Cold weather

Alright, I'm pretty lost when it comes to this. I read all the time about how our trucks suck when it comes to the cold. I just don't know specifically why.

I set my choke and start the truck in the morning. It dies. So I start it and hold it at 1500rpm with my foot. Takes like 6-7 min. to get the engine a little warm. As I drive, its so cold, that I have to keep my heater off so the engine does'nt go cold! I ran the heater, and the guage was almost at the bottom of the line! Once it starts to get warm though, it idles high at 1200rpm. I have acceleration problems when I open the throttle up all the way.

So, I'm wondering, what can I do to make my engine run better? I been thinking about what a weber carb would do if I put one in. Because I think my problems are centered around the carb. I dunno, though, just a hunch.

Thats why I'm on here asking you guys...

I will take a shot at this.First,do u have the proper thermostat in the truck?Mazda specs call for a 160/180 thermostat.First stage opens at 160 degrees andhelps warm the carb and truck.Second stage opens at 180 degrees.Temp gauge should go above 1/2 way until 180 opens and then it will settle back to 1/2 way.Second,do you have the right coolant mix? Should be 50%ethelene glycol and 50% water.Too much antifreeze is just as bad as too little.Third is your fan operating properly.Sometimes the stock fan clutch fails and when it does it fails in the fully engaged position which means that it is pulling lots of cold air thru the radiator when it should barely be running.Yu can usually hear it running when it does this, it makes a loud noise when fully engaged.Finally, I would get some carb cleaner ,start the truck,take top of air cleaner off and have somebody hold rpm to about 1500 and spray the inside of the carb real well. ur choke may be stopped up and sometimes a good dose of carb cleaner helps. If all these things are ok and functioning as they should,u probably do have carb problems and should bite the bullet and replace yours with a Weber or Holley 5200. Hope this helps. BJ

Bump. P.S. My factory Nikki carb works perfectly,exactly as it should, and my dawg starts like crap in the am even if it is not very cold.Just the nature of the beast.However,it does run great when it gets warmed up and I have plenty of heat available for the cab.BJ

I have a 195 degree thermostat. Called a guy at Schucks and his computer said the supplier says its okay for my truck. He said it will run a little hotter, and I want that. But I realize that it will be a slower warmup then.

I do have the right mixture of coolant, Prestone extended life. My level is also good, and has no leaks anywhere.

I don't believe my fan clutch has failed. If by what you mean is engaged, the fan sounds loud because it is moving alot of air like it would when its at 2.5k rpm, then I would think not...

I think I would have to get some carb cleaner, because then I can also use this to see if I have a vacuum leak.

I think I really just want to get a weber. I got some money this month, and I really don't want to deal with my emissions crap. It'll also help me get rid of that ECU, right? Then I can have mor space for my kicker pods. $300 for a weber on ebay is still pretty spendy for a damn carb... Well, so is an alternator for $400 too...

But regardless, if I got a new carb, is it going to solve my rough running in the cold?

wha, cold, no way its like 75' here in N.BAMA he he it frickin rocks

H-M-M.Fan clutch has a bimetal spring.If it is working properly,when it is cold,spring contracts and the fan barely engages which means it is pulling very little air thru radiator which means truck warms up quicker-which is waht u want in winter.If it is engaged all the time,it is pulling lots of cold air thru radiator and that will cause truck to stay colder-u dont want that in winter.If the fan is engaged and u have a 195 degree stat in it ,that damn stat is never going to open and let hot H2O circulate into ur heater.It is going to stay in the engine and u r going to freeeze ur boonie off all winter.My 2 cents,check fan and get the proper stat and see what happens.BJ

Bump. i got a new Weber (delivered today actually ) from Weber on the web for $255.It is a 34/34.I plan to put it on this weekend and can let u know how it does on my old dawg if that will help u decide.BJ

How do you set your choke?
Did you mean, you floor the gas pedal once before starting? That's how you activate the choke on cold mornings.
Once choke is closed, start the engine. Do not step on the gas pedal.
If the fast idle cam is adjusted correctly, it should hold idle at 1500 rpm.
You don't have to baby it until it warms up.
As the engine idles at 1500 rpm, the electric choke (connected to the back of alternator) warms up and if you blip the gas, idle should drop to 900 rpm.

If it is not idling at 1500 rpm, your carb fast idle cam needs adjustment.
And if the idle does not drop to 900 rpm after 2-3 minutes, the electric choke connection is not getting 7 volts from alternator.

Been running a 32/36 Weber for years on the show truck (use to be a daily driver) and now on the daughters truck. Can only say it should get you by in the cold. It's not a 2006 F150, it's not fuel injected. But it works decent. I have not had any heater core related issues running the Weber. I have put some cardboard infront of a portion of the radiator to limit how much cold air goes thru when driving on the interstate but you have to keep an eye on the temp gauge!

So how can I figure out if my fan clutch is working properly? Just put my hand in front of the radiator and see if its pulling alot of air? And they did'nt have any thermostats that would open at 160. Just 183. But the 12 degree difference is'nt much in my mind.

When you guys say 34 or 38 or 34/36 for the carb, what are you talking about? Yea, hocbj23, when you get it in, let me know how it runs, and in the cold too.

Yes, 89b2200, thats how I do it to set my choke. So by doing this, the choke is closed? Which means the butterfly is closed, right? When my truck starts to warm up, it will start at 1500 and then go up to 1900 steadily. And also, I have an electric choke? I dunno if I do or not. And if I do, I don't think its hooked up. What should I look for on the alternator? My idle will be at 1000 after I tap the pedal. The only time my trucks rpm lowers when its warming up is when I tap the pedal. It does'nt do it by itself.

If I keep the heater off in my truck while driving or have it on one of the 2 lower settings for the fan, my temp guage stays at 1/3 from the C. So anyways, I'll stop now, because I have asked alot of questions. If you guys can answer these, I would appreciate it!