How do you heat up your carb'ed engine so it starts in cold weather?
- Thread starter No H2O
- Start date
francoblay1
The Spaniard
Well that shoots some holes in my theory...
No H2O
Active Member
How were you able to access the back of the button to install the tape padding/shimming?
Reddickracing
Well-Known Member
Just took apart the controls and behind the buttons cut some electrical tape to fill in button slots. Think I used 2 or 3 pieces to get the thickness needed. When I get a chance will get you some pics
No H2O
Active Member
That would be great, thanks
No H2O
Active Member
Has anyone tried placing hot hands super warmers on their carb overnight?
https://www.amazon.com/HotHands-Bod...ocphy=1014895&hvtargid=pla-437251985758&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/HotHands-Bod...ocphy=1014895&hvtargid=pla-437251985758&psc=1
You know how you can take an air tool, press the trigger, and feel the cool air coming out of the vents? Or compressed air with an air tip and you place your finger over the cold rushing air as opposed to blocking the air causing heat? So when the intake sucks that air and moves that volume into the chamber, that more or less condenses the gas from its existing mist at the jet. A japanese engineer patented a CV (constant velocity) carb thinking he could eliminate the droplets hugging the port walls, which was his abstract explaining the design.
Besides the long travel of the port canal, add the carb's Y block, and the venturi length at the jet holes, it's a cold tunnel. And if you think about it, the gas that far away from the valve opening has time to condense back to droplets from its exiting mist. Then you think about the blow back ['for every action-reaction'] is that spent air; warming up the gas and the port to expand again on entry. Therefore, it would be a waste to heat the carb if the long cold port travel is about to condense it. Therefore, the bike begins to warm up head wise, not warm gas wise. It's still going to be hard starting if you believe the warm carb scenario vs cold head is going to work.
Make sense?
Besides the long travel of the port canal, add the carb's Y block, and the venturi length at the jet holes, it's a cold tunnel. And if you think about it, the gas that far away from the valve opening has time to condense back to droplets from its exiting mist. Then you think about the blow back ['for every action-reaction'] is that spent air; warming up the gas and the port to expand again on entry. Therefore, it would be a waste to heat the carb if the long cold port travel is about to condense it. Therefore, the bike begins to warm up head wise, not warm gas wise. It's still going to be hard starting if you believe the warm carb scenario vs cold head is going to work.
Make sense?
No H2O
Active Member
I think if I read that another ten times and more thoroughly it might start to make sense but I guess my rationale is, whether it's the carb, the oil tank, whatever part/component, when the temperature gets cold that part is getting cold and is making it hard to start. So I figured if that part(s) can be identified and those warmers placed on it/them, then we've eliminated the temperature causing issues.
There is a simple enough solution, heated garage... no need to place heating pads anywhere on the bike if it's environment is warm..
No H2O
Active Member
A heated garage is going to cost more than the $2k EFI conversion kit.
Still, it wouldn't solve the use-case of leaving a strange woman's apartment/house in the early morning (no power source overnight guaranteed) when at times a smooth and quick getaway is needed :-o
41bigdawg
Let the Big Dawg eat !
Now there is a great idea...
No H2O
Active Member
To add: one thing I noticed is if it's cold, like 30s, but not Arctic, like single digits, if I give it too much gas or gas/air ratio then it also won't start but it's a different "feel" to the not starting. So then I need to back off more and it'll start.
To summarize there's 4 variables affecting cold weather starting with a carb;
a) clean starter button contact
b) amount of pre-start gas (throttle twists)
c) amount of enricher (gas/air ratio)
d) oil weight
an EFI would solve b) and c)
but as far as d) goes, who uses a lighter weight oil in the winter and if so, what brand and weight are you using?
To summarize there's 4 variables affecting cold weather starting with a carb;
a) clean starter button contact
b) amount of pre-start gas (throttle twists)
c) amount of enricher (gas/air ratio)
d) oil weight
an EFI would solve b) and c)
but as far as d) goes, who uses a lighter weight oil in the winter and if so, what brand and weight are you using?
francoblay1
The Spaniard
Applications
Mobil 1 10W-60 has been designed to help provide the extra protection in all operating conditions, from mild to extreme.
https://www.amazon.com/Motor-Oils-1..._feature_keywords_three_browse-bin:6397048011
francoblay1
The Spaniard
Lots of reading in Google....
How Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil performs and protects your engine in cold climates. Your engine is vulnerable at startup. That’s when it really needs the oil to keep flowing. Cold weather can cause motor oil to flow either too slowly, or not at all. And that can take a toll on your engine. That’s why choosing the right motor oil can make a big difference.
Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil flows at temperatures as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit, so that your car gets the oil it needs immediately at startup.
https://mobiloil.com/en/article/why...-performance/mobil-1-protects-in-cold-weather
How Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil performs and protects your engine in cold climates. Your engine is vulnerable at startup. That’s when it really needs the oil to keep flowing. Cold weather can cause motor oil to flow either too slowly, or not at all. And that can take a toll on your engine. That’s why choosing the right motor oil can make a big difference.
Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil flows at temperatures as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit, so that your car gets the oil it needs immediately at startup.
https://mobiloil.com/en/article/why...-performance/mobil-1-protects-in-cold-weather
No H2O
Active Member
The link shows different lighter weight car oils.
Would love to use the Motul but
I was told to only use the V-Twin formulated oil since it has certain ingredients designed specifically for V-Twin engines and not to use car oil.
Any truth to that?
francoblay1
The Spaniard
I don't know....
francoblay1
The Spaniard
"The engine and transmission of most motorcycles use the same oil supply, so motorcycle engine oil lacks car oil's friction modifiers, which can make the clutch slip. Amsoil Synthetic V-Twin oil is formulated for high-temperature, air-cooled engines and the demands of frequent, short rides."
"Motorcycle oils and passenger car oils are very similar, with the exception of a couple of areas that are key to motorcycle operation. The first area concerns common sumps, or the use of motor oil, to lubricate and cool the transmission. As you know, in a passenger car the transmission is lubricated by an ATF fluid, which has frictional properties required for transmission operation. In a motorcycle, where the engine oil may lubricate the transmission, an engine oil that does not have the same level of friction modification (for fuel economy) of a typical passenger car engine oil will provide better transmission performance in terms of transmission lock-up and slippage. So motorcycle engine oil does not contain the friction modifiers of a passenger car engine oil. The second area of concern for motorcycle engine oils is that they tend to shear (break down viscosity) more quickly than a typical passenger car. Mobil 1™ motorcycle oils are designed to provide exceptional protection against viscosity loss."
"You can put car engine oil in motorcycle engines. Just don’t put it in your trans, primary and chain cases. Simple as that. 4 stroke motorcycle engines are no different in operation than car engines."
https://motorbikewriter.com/car-oils-suitable-motorcycle-bike/
wait till our “oil gurus” see this
