Tips for getting sled started

[centralmnguy]

I just bought a older arctic cat jag...was running good when I bought it but now with the cold temps last 2 days I can't get it to kick over. Anybody got any tips or tricks for starting your sled when it's so darn cold?

[Surface Tension]

Full choke it. I'll assume this has a fuel enrichment type choke. The choke lever has 3 positions. Off, half, and full. At half choke the lever it sticking up. Continue to where the lever is laying flat(90 degrees from off). Still no start pull the spark plugs.

Are they dry, pour about a tablespoon of mix gas down the hole and replace the plugs.

It'll fire up. Eventually if this continues to be a problem you'll have to investigate why.

If the plugs are wet, dry the plugs and pull the engine over.

Replace the plugs and give it a try.

[slurpie]

If you know you are going to use snowmobile put spark plugs in house over night. Just put others in to plug hole. We would do this out west to make them start easier.

[BoxMN]

I have been told, when it is this very frigid cold out, that a trick to help start the next day is to shut off your machine by "choking" it to stall. Apparently that leaves some fuel in cylinder for the next morning.

I have done it a few times, not sure it helped or not, but my Polaris's always start on 2nd pull, or 3rd pull when very cold, doing what Frank says above. Same with my electric start. Full choke till it starts, then half choke for a minute or so, then off to warm up.

[efgh]

On the older sleds you could install a primer bulb, this when pushed would inject a small amount of gas directly into the throat of the carb and get drawen into the cyl.to help start the engine.

[leech~~]

Some times on the first start up of the year when the carbs have been dry I put a shot of Starting fluid in the air box!

For clearing a flooded motor I get two sets of plugs out. Leave the choke open and don't touch the gas.

Take the plugs out and pull the motor over a few times to clear out extra gas.

Put in a set of plugs and let it fire.

Take the plugs back out and pull motor over a few more times to clear out gas.

Put other set of plugs in and let it fire until it wouldn't.

Pull the plugs again and pull motor over a few more times to clear out flooded gas.

Put the first set of plugs that I have dried off and heated up with a lighter back in and let it fire.

And keep repeating until you dry out the motor enough to get it to start running again.

If you have Elc start it sure helps to save on the arm but this process works for me on a badly flooded motor.

[bak2MN]

Don't start it and try to run it this cold!!! Mine blew up!!

[FISHINGURU]

LOL, my sled loves this kind of weather, I've never heard of a sled blowing up because it's too cold.

[Wanderer]

On my sleds:

The colder it is, the more choke is needed. Usually half choke (lever straight out) is enough. Really cold temps require me to flip it all the way to full choke as Surface Tension described. Should the engine get to a flooded state, I flick the choke off and hold the throttle at half or full and pull until it sputters to life. Works all the time.

Today I worked on my main sled that wasn't starting and dripping gas between the carb and air box. I took the carb off, then apart and freed the stuck float lever. There was so much gas in the cylinder that it was draining out the exhaust as I was pulling it over. A constant half throttle while pulling it over on no choke brought the engine to life. It eventually cleared and the engine is running smooth as ever.

[20lbSloughShark]

I didn't see this mentioned, starting fluid.

[Dozer]

Don't start it and try to run it this cold!!! Mine blew up!!

Then there was something wrong with your sled! Its a snowmobile, made for winter, when its COLD out!

[Big A]

X3 for dropping some fuel under the spark plug. We have two 95 Arctic Cat Jag 440's and that is what we do to get them kittens purring again... Excellent sled choice! That single Carb suzuki 440 engine is dynamite! Excellent gas mileage and will last for years to come.

[slurpie]

Actually any snowmobile motor can cold seize when cold out. Same results as blowing up. Piston gets stuck to side wall this is from not letting it warm up long enough.

[bak2MN]

Found out most sleds are jetted for only a few degrees below zero from the factory.

[fsnrod]

There should be a block drain on the front bottom under the exhaust take it out and drain it if it's flooded.

[BoxMN]

There should be a block drain on the front bottom under the exhaust take it out and drain it if it's flooded.

I used that last year after my granddaughter flooded the indy 400 horribly. That and new plugs worked great.

[broman]

+1000 on having a second set of plugs. I was up about 3 weeks ago in -20 weather and my sled would not start or run very well. Swapped out the plugs with the spares and it ran just fine. I have since went out and bout 4 new plugs (two for the cylinders and two for the spares).

