• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Cold weather stalling

Share this page

1

100DashSix

Jedi Trainee
Country flag
Offline
I'm using my MG for a few weeks, and the temperature is about 10-30 degrees here. This morning, despite the temp gauge rising to where it usually does, the car was stalling at stoplights. I have a 32/36 DGV on there, which I tuned back in the warm weather, and which might be running rich (and certainly not lean).

Any tips on avoiding this? Raise the idle speed up, perhaps (with the choke on it's 900 or 950, with it off it's probably 650), or richen the mixture? I had the choke on nearly full, yet it still stalled when I would coast down in neutral.
 
Re: Cold weather running

Don't be surprised if your not picking up ice in the venturi. I had a Weber on my CJ7 Jeep and I removed the preheater tube for summer running. I forgot to reconnect it when cold weather came and it iced up inside. I was visiting my son in New Jersey at the time. Just a thought. PJ
 
Re: Cold weather running

Ah, I hadn't connected that heater, and now it's at home. Hm.. anyway I can check for ice, or anything else I can do?

I've heard of what are basically electric blankets for your engine.. Perhaps it can be wrapped up in one of those?
 
Re: Cold weather running

I think the idle is a little low for cold weather. Crank it up a little to 800 and see if that fixes it.

Bruce
 
Re: Cold weather running

A heating device, whether blanket or hot dipstick will make it easier to start on cold mornings and will extend the engine life as oil gets to flowing faster, but you could still ice up if there was enough moisture in the air and the venturi caused the air to cool a bit more. In a car, your engine quits and you pull over to the side of the road. In an airplane, your engine quits and, if you are not quick with your carb heat, you hopefully float gently to the ground. Hopefully you find a decent spot to set it down. (Ask me how I know).

Guinn
 
Re: Cold weather running

Guinn said:
A heating device, whether blanket or hot dipstick will make it easier to start on cold mornings and will extend the engine life as oil gets to flowing faster, but you could still ice up if there was enough moisture in the air and the venturi caused the air to cool a bit more. In a car, your engine quits and you pull over to the side of the road. In an airplane, your engine quits and, if you are not quick with your carb heat, you hopefully float gently to the ground. Hopefully you find a decent spot to set it down. (Ask me how I know).

Guinn
Click to expand...

Almost, I said Almost been there Guinn. I used to ask my students, what was the purpose of the big fan in front of the aircraft? You know the common answers. But I would tell them it was to keep the pilot cool. Of course they'd look at me like I had two heads and ask, what do you mean? I said, just think about it, if it stops turning, it'll get awfully hot in here. Haha. Most of them never forgot that little message. PJ
 
Re: Cold weather running

All I can say is that I'm glad my MG is not a plane.

I added some moisture-removing stuff to the gas and that might've helped with the cold running as well, though I still have to pump the gas when I shift into neutral, or the revs plummet.

What're the symptoms of a bad fuel pump or incorrect fuel pressure going to the weber?
 
Re: Cold weather running

Paul & Guinn: It not only gets hot when that fan stops turning, it gets <u>WAY</u> too quiet!
Jeff
 
Re: Cold weather running

I'd move the idle up to 800-900. I can't even imagine driving my MG right now. It just doesnt do well in 2 feet of snow...
Makes me want to move SOUTH. How about back down to FLA.
Naaa...

Newkie
 
Re: Cold weather running

100DashSix said:
All I can say is that I'm glad my MG is not a plane.

I added some moisture-removing stuff to the gas and that might've helped with the cold running as well, though I still have to pump the gas when I shift into neutral, or the revs plummet.

What're the symptoms of a bad fuel pump or incorrect fuel pressure going to the weber?
Click to expand...

Weber's, as I can remember, aren't that critical on fuel pressure. I would guess that you need to warm up the air going in. A way to help, in a small way, to warm up the engine compartment, is to put a foam rubber piece between the radiator and top brace. Moss sells them, or make your own. This stops the cold air from coming in over the top of the rad. Also plug any side holes in the rad. brace. (Just for winter)! I definitely think your carb is running to cold. JMHO. PJ
 
Re: Cold weather running

Yep. When the fan stopped turning on my Grumman-American TR2, at night, with just a freeway under me, it did get hot! Darn near got stinky, too.

And when ALL FOUR stopped cold over Korea, it got REAL hot and very quiet! Thankfully that was an error in fuel management, but for about two minutes that seemed like hours, it was a bit scary.

Guinn
 
Re: Cold weather running

"error in fuel management" what a neat twist of words.
 
Re: Cold weather running

Jack, I was the CCE on a C54 out of Ashia Japan, about my fourth flight as CCE. Switched to just tip tanks after climbout and FORGOT to switch to mains when tips ran low. Ran out of fuel and...

Now you know the rest of the story!

Guinn
 
Re: Cold weather running

Oh an adventure, cool.

And they really let you fly again, hehe.
 
Back
Top