Starting a Cub in the cold

ellson · Jan 15, 2011

My Cub starts great when the temp is in the mid to upper teens but below 10 cranks but does not fire. Magneto 6V. Does anyone have any tricks to get it going to plow snow when it is cold? Will a whiff of strting fluid help? Perhaps it is IH"s way to tell you it is too cold to be out.

El Toro · Jan 15, 2011

You should pull a plug wire and see what the fire looks like when it won't start. Your coil may be getting weak in your mag causing the no start. I would try a hair dryer to heat the mag if you're close to house power. Then see if that helps with the starting. Hal

ericlb · Jan 15, 2011

just got thru with that problem with my '49, what i found is partialy it may be ih lol, [grandpa had a M that was the same way while the C would start right up] but seriously your tune up has to be spot on for cold start 6v, the mag points need to be fresh and proper gap, not close, but proper gap, plugs must be fresh and not fouled, solid core plug wires must be in good shape cap rotor ect, carb must be properly set, if it runs well when its warm out its fine dont play with the tweek-um screws on the carb if it runs good when its warm out, battery cable conections must be clean bright and tight, check all that and ill bet she'll start you'll have to play with the choke to figure out your tractors "sweet spot" for cold start every tractor is different

john *.?-!.* cub owner · Jan 15, 2011

I let mine set when it is that cold, but you may need to remove the mag and wash out the impulse coupling and lubricate with thin oil.

Tom Fleming · Jan 16, 2011

I am with john, sounds like the impulse ont he mag may be "gummy". For real cold situations, IH manual calls for kerosene as the lube on the older F series tractors. I always use what amounts to SAE 10 oil in distributors, generators, and mags.

IH also indicates cream separator oil, which is essentially mineral oil.

I have often wondered whether powdered graphite might be the way to go on impulse couplers...........I have never tried it, but I know that powered graphite is called for on other similar situations where oil would attract dirt and dust... just a thought.

gene bender · Jan 16, 2011

That little engine will start in 20 below only 60 cu in. Get things in shape new wires,plugs or something it will fire on the first rev even the 113 engines will start on first rev just need things fixed rite. Remember its only 60 or so yrs old so lots of things could be borderline.

mkirsch · Jan 16, 2011

The biggest mistake I see people making is, they treat the tractor like it's an EFI (electronic fuel injection), and just press the start button.

These are carbureted with manual choke. Every tractor is a little different, and most will need at least a blip of choke to get the fuel mixture right for starting. Especially, when it's cold.

I gotta figure if it'll start at 15 degrees, it's still sparking at 10. The difference is the air/fuel mixture. As it gets colder, the engine needs more fuel to fire because the air is denser.

The WORST thing you can do is give it a "whiff" of starting fluid, especially when you don't know WHY it won't start. It's a real good way to do some internal engine damage...

Starting a Cub in the cold

ellson

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El Toro

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ericlb

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john .?-!. cub owner

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Tom Fleming

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gene bender

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mkirsch

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Starting a Cub in the cold

ellson

Member

El Toro

Well-known Member

ericlb

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john *.?-!.* cub owner

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Tom Fleming

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gene bender

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mkirsch

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john .?-!. cub owner