My group had the same problem last Christmas in Wisconsin. -20 air temp and our batterys literally froze solid. For the guys that did not have a pull start back up they were pulling there batterys and bringing them inside the hotel and dethawing them. Adding a pull start will make your life easier in the cold weather

 

Its the battery freezing. Pull start , trickle charger or dry cell battery

 

Had a real cold strech 2 years ago and I had the same issue. Batrrty was a couple years old so I figured it was time for a new one. Exchanged my old one as a core And then 2 days later it happened again. Started reading up to find that can happen in extreme cold. Tried to get my old battery back from nappa but no luck. I could have used it in another machine. Oh well. Those little mini jumper packs would be Handy for this application.

 

Mine starts in -35, but I have a good battery

 

When I had my 800 ETEC it wouldn’t start when it got very cold because one piston was lightly seized. Everyone else started just fine -30c. When it ran it was ok hard to tell

 

Mine starts in -35, but I have a good battery

Same here, -32c the other day and not even a hesitation

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Hey,

I just made it to the E Tec electric start this year, 2013 800. A week ago, it was -12 at night. I came out to maybe 0 and it was too much for little etec I guess. Do you have to wrap these things in electric blankets? I had to jump it off my truck. I believe this is the second battery in machine. Works great at 20 F. Seems kinda dumb, since it's generally below zero in northern mn at night. Is there a certain temp at which you're screwed ?

You think it's the 2nd battery. A marginal battery will lose it strength when the temps really start to drop.

https://www.comsol.com/blogs/why-car-batteries-perform-poorly-in-cold-weather/

Also are there relays involved? I recall w/ the older SDI sleds that after about 3 seasons the relays started acting up in cold weather. I had it happen in Cochrane 1 Feb'. Sled started, I warmed it up slightly & then shut it off. The rest started their sleds & when I tried to start mine, it was dead. Popped the 2 relays out, warmed them up in my pockets for a few minutes & reinstalled them. Sled cranked over easily. Stopped @ the 'doo dealer in Timmins (-31*C/-24*F) that day to get new relays & they were out. W/ the cold weather they'd had a rush on them.

 

I went through 3 batteries and a new grounding cable in my '15 800 etec trying to chase the "why won't this start when it's 0 out" problem. Ended up installing a pull cord given how many other guys posted having similar issues.

 

So, the guys in ON with the good batteries. Are they Lithium? I saw some other stuff on here from quite a while back. Looks like you shave off about 10 pounds as well.

 

So, the guys in ON with the good batteries. Are they Lithium? I saw some other stuff on here from quite a while back. Looks like you shave off about 10 pounds as well.

Mines still stock, when the time comes it will likely be replaced with an odyssey battery

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Last year it was -35C one morning. My buddy and I both have 2015 Renegades - his is an 800 and mine is a 900 ACE. Mine started right up but we had to use my little booster pack to get his going. Then it was good all day.

So carry a small booster pack - this is what I carry and it had boosted a 600 etec, 800 etc, and a 500 ATV multiple times one day without missing a beat.

https://www.amazon.ca/Starter-RAVPower-Current-Engines-Flashlight/dp/B0761TDBSX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1546897551&sr=8-1&keywords=RAVPower+300A

 

Check your battery connections as well, my buddy had cold start problems all last year with his. -20-30 celcius would barely turn over, -10-15celcius would fire right up. Cleaned and tightened his connections and no further cold start issues.

 

Just wrap the rope around the clutch.

 

A properly functioning charging system is very important in extreme cold. A battery that is not fully charged has a much better chance of freezing .There comes a point which the battery will freeze without a battery blanket or some source of heat on it. If you have recoil start it’s always best to “loosen up” the engine by slowly pilling the rope all the way out, then start yanking. If you also have electric start do the same before attempting to use the starter. You have a better chance of starting this way.

 

if you're mechanically handy, remove starter motor, after you disconnect the battery, take it apart and clean it, especially the brush holders. you'll probably find a lot of belt dust and other grime. be sure to clean the black stuff out of the commutator. the dirtier everything gets, the more juice you need to spin it over.

 

Check your running voltage at the battery also, to ensure your stator is up to snuff.

 

If you have recoil start it's always best to "loosen up" the engine by slowly pilling the rope all the way out, then start yanking. If you also have electric start do the same before attempting to use the starter. You have a better chance of starting this way.

X2

We've always done this. Slowly pull over the motor to free it up.

 

X2

We've always done this. Slowly pull over the motor to free it up.

Yes, when 20 below or worse, spend a minute and either pull start rope slowly through its range, or grab primary and rotate forward a few rotations.

 

I've done everything under the sun to get mine to be a good starter in the cold. I finally just bought one of those small jumper pack deals.

 

The solenoid can rob a lot of juice that would otherwise be used to turn the electric starter. A volt meter is the correct tool to diagnose voltage drop across the ES system. Take a perfectly healthy Yuasa battery @ 13 Vdc, then subtract a full volt drop across the ground, a second for the solenoid and a third volt for the positive wire. This leaves 10 Vdc to power the starter. There is no way to turn over an 800 of any tech will low voltage.

Once the starter has the maximum attainable voltage available from the battery, then a DC clamp meter to measure the draw of the starter. Like someone mentioned, if the draw is too large, then the starter needs maintenance or to be replaced.

Ski-Doo fixed this problem on the 850 with further gear reduction, but an ES system in perfect order is terribly difficult to keep from turning the engine over. I have done the work that showed the parasitic loss to be remarkable high in sleds with poor connections and starters that needed maintenance. Everyone owns a volt meter, so tools for a voltage drop test is not a problem. The procedure is outlined in all 2013 and later Ski-Doo shop manuals, so documentation is not a problem. It is easier than CVT maintenance, so the level of difficulty is also not a problem for at least those who service their own clutches.

 

Yes, when 20 below or worse, spend a minute and either pull start rope slowly through its range, or grab primary and rotate forward a few rotations.

I rotate the engine a couple of times by the primary, then a couple of slow pulls of the rope, before I push the start button. Also- during summer storage, I rotate the engine by the primary a few times once a month.

 

One other issue with 800 etec design, is the short ground cable goes from battery to frame. This is not the best design, as it should go direct to the starter and be grounder there.

I have meant to make this upgrade, but need some heat shielding to protect the cable as it routes close to exhaust

 

I don't think the starter can be directly connected to the battery.

 

I don't think the starter can be directly connected to the battery.

The ground cable can. Its already connected through the frame

 

The ground cable can. Its already connected through the frame

I think it needs to be grounded through the frame for reasons likes shorts and fires.