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Thread: Help Starting My Honda 185s

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2018
    Location
    MN
    --
    1

    Help Starting My Honda 185s

    Hi guys! First post here.

    I have a 1982/3 Honda 185s. It won't start in the cold. It was starting and running a few months ago when it was warmer. Now, I pull and pull and can't get it to do more than "burp". I have taken the air intake off and spraying starter fluid in there, the spark plug is new and not fouled up (it has been known to foul them in the past). What can I do?? It has a new carb I put in over the summer.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2018
    Location
    TN
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    1,065
    My 82 200e is the same way. These gals are over 35 years old. They can get onerous. As far as getting it started? Sometimes I swear at mine, sometimes I talk sweet or even dirty to it. There's no real answer. You just gotta find what she wants.
    You might start with a good tune up. Adjust the valves. Set the timing and the pulse rotor gap. Change the oil and clean the centrifugal filter as well as the little screen. No one ever does that. It NEEDS it. Cold starts can be a beech to solve.

    I've been riding 3 wheelers almost 40 years now but I am only just now learning what makes them tick. It's been an experience. Most things are really simple......and then they are NOT. Wiring has been a real journey.


    Do you have a space heater or better yet, a kerosene jet heater? Get it good and warm.
    I was born and raised on Venus & I may be here a while.....

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    USA
    --
    4,114
    For the most part these machines are simple, try working on a modern atv some time that has fuel injection, automatic shifting, etc lol.

    Anyway, with my experience with a 200es that sits a fair bit. If it doesn't want to start, loosen the drain screw on the bottom of the carb and let the gas come out till it's clean, clear, and stinky like gas (atleast 2-3oz min). That seems to always fix my problems. My 200es was a little cold blooded too, but I could normally get it started within about 5 pulls, and that's with it starting to smoke a little (rings going bad, compression dropping etc).

    Since the ignition timing is mechanical (under the "CDI" cover), it might be stiffer than normal when it's warm. My 200es was always at full retarded, once I got a 200es that had the spark advancer working well, it was so responsive compared to what I was used to. Too bad it's a smoker too lol. I'll have to throw some new rings in those engines some day.

    I'm not super big on starting fluid, it tends to wash away the oil film in the cylinder and can cause excess wear. I personally use LP to test fuel delivery problems, but you kind of have to know what you're doing and a possible back fire could spook ya a bit. Never had that happen on a Honda but still possible. LP I know is safe for the engine for the basic fact there's plenty of gas engines converted to run on LP.

    Another thing to note, cold air is more dense, so you need more fuel in the mixture to be correct. Also the oil gets thicker when it's cold, so it's hard to pull start it as fast as when it's warm. With a good electrical system that shouldn't be a huge factor though.

    Ironically, my 250es/sx and 350x always starts great in the winter, seems to only be the 200cc series engine that's cold blooded.

    Also, you said you have a new carb, did you tune it at all? Most likely it's built in china and it seems like they come a bit on the lean side. Could adjust the pilot jet a bit more richer and see if it's enough, might have to go up a size on the pilot jet.

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