MG Car Repair: 1971 mgb, starter fluid, grade fuel

Question
so its been about two weeks since i started my mgb, and its been about 28 degrees at night but when i go to start it it want start. so later that day i tried to start it and it was about 60 degrees and it started just fine.

my question is why wont it start when its somewhat cold out?

Answer
Hi Parker,
Everything is against you when it is very cold. Liquid gasoline does not burn, it is the fumes that burn and there are very little fumes when it is very cold. Also when the engine is very cold the oil is thick and the engine is very hard to turn over so the starter had to strain more to spin the engine, this draws a lot more current from the battery leaving less for the ignition system to operate on. All batteries have less power the colder they are.
All these factors are working against you.

In the winter you should use a lighter grade oil and keep a spray can of starter fluid in the car. Another thing to do is use a higher grade fuel in the winter. Check the ignition timing and chokes on the carbs. See that both jets pull down when the choke cable is pulled out.
Howard