My 2001 baja is hard to start in the cold 32 f . With full choke it will fire for a second then stall, it takes about ten or more tries before it will run on its own. After around a hour cool down it's hard to start again. I fear the bike will not start if it gets any colder, I'll have to leave it running at the camp. It has about 10 tanks of fuel run through it since the last dealer service(valves were done). I have left the bike stock to try to avoid these kind of problems. If anyone has any ideas on how to fix this I would like to know.

p.s maxxis 4-snow tires are now supposed to be availible dec 29....

2002 baja stock

2001 traxter
27 mud bugs
bomb plow

 

Hey it's getting cold here and I can't get my Baja started at all! Last winter I had my '01 DS and it was hard to start but I am getting nowhere. I put brand new plugs in it, drained the gas thinking maybe I'd gotten some condensation in the carb or gas tank and still nada. Not even a pop. I got spark, I got gas, I got nothin', and I want to ride Sunday.....[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

 

Squirt a little carb cleaner in the air filter. It should pop off, but be careful not to put too much.

 

When was the last time you checked your jetting? All three items need to be checked the air fuel mixture screw, the needle and the main jet. I know my DS was getting tough to start, then I took the carburetor apart, cleaned it, and re-jetted it and it started a hundred percent easier.

 

Sure am glad you asked this question.Seem to have the same problem with my 2003 Baja.Dealer told me not to use the choke but to give it half throttle and try to start it??????Now that sure doesn't work so what next?Tried setting up my idling a bit it helps some but when it warms up I have to stop and set it back again because she revs to high.Need help because we just got some fresh snow now it's time to play!

 

I think there is a little trick for every DS out there to get it started in the cold. On mine, I open the choke all the way, pump that gas twice and hit the starter button. Fires right up. Once its starts sputtering I put the choke on the next notch in. Let it sit for a minute and totally close the choke. Stays running and is warmed up and ready to ride.

 

I too wonder why DS650's are typically hard to start in the cold. I always pump the throttle a few time before starting it and that seems to help a little. I also have to keep the starter button engaged while giving it gas for a second after it fires. I know that higher octane gas is harder to ignite, so could that be contributing to our problem since we have to run at least 91 octane? Where is the air/fuel mixture screw located on the carb?

 

If the temperature is the olnly thing that changed then you are too lean now to get get it started. Colder air is denser and makes the A/F ratio leaner. Id try a bigger pilot jet. If the valves are out of spec then that could be another problem. Higher octane fuel is not harder to ignite. Different octanes burn the same.

 

hey i had a problem startinjg my 00 ds in the cold, but it turns out it wasnt the cold. i would get it started, but then let it warm up, and i was fouling my plugs if i let it idle more than a minute or two. it got to the point where it would just sputter and choke as soon as i let the clutch out at all. as it turned out, i just needed to romp on it a bit to get the carb cleaned out, and when im not riding it i shut it off. hopefully thats your problem, cuz its a bout the cheapest fix i can think of...

 

In regards to the hard starting when cold, I want to first be sure you understand that you have an enrichner and not a choke, a choke will reduce the airflow through the venturi, which in turn richens the mixture.

Your system is an enrichner, when you pull out the lever it opens a passage which draws fuel from the float bowl to the enrichner outlet. The enrichner is two position, make sure it is all the way out, 2nd, the enrichner uses the vacuum created in between the throttle valve and the engine to draw up the fuel, if you depress the throttle lever, you make the enrichner virtually useless.

Now, ways to get more fuel to the enrichner, in the float bowl, you will find a two round jets that look similar, one is the main jet, the other is the starter jet. The starter is the one without the splash diffuser, in a baja it is stamped with a 45. You first need to be sure this passage is clean, if so, and you ride where it is cold, you could increase this size to a 50 or 55 and you will improve it. Now if that is not enough, under this jet is a fixed orifice, this is the second starter jet, if the first solution is not helping you could increase the size of this orifice by a couple thousandths.

Hope this helps.