QuestionQUESTION: Hi Eric,
You probably remember from before about my 8hp Briggs that is hard to start in cold weather. I have a quick update about it. I can get it to start now but I have to flood it until gas drips out the carb and then open and close the choke on each pull and it eventually will start. I still have to take off the air filter to start it when cold. I adjusted the carb to factory specs and then fine tuned it. I removed the E3.10 spark plug because it would stumble when throttles up and adjusting the carb didn't help. I put the NGK back in it and it throttles up and down smoothly now. I let it sit in my basement which is 70F for 24 hours to warm it up and did a compression test which showed 98 psi cold. I forgot to hold the throttle open but I figured it was close enough. I pushed it outside and it started on 2 pulls with no choke and the air filter on. I brought it back outside and went to try it the next day I had to remove the air filter and flood it to get it to start. Once it has been running it will start on 1-2 pulls without the choke and the air filter on. I cleaned all the carbon out of the cylinder and checked valve clearances. Intake is .006 and exhaust is .010. Specs say .005-.007 and .009-.011
ANSWER: Folks who have used Briggs engines in really cold weather have always told me the Briggs engines are very cold natured, not wanting to start when it it cold.
Some of the older Briggs snowblower engines had a primer bulb with two nipples to provide enough fuel for the engine to run when cold. Even with the primer bulb folks said they had to continue to prime the engine until it warmed up. Briggs "cold nature" probably explains why most all snowblower engines are Tecumseh engines...they start right up when it is really cold.
I'm sure what else you can do to improve the cold start performance other than leave the engine running all the time...not too pratical.
Eric
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QUESTION: You're right about that. I've never had a Tecumseh fail to start even at 0F. I called the local Simplicity dealer and talked to the mechanic who's been their for 35 years he told me the same thing. And that even some of the winterized Sno/guard engines wouldn't start at all in cold temps. Thank you for your help. I appreciate it. I just won't use it below 20 degrees
AnswerI used to be a diehard Briggs fan but when it comes to snowblowers and cold weather running Tecumseh does a much better job. I haven't used a lot of Honda small engines in cold weather but I had one Honda motorcycle that was really cold natured but yet all the other Honda's I've had always started right up.
Just some FYI, Tecumseh stopped making engines a few years ago so the snowking engines may be run scarce, hard to find. However, I recently heard someone bought the Tecumseh engine manufacturing rights but I don't know the future plan.
Eric
