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Glades Ranger
MMT 1000 Club
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2011 6:32 pm Posts: 1490 Location: south Florida
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Cold Weather running
We get very little cold temps down here, I did get icing years ago with my last 25 Kohler GD motor when it was upper 20's via wind chill, and the motor bogged down as I was running a long canal and had to wait till sunup warmup to be able to restart. What, if anything do you all up north do for winter temps? What oil, grease, gas do you use to prevent icing and other issues? I typically use synthetic oil 10w-30 and synthetic grease and run 93 and stabil . I imagine if cold enough, the grease in the drive tube could lock up? From long runs by stualaska (Alaska) I reckon these glorified air cooled motors do fine but logic tells me you must do something preventative up there? I am hoping we get some real cold fronts this season, I do better in cold weather.
_________________ Sailing in the sawgrass /1648 grizzly and Swomp 26.5 EFI
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Wed Sep 05, 2018 5:51 pm |
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4Cody4
MMT 1000 Club
Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:21 am Posts: 2530 Location: Land of 10,000 Lakes
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Re: Cold Weather running
Not much. Lube the throttle cable good so that doesn’t freeze. If it’s really cold I may start the motor in my shop before I leave and let it run all the way to the ramp. I’ve not had a problem other than a shitty idle.
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_________________ "Two people in this world wear helmets, and that's dare devils and pussies." - Willie Braun
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Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:23 pm |
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bluesky2012
MMT F.E.
Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:19 am Posts: 981
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Re: Cold Weather running
On a really cold day last year I had mine act up and not want to run over like 2500 rpms for a while. I didn’t start it till I got to the ramp and it was single digits. 300-400 yards later it warmed up and off it went like nothing happened. 50 hrs later, no change. Idk if some moisture froze in a jet or what it was but it’s gone. I’d recommend running it for a while to warm it up, turn the cover so it sucks in air over the muffler, and go have fun.
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Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:57 pm |
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mnugent
MMT Member
Joined: Wed Apr 27, 2016 7:17 am Posts: 24
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Re: Cold Weather running
Get a motor cover I think the wind causes more problems than just cold I usually warm up at the ramp before unloading as well and never have issues and it gets real cold up here in new hampshire
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Thu Sep 06, 2018 4:08 am |
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Glades Ranger
MMT 1000 Club
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2011 6:32 pm Posts: 1490 Location: south Florida
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Re: Cold Weather running
Thank you, gents! I imagine you all use 5W-30 oil versus the 10W-30 I use down here? I believe the 5W has thinner viscosity and should perform better in the cold temps. With my BW I am not using much grease, and I use synthetic (Mobil 1) though I know many say it does not make a difference but I disagree. In many motors there is a foam pre-cleaner around the air filter- do you remove this? I remove it myself, because I am not cutting grass only submerged veggies.
_________________ Sailing in the sawgrass /1648 grizzly and Swomp 26.5 EFI
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Thu Sep 06, 2018 6:28 am |
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bluesky2012
MMT F.E.
Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:19 am Posts: 981
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Re: Cold Weather running
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Thu Sep 06, 2018 6:59 am |
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Duckslayer5200
MMT Member
Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2016 7:24 pm Posts: 29
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Re: Cold Weather running
I’m in MI, so plenty of 30 def mornings up here. I run 5w-30 all year. It is the same viscosity as 10w-30 at warmer temps but acts like a 5 wt oil at low temps. It helps starting but also gives the same protection. As far as issues running in the cold I just start it at the ramp before I put my waders on and by the time I’m ready to launch it’s running fine.
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Fri Sep 07, 2018 7:44 pm |
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JLACOUR
MMT 1000 Club
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2009 8:18 pm Posts: 4915 Location: Lake Jackson, TX
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Re: Cold Weather running
The kohler has hydraulic lifters so it’s more sensitive to oil weight and temperature.
_________________ 37 PD EFI FPR 18x48 Tiller SOLD -- 36 PD EFI FPR 18x48 Stick Steer SOLD -- 27 PD FPR 16x36 Skiff
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Fri Sep 07, 2018 10:41 pm |
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Glades Ranger
MMT 1000 Club
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2011 6:32 pm Posts: 1490 Location: south Florida
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Re: Cold Weather running
My first mm was a Briggs 18, three Kohlers after that...workhorses from Wisconsin, very reliable.
_________________ Sailing in the sawgrass /1648 grizzly and Swomp 26.5 EFI
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Sun Sep 09, 2018 7:50 am |
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MNGunner
MMT 1000 Club
Joined: Mon Jan 09, 2012 8:56 pm Posts: 2623 Location: Minnesota
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Re: Cold Weather running
5W-30 synthetic. Turn the air intake 90 degrees to get warmer air off the muffler. lube the cable with silicone lube and put a dab of plumbers grease on the ends to keep moisture out. keep battery on a charger cover motor if out in the elements start and let it warm up a LONG time before use.
_________________ 1754 Gator Trax Hybrid Hunt Deck with GTR35
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Tue Sep 11, 2018 5:43 am |
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Glades Ranger
MMT 1000 Club
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2011 6:32 pm Posts: 1490 Location: south Florida
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Re: Cold Weather running
Thank you all! Apart from the different oil, most of those can be used in warmer climes as well. I start the motor and run for at least 10 minutes every week. Have a good cover because the sun and rain also can wreak havoc.
_________________ Sailing in the sawgrass /1648 grizzly and Swomp 26.5 EFI
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Thu Sep 13, 2018 6:26 am |
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aknative
MMT Pro Member
Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2015 8:56 pm Posts: 91
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Re: Cold Weather running
When I first had it happen it was with a 25 Kohler. I called Stu and he told me to block the front of that Kohler airbox with socks and duct tape so it would only take air from the back. Now with my 35 Briggs engines I keep a little shield to wire around the intake hole to get it to take air from closer to the muffler.
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Sun Sep 23, 2018 1:49 am |
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