnIceman]

Most vehicles with fuel injection have to spin at a certain speed to start. It may sound like it is spinning fast enough, but, it is not.

[MNCPRGUY]

My machine is fuel injected and it sure seemed like it had plenty of battery life. It cranked and cranked at what sounded normal speed intermittently for a good 5 minutes or so. I don't have a pull start or choke option. It did start fine after I got it home and back in a warm garage.

Based on the responses, it looks like my best option for extreme cold is to run a lighter weight oil, add so de-icer to the fuel, and carry a spare 12v battery and a set of cables. Am I on the right track with this line of thinking?

[MnIceman]

I also bought quick connect battery connectors and permanently mounted cables to both batteries. When I need the jump, I just plug it in. No need to carry jumper cables and try to get them hooked up. The cables could be left hooked up as long as the battery is secured to the ATV.

[BoxMN]

My Foreman did a funky thing to me last weekend. Once it turned supa-cold into Sunday morning, while out on the ice, it would turn over but ran into the "it would not quite fire" stage. I notice the 4x4 green light would not light up when trying to start, so thought it might be cold battery.

I do have a rope pull and used that and it worked perfect. Glad I have it Battery must have been just weak enough not to spin in fast enough. I do always have it plugged in so it must be on the last legs of its life. It is at least three years old. I was even starting it about every hour, and when i pulled it it started fine and right away. But holy cow does that single cylinder like to pull that rope in quick

Might try to get through the winter, but it is battery time for sure for me I think.