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I've owned a woodsplitter for about 12 years and it works great. Much easier for an old guy than the splitting maul that I used for decades.
The splitter has a B&S 650 series engine that generally starts easily and runs well. BUT it only starts at or above 50°F. WHY?
At 50° it might take 6-8 pulls to get it going. At warmer temperatures (55 or higher) it will generally start with 1-2 pulls.
Once it's warm from running, it always restarts with a single pull. It always runs smoothly with plenty of power even when the wood is tough.
What might be causing it to NEVER start below 50°F, no matter how many pulls I give it?
It has behaved this way ever since it was new. Most of the time it's no problem at all. But once in a great while, I would like to be able to split a little wood when the temperature might be down in the 30s or 40s. Any helpful hints would be much appreciated.
I've asked on other forums in the past but never gotten any replies to my question.

It comes down to the engine being jetted for warm weather, and the choke may be setup to operate at warmer tems therefore the choke doesn't cause enough air intake restriction for starting in cold weather.

I have a customer with a Toro Z turn that has a Kohler Courage engine that I always show up with a can of brake cleaner to use for starting fluid to start that engine for the first time in the spring when I pick it up for spring service. That engine will not start below 50 degrees and it doesn't matter how much you crank or choke it.

ILENGINE said:

It comes down to the engine being jetted for warm weather, and the choke may be setup to operate at warmer tems therefore the choke doesn't cause enough air intake restriction for starting in cold weather.

I have a customer with a Toro Z turn that has a Kohler Courage engine that I always show up with a can of brake cleaner to use for starting fluid to start that engine for the first time in the spring when I pick it up for spring service. That engine will not start below 50 degrees and it doesn't matter how much you crank or choke it.

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Thank you for that. So, are you suggesting that the only "fix" for my warm-weather-only engine is to use starting fluid if I want to use it in cooler weather?
I just realized that in my original post I forgot to say that not only does it not start, it won't even fire the least little bit.

Sometimes you can improve the starting by either replacing the choke plate with one designed for colder temps. or I have modified choke plates by closing off some of the holes in the plate to make them more restrictive. Like that Kohler I discussed I actually filled two of the four holes in the choke plate to make it more reliable to start.

Some of the push mower engines are designed to operate at temps above 70 degrees. Good luck trying to start one at fall 40 degree temps.

ILENGINE said:

Sometimes you can improve the starting by either replacing the choke plate with one designed for colder temps. or I have modified choke plates by closing off some of the holes in the plate to make them more restrictive. Like that Kohler I discussed I actually filled two of the four holes in the choke plate to make it more reliable to start.

Some of the push mower engines are designed to operate at temps above 70 degrees. Good luck trying to start one at fall 40 degree temps.

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Thank you for the additional info. I'll consider this through the winter and maybe experiment come spring. This makes me wonder, though, why they would have sold me a woodsplitter with an engine intended for warm weather use – I'm in far northern Minnesota. But being where I am, I think it's not worth trying to start my B&S anymore this year. Our temperatures are currently fluctuating between highs in the mid 30s and lows down into the teens and single digits, and only working their way lower as the ground here turns white. Eventually we will be seeing temps down into the -30s and -40s for a while before the Sun once again rescues us, as it always does. We'll be happy if our cars and trucks start through the winter. Thanks, again, for your help.

Plus it could simply that valves needing adjusting as colder temps usually lowers the starting compression and with valve just barely closing it may cause starting issues.

If I remember the 650 series are L-head engines.

Is there no option to heat up the engine before starting, with a hairdryer or something?

Back in the days when you could buy an incandescent light bulb my father would hang a trouble light next to a motor to keep it warm for easier cold weather starting

I use sometimes a 500Watt halogen working light for that!

Of topic: I had once a whole in a cilinderhead of a car. (Had a broken bolt, but drilled out the wrong spot)
Repaired it with defcon-C. Put two working next to the engine covered with (wool!) blankets, because it was to cold.
It worked.

I've used a heat gun to get mine to start in the cold. I pull the plug and heat the combustion chamber directly until good and warm. Reinstall the plug, she hits on one pull. Anything above freezing, not needed for mine.

90% chance the choke is not fully closing. See if you can adjust the cable.

A slightly open choke in warm or cold weather can cause this problem.

callwill said:

Back in the days when you could buy an incandescent light bulb my father would hang a trouble light next to a motor to keep it warm for easier cold weather starting

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I did that with my truck, worked like a charm.

lemen said:

Is there no option to heat up the engine before starting, with a hairdryer or something?

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I could do that, but it doesn't seem worth the bother. I've got enough wood split for the winter, to go along with all the full rounds. The remaining wood that I would like to split can wait until the Sun warms us up again in the Spring. Direct solar power is cheaper than electricity.

Etbrown44 said:

90% chance the choke is not fully closing. See if you can adjust the cable.

A slightly open choke in warm or cold weather can cause this problem.

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The choke is closing as it should, so I'm pretty sure that's not the problem.

What oil is in it. You may want to use a 5w30 synthetic oil so the engine turns over easier in the cold along with the other suggestions.

What about your fuel? Old fuel can make it hard to start. Also gas sold in warm weather is formulated different than that you buy in cold weather, and could be related to your problem.

Freddie21 said:

What oil is in it. You may want to use a 5w30 synthetic oil so the engine turns over easier in the cold along with the other suggestions.

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The engine turns over very easily, even well below 50°, but the engine won't fire at all below 50°.

Fish said:

What about your fuel? Old fuel can make it hard to start. Also gas sold in warm weather is formulated different than that you buy in cold weather, and could be related to your problem.

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The fuel is new. The engine simply will not fire below 50°, and it never has, even when new. At and above 50° it fires well and starts well, although it takes a few more pulls of the cord as the temperature drops closer to 50°.

November 13. The temp got up to 45°F, so I got my splitter started and split a nice pile of wood.

Yeah, I know that I said it has never wanted to start below 50°. How did it start today at 45°?
As I've previously mentioned, I was going to wait for the Sun to warm us up again.
The Sun was shining today. On my splitter. And the engine is black. It fired right up.
Our forecast says the temp is supposed to get up into the 40s for the next couple of days, and the Suns is supposed to be shining a little tomorrow and a lot the next day, so I should be able to get some more splitting done.
Gotta work with Mother Nature.

We haven't seen much of the Sun over the past month and a half because it's been cloudy and rainy quite often, after a long dry spell this summer.

If you only need to use the splitter in colder weather a few times a year, keeping a can of starting fluid handy might resolve the issue in the easiest manner I can think of. It is not a very technical solution, but how much effort is it worth to get it to start in the cold so rarely?

lbrac said:

If you only need to use the splitter in colder weather a few times a year, keeping a can of starting fluid handy might resolve the issue in the easiest manner I can think of. It is not a very technical solution, but how much effort is it worth to get it to start in the cold so rarely?

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I have always almost exclusively used the splitter in warm to hot weather. It is only once in a great while that I have used it, or at least tried to use it, when temps are below 50°. I did use it today, when it was only 45°, but the Sun warmed it up for me, so it started quite easily.