1914 t very hard to crank in cold weather. Is there a block heater or oil heater or just a trick to help crank
Have you tried jacking up one rear wheel? Leave hand brake off or in "neutral" position, chock wheels.
I've put a 100 Watt bulb on the engine, usally on the head or when I had one of those chrome painters lights with the clips before it busted I aimed it right on the manifolds. That really helped. If it's really cold, you could try setting one of those 300/500 Watt shop lamps under the crankcase, close to the transmission body to warm up the oil.
And as John said, jacking up a wheel really helps too.
I forgot to say this is hand crank.
My dad lived in Colorado in the 20's and they would drain the oil in a bucket every night and put it by the fire. Made cranking much easier. PK
If you mean hard to turn over, then 5w-30 oil will help. Also parking it with the hand brake fully forward (in high) also does wonders. If you mean it doesn't fire up, warming the manifold will help. I'm sure alcohol in the gas doesn't help.
What weight oil is in the engine? You might want to try 5W-30 or 5W-20.
What do you mean by "cold weather"? 20? 10? 0? -10? -20? -30?
When my grandpa was a kid they put a pile of boiled corn cobs under the crankcase. But if you are planning a drive, maybe put a heater fan on the motor a couple hours before you are going to start it.
Leaving the clutch lever fully forward, as others have said, is really a great help, I have not bothered to jack up a rear wheel since I learned that trick. I was able to start below zero with 30 weight oil in the crankcase. I put 10/30 in it that last time I changed oil, it helped a little. I think I will try 5/30 next oil change.
"I was able to start below zero with 30 weight oil in the crankcase."
You're asking for trouble w/that combination.
Opps, I was thinking in Centigrade, that was below freezing.
After putting a high compression head on my '14 runabout, I could not crank start it anymore. I put on one of Larry Becker's 12v starter kits. Now it starts REAL easy and I don't worry about breaking my arm or making a fool of myself at an intersection.
Just my opinion...
Regards,
Jon