cub cadet 149 questions
 

I have a cub cadet 149 that, when warm outside starts up immediately. It runs great with no smoke(blue or black). When it gets to 40 degrees. It will get to the top of the compression stroke and quit, then begin to turn again. If you are lucky you can get it to fire.also, when its running and you remove the dipstick you can feel alot of pressure coming out. Never enough to pop the dipstick off. My 2 questions are:1. Can the starter be losing torque or is the starter a "works or it doesn't" thing? The battery and terminals are new and tight. How much, if any, blowby is normal? It burns no oil and no blue smoke.

it could be allot of things. obviously as temp goes down oil in the crankcase and the hydro get thicker, battery loose's cranking amps and a worn starter/gen can cause issues. poor grounds, weak connections all make it worse. if I remember right that for the QL there was a cold start kit or clutch available for cold temps that was mounted in line of the driveshaft so you could disconnect the hydro while cranking. one thing you could check is the adjustment of the comp release. theres a spec in the manual. it could be off slightly and still start in warmer weather. also check your point gap. to far advance will cause hard starting or keep it from getting over the top on the comp stroke. there is a spec for crankcase preassure. in the kohler manual there are directions to make your own water manometer and how to use it. hope this helps. at least it gives you someplace to start.

do you use a lighter weight engine oil in the winter?