No H2O
Active Member
Yes, it does attempt to crank so it's chugging but nothing is "catching" aka the engine not turning over
How do you heat up your carb'ed engine so it starts in cold weather?
- Thread starter No H2O
- Start date
heybaylor
Active Member
whole different ballgame, is the starter spinning the engine ?
"not turning over to me is engine not spinning ..........?
"not cranking" is the engine not spinning .
"not starting" is the engine is spinning on starter , but not firing off (not running)
"Ole nomenclature" is a biggy on the internent
Reddickracing
Well-Known Member
So the engine is NOT turning over? Like he said whole dif ballgame. You been getting advice on an engine that spins but not starting. Sounds like your battery not strong enough. No matter how cold it is mine will spin the hell out it
heybaylor
Active Member
hang in there, we will get this thing running ....
41bigdawg
Let the Big Dawg eat !
I would put a meter on the battery, check the battery connections and make sure they are tight. The cold temps are hard on a battery and if it is not in tip top shape it will zap all the juice from it in a hurry. Somebody correct me if I am wrong we are looking for at least 12.8 resting voltage correct?
Cold weather is deadly on old batteries. I think ole man frost done killed your battery. Replace your battery and it should start. I would also use 10-30 oil on your BDM during the winter months. I use 20-50 but its always warm down here. If we get a cold front we usually get down to maybe 50 for a day and back up to 80 within a day or so. Hope this helps
Carlos
Carlos
No H2O
Active Member
Battery bought new in August.
Measures 12.75 at rest.
Even after a hair dryer for a while the engine is still bone cold. Right now things point to a matter of getting that engine warm before trying to start and tbh this is more and more leading me towards the EFI direction. It's not uncommon for me to work a 12-16 hour shift with the bike out front of the building in the cold. It's not like I have a source of electricity to heat the engine before starting, nor do I care to do so.
I guess the question now becomes since 08 was the first year of the EFIs, were those EFIs produced by BDM and therefore should wait for a later year or were the EFI's produced by another company who'd been putting them out for a while?
Nukeranger
Nukeranger
Four out of my 5 bikes are carbs and they all hated those 30 degree mornings when I was going home from work. I've had to get a jump when draining a battery trying to get a start to go home. It sucks. I would carry Jump Starts to help the battery out. When I reached 50, I stopped ridding on those cold days. The worse part was my frozen knuckles with no wind protection. It didn't matter how many or how big the gloves were. The Dog didn't like those cold mornings and none of the Triumphs liked them either including my Daytona 675 with EFI. Don't fall into believing EFI will solve your problem. The battery gets too cold to deliver the CCAs and the Engine is too cold to start until warmed up and needs a lot of CCAs.
not meaning to sound too much like a dick, but maybe the best solution to your situation would be to go back to riding your BMW on cold days.
No H2O
Active Member
That's what I'm (unfortunately) doing but at the same time I bought a bike to ride when I want to ride, not to be limited to 6 months out of the year.
I never use the enrichiner and usually twist throttle twice, start it and then use the Cruise Mate to warm the bike up. I do keep it in an unheated garage, roll it outside to start and leave when the temps are around 20 and there will be frost on the ground. When leaving work the temps can be in upper 20' and starts just fine. Our winters are mild compared to most northern states and the last 5 years started wearing heated gloves and a vest. Yeah I know, but still I ride and not a popsicle when I get to work.
I only use premium fuel and replace the battery every year with a Harley agm battery. I also carry in my bag a jump start battery I got from WSX just in case (one of the Harley riders needs a jump). haha
While my starter was not exhibiting any know issues, I went ahead and sent it to Curtis at Wild Steed Worx for his starter upgrades, and works better than ever.
I only use premium fuel and replace the battery every year with a Harley agm battery. I also carry in my bag a jump start battery I got from WSX just in case (one of the Harley riders needs a jump). haha
While my starter was not exhibiting any know issues, I went ahead and sent it to Curtis at Wild Steed Worx for his starter upgrades, and works better than ever.
If your carb'ed bike is not turning over why do you think that EFI'ed one will?
Recently I have started using my own timing curve in my adjustable thunderheart ignition.
I have retarded timing from fifteen degrees to nine degrees at zero rpm and rising to fifteen degrees
in a straight line at seven hundred and sixty eight rpm. This should make it easier for the starter
to turn the motor over. I would try this if you have programmable ignition in you're bike plus
I would get that lithium jump starter as well.
