Cold Blooded Honda

Code54 · Dec 31, 2017

This is a bit extreme but gives you the idea.
Cold Pour Test: AMSOIL Synthetic Oil versus Conventional Oil - YouTube

tomplum · Dec 31, 2017

I hope you see a difference with the 0 weight. That's about all you can do to help there besides warming the machine. With the choke helping the runability, it would sound like the main jet in carburetor should be cleaned. You can try running through a cleaner like Seafoam in the fuel. You probably have good access to the carburetor bowl nut. Shut off the fuel, remove the nut with a 10 mm wrench draining and cleaning the bowl. The main is straight up the stem of the carb. Most times all you need to do is give a few blasts of carb spray via the very center tube using the straw.

Code54 · Dec 31, 2017

Could put a stick on engine block heater on it. Ebay and Amazon both have a bunch of magnetic mount ones.

MossRoad · Jan 1, 2018

tomplum said:
I hope you see a difference with the 0 weight. That's about all you can do to help there besides warming the machine. With the choke helping the runability, it would sound like the main jet in carburetor should be cleaned. You can try running through a cleaner like Seafoam in the fuel. You probably have good access to the carburetor bowl nut. Shut off the fuel, remove the nut with a 10 mm wrench draining and cleaning the bowl. The main is straight up the stem of the carb. Most times all you need to do is give a few blasts of carb spray via the very center tube using the straw.

What he said...

MossRoad · Jan 1, 2018

crmorse said:
If none of the above, check your thermostat. Might not be closing so at idle it's cooling the engine too much.

Does a Honda air cooled engine have a thermostat? :confused3:

4get gto · Jan 1, 2018

Small engines are different animals when they run at 40 degree out verus 0. Once running readjust the carb a little and see what happens. I never had a small engine that started on 1- 2 pulls when its this cold out. Might be getting ice in the carb.

5 degrees this morning. High teens during the day. I'm not running right either.

crazyal · Jan 3, 2018

Code54 said:
Could put a stick on engine block heater on it. Ebay and Amazon both have a bunch of magnetic mount ones.

It's probably an aluminum block.

crmorse · Jan 3, 2018

MossRoad said:
Does a Honda air cooled engine have a thermostat? :confused3:

Doh! I missed that... that's what I get for feeling smart like I knew an answer.

Code54 · Jan 4, 2018

crazyal said:
It's probably an aluminum block.

We often use a strap to attach them to alum. blocks or tanks when needed. On some of the smaller machines we just lay them in position when needed. Works better than expected in most cases.

MossRoad · Jan 4, 2018

crmorse said:
Doh! I missed that... that's what I get for feeling smart like I knew an answer.

With all the electronic engine controls theses days, it wouldn't surprise me if a small air cooled engine had some sort of temp sensor and computer to adjust mixture, so that's why I asked. Thought maybe I needed some more education.