i cant start my lt230 by kicking it unless i use starting fluid but was told it was bad for the motor. is this true and are there kits to make it elec start cuz it runs + idles great once its started and i dont have enough funds to buy a new quad any advice is welcomed

 

If it is a 2 stroke use WD40 instead. Starter fluid is bad for 2strokes because you are basically getting it running with no oil mixture in fuel. WD provides at least a little lube.

 

First the LT230 is a four stroke.
Second, starting fluid wont hurt a 2 stroke. If you ran it purely on starting fluid then maybe it would. but a few quick squirts won't hurt. I have used starting fluid and never had problems.
Anyways, does your choke work?

 

If you need starting fluid then I'd suggest figuring out why. That could become a bad, and expensive, habit.

 

good plain old common sense post

starting fluid should not be a regular thing

 

bsb64 wd-40 does not work any more. They took the "flame ability" out of wd-40 a few years back.


Slacker1bob, I hate to disagree with you... but starting fluid it not good for a 2-stroke at all.
The first squirt washes any remaining oil film off the bearings/cyl walls, the second/third squirt keeps it dry causing piston scuffing/cyl wall scoring, bearing galling. If it starts for a few seconds (on the starting fluid) then dies from no fuel you can be sure it is running dry.
It will not cause an immediate failure but IMHO the accelerated wear is not good or necessary.
A squirt bottle with fuel/oil premix will work fine and cause no wear to piston/cyl.

Slinger and Bing are right; the problem should be fixed not circumvented.

 

Yeah, what allcool said......

 

Starting fluid is really bad news for a gas engine. It's great volatility enables a balky motor to fire but it not only flushes away lubricant but actually displaces it at the molecular level. For that brief time until the film of lubricant is replaced it's metal on metal in its purest form. I use starting fluid to clean off oil from freshly machined parts and nothing works better for that!
Ether is bad enough in diesel engines where the fuel itself is a lubricant, and it's use dramatically accelerates wear when needed and used. In gas engines it is death.
Find out why it won't start and fix that. You'll thank yourself later.

 

Well, do whatever you want, but starting fluid in small amounts does no harm. As soon as the motor gets started, the fuel/oil mix rushes in and lubricates everything.
I rarely have to use it, but I am not afraid to.

 

<<<bsb64 wd-40 does not work any more. They took the "flame ability" out of wd-40 a few years back.>>>

Really? I did not know that. We used it to get the kid's LT80 going in January when it was 0 degrees outside. One squirt and it kicked over.