My two bob's worth.
Paul.
Recently I have started using my own timing curve in my adjustable thunderheart ignition.
I have retarded timing from fifteen degrees to nine degrees at zero rpm and rising to fifteen degrees
in a straight line at seven hundred and sixty eight rpm. This should make it easier for the starter
to turn the motor over. I would try this if you have programmable ignition in you're bike plus
I would get that lithium jump starter as well.
My two bob's worth.
Paul.
francoblay1
The Spaniard
My starter just clicks the first time I try to start the bike but the second try turns the motor great.
I know, I should clean the solenoid contacts. Do not have starting problem other than that and the bike
will start at 12.6 Volts.
To answer your question Franco I think It helps.
Paul.
I know, I should clean the solenoid contacts. Do not have starting problem other than that and the bike
will start at 12.6 Volts.
To answer your question Franco I think It helps.
Paul.
No H2O
Active Member
Simply because my FI fat boy is an 01 which is the first year that the fat boy had FI and in cold temps it turns over immediately and no throttling required to keep it idling so I can gear up while the bike warms. No blankets, no heaters, no enrichers, and no throttlling.
If an FI can perform like that in 01 I figure an 08 BDM FI should perform like that as well, unless BDM made their own EFI in house then 08 would be the first year and I'd obviously want to research how those performed.
pknowles
RETIRED
How many miles on your 01.just curious.
Sounds like(?):
1. Cold air condenses so the gas out of the carb jet is a percentage of air mixed with gas, so yes, mist from jet out of tube.
2. Cold air or room temp in the garage, outside, is the venturi, the carb intake track, the intake port, is that cold length being way long before it enters the chamber is back to droplets hugging the wall surface(s).
3. Cod air in the chamber is still room temp so the gas enters as drops, not a mist = Hard starting.
4. FI wise, injector is much closer to the chamber in its position than a carb say.
5. FI wise, injector spay is out of tiny holes so it's small enough to mix with the air = Fires faster than carb style in same room temp atmosphere.
My little electric pad blankey is wrapped around and under the intake track so the air is hotter down the track, carb's gas is warmer, mist out the jet remains more a mist than shrinks to droplets = Starts [maybe better] than no pad at all.
1. Cold air condenses so the gas out of the carb jet is a percentage of air mixed with gas, so yes, mist from jet out of tube.
2. Cold air or room temp in the garage, outside, is the venturi, the carb intake track, the intake port, is that cold length being way long before it enters the chamber is back to droplets hugging the wall surface(s).
3. Cod air in the chamber is still room temp so the gas enters as drops, not a mist = Hard starting.
4. FI wise, injector is much closer to the chamber in its position than a carb say.
5. FI wise, injector spay is out of tiny holes so it's small enough to mix with the air = Fires faster than carb style in same room temp atmosphere.
My little electric pad blankey is wrapped around and under the intake track so the air is hotter down the track, carb's gas is warmer, mist out the jet remains more a mist than shrinks to droplets = Starts [maybe better] than no pad at all.
Then again, I've been around servicing bikes, starting bikes for so long, there is [I believe] an idiosyncrasy to each bike. It wants or has the ability to start a certain way. You need to find it.
Something popped in my mind just now. What do you think of expanding the gap of the plugs? The longer arc might keep the spark lit longer. I'd say a hotter plug by one step size, maybe? But then again, you just have a cold start issue. Starting fluid is a no-no vs. high compression. You might ratio wrong and blow the head gasket(s) sooner if not later.
Something popped in my mind just now. What do you think of expanding the gap of the plugs? The longer arc might keep the spark lit longer. I'd say a hotter plug by one step size, maybe? But then again, you just have a cold start issue. Starting fluid is a no-no vs. high compression. You might ratio wrong and blow the head gasket(s) sooner if not later.
No H2O
Active Member
As a matter of fact I'd recently changed to E3 plugs.
I'd started and run on the E3s fine but thinking the cold weather combined with the E3s may have been the issue.
I switched back to the old plugs, no cigar.
The solution:
I sprayed starting fluid into the carb, no cigar but closer than before to catching and turning over.
I tried it again with both the starting fluid and this time twisting the throttle whilst depressing the start button.
Lesson learned, contrary to both BDM and online feedback, on my bike the throttle does indeed need to be twisted whilst attempting to start.
Fired right up.
Rode it.
Will never let it sit more than 2 days again.