Briggs & Stratton 650 Series - warm weather start only

[Etbrown44]

90% chance the choke is not fully closing. See if you can adjust the cable.

A slightly open choke in warm or cold weather can cause this problem.

 

[Joed756]

Back in the days when you could buy an incandescent light bulb my father would hang a trouble light next to a motor to keep it warm for easier cold weather starting

I did that with my truck, worked like a charm.

 

[cakmn]

Is there no option to heat up the engine before starting, with a hairdryer or something?

I could do that, but it doesn't seem worth the bother. I've got enough wood split for the winter, to go along with all the full rounds. The remaining wood that I would like to split can wait until the Sun warms us up again in the Spring. Direct solar power is cheaper than electricity.

 

[cakmn]

90% chance the choke is not fully closing. See if you can adjust the cable.

A slightly open choke in warm or cold weather can cause this problem.

The choke is closing as it should, so I'm pretty sure that's not the problem.

 

[Freddie21]

What oil is in it. You may want to use a 5w30 synthetic oil so the engine turns over easier in the cold along with the other suggestions.

 

[Fish]

What about your fuel? Old fuel can make it hard to start. Also gas sold in warm weather is formulated different than that you buy in cold weather, and could be related to your problem.

 

[cakmn]

What oil is in it. You may want to use a 5w30 synthetic oil so the engine turns over easier in the cold along with the other suggestions.

The engine turns over very easily, even well below 50°, but the engine won't fire at all below 50°.

 

[cakmn]

What about your fuel? Old fuel can make it hard to start. Also gas sold in warm weather is formulated different than that you buy in cold weather, and could be related to your problem.

The fuel is new. The engine simply will not fire below 50°, and it never has, even when new. At and above 50° it fires well and starts well, although it takes a few more pulls of the cord as the temperature drops closer to 50°.

 

[cakmn]

November 13. The temp got up to 45°F, so I got my splitter started and split a nice pile of wood.

Yeah, I know that I said it has never wanted to start below 50°. How did it start today at 45°?
As I've previously mentioned, I was going to wait for the Sun to warm us up again.
The Sun was shining today. On my splitter. And the engine is black. It fired right up.
Our forecast says the temp is supposed to get up into the 40s for the next couple of days, and the Suns is supposed to be shining a little tomorrow and a lot the next day, so I should be able to get some more splitting done.
Gotta work with Mother Nature.

We haven't seen much of the Sun over the past month and a half because it's been cloudy and rainy quite often, after a long dry spell this summer.

 

[lbrac]

If you only need to use the splitter in colder weather a few times a year, keeping a can of starting fluid handy might resolve the issue in the easiest manner I can think of. It is not a very technical solution, but how much effort is it worth to get it to start in the cold so rarely?