[centralmnguy]

Thanks for the tips guys...I called up the seller to see if they had any tips...they said it still had old gas in it from last year. I am planning on draining the old gas & putting in some fresh gas & some seafoam in tomorrow. It has new plugs in it but a second set is a good idea. The seller said they also had the carb cleaned & put on new gas shocks. Full choke it & let er' buck!!! If that don't work I will put a few drops of fluid down the plugs.

Thanks Again!

[shamrock7]

When I have a stubborn starter, and it is really cold, and I know its the cold that is causing the problem, I simply take a jug of really hot tap water out and slowly pour it over the carbs. This works by getting the carbs a little warmer and thus the atomization of the fuel/air mixture works better. Simple trick and works every time. And "No" I have never had a problem with the water freezing anything up. Just runs on through and out the bottom of the frame.

[Fred_Bear]

When I have a stubborn starter, and it is really cold, and I know its the cold that is causing the problem, I simply take a jug of really hot tap water out and slowly pour it over the carbs. This works by getting the carbs a little warmer and thus the atomization of the fuel/air mixture works better. Simple trick and works every time. And "No" I have never had a problem with the water freezing anything up. Just runs on through and out the bottom of the frame.

This doesn't really relate to the OP but I have used a similar method for cold starts.

Few years ago and -32 morning temps, we put blankets over the engines with a blow dryer blowing hot air onto the engine and carbs to warm them up. Had to do this to 6 out of 8 carbuerated sleds to get them started in the morning. EFI's were fine.

[leech~~]

When I have a stubborn starter, and it is really cold, and I know its the cold that is causing the problem, I simply take a jug of really hot tap water out and slowly pour it over the carbs. This works by getting the carbs a little warmer and thus the atomization of the fuel/air mixture works better. Simple trick and works every time. And "No" I have never had a problem with the water freezing anything up. Just runs on through and out the bottom of the frame.

Huum, I wonder if that cold to hot in seconds shock helps out the plastic gas and vent lines become more brittle?

[shamrock7]

Just trying to help a guy out. A long time, well know snowmobile guy showed it to me 30 years ago and I have never seen any ill effects.

[ZachD]

don't forget to pick up your sled and slam the track a couple times

[V-12 Merlin]

I didn't see this mentioned, starting fluid.

Uhhhh…… maybe a little bit is okay, but I'd avoid doing that more than once. Basically, you're injecting UNlubricated fuel into the cylinders of a 2-cycle engine. The other thing that does is put off resolving the actual problem, which could be carburetor jetting.

For a snowmobile that was running good when it was about freezing and won't even start when it's cold, I would check the fuel. I once talked with an engineer from one of the snowmobile manufacturers who told me that he took a small jar of summer gas and set it outside on a cold winter day. Once acclimated to the temperature, he lit a match and threw it in the jar. The match went out. That's the difference between good gas and bad gas when it comes to running engines in cold weather.

Other possible causes of rough running for 2-cycle snowmobile engines would be carb jetting, carbs that need to be cleaned, an airbox with a mouse nest in it or bad plugs. If it was running fine and now it's not, you can rule out jetting, but everything else is a suspect - and I'd assume they ALL are causing the problem.

One other thing people have touched on, and that's the factory (or current) jetting. Most factory jetting is intended to cover situations where you're riding in weather that's too cold (in other words, the carbs are set up a little too rich). Most backyard mechanics tend to go a little too far the other way. I'd rather be running too rich during weather like this, than a little lean. It's a good idea to either make sure yourself or have a qualified and trusted mechanic check and make sure the jets are the correct size for the weather you're riding in. Shop manuals will tell you the correct jet size, and the jets themselves are marked (you'll have to take the carbs apart to see them, normally).

[JSK76]

LOL, my sled loves this kind of weather, I've never heard of a sled blowing up because it's too cold.

When I was young and dumb I went for a ride at -40 and when I looked into the oil tank the oil was so thick that when I pushed on it with a wooded dowel. I could move it around more like a solid. I just mixed some warm oil right in the gas tank but I'm sure if I didn't my sled would have blown. Obviously a vary extreme circumstance. I do not recommend anyone riding in -40! When I got to my friends house I had a line on my neck that got frostbite, looked like a nightcrawler under my skin!