2021 Kymco UXV 700i trouble starting when it’s cold

[loftisman19]

Hey guys,

I bought a Kymco 700i UXV back in August. Everything has been working great until it got cold (below 30 degrees). I tried to crank it one evening below 30 degrees just to put it up. It would zoooo over and hit every once in a while then I could smell gas and assumed it flooded. After letting it sit for a hour or so, I got it to crank and it backfired, spit and sputtered but it got it to the shed. After that I hadn’t had any trouble with it. Fast forward to today, we had a snow storm and the kids wanted to go riding, the temp was probably in the low 20s. It just zoo’s over and the motor never hit a lick. After trying for several minutes, I smelled gas and quit messing with it. I’ve let it sit all day, just tried it again and still nothing. Is it normal to expect it not to run in the cold? It is fuel injected and I smell gas so I assume it’s not getting any fire. Plan on taking it to the shop this week, but it’s a big let down with kids waiting to ride and play in the snow.

[airshot]

That is really a bummer !!!  I havevthe 450 and have no issue with cold weather starting clear down to -10 below.  With that said....my machine has a buzzer feature when starting....you turn on the key and allow the buzzer to finnish before starting, this allows the ECU to sense current conditions and adjust for a quick start.  If I dont wait for the buzzer to finnish on cold days, it is very hard to start....if I wait for the buzzer to finnish, it fires right up !!!!  Does the 700 have the buzzer???  Check over the cold start feature un your manual and be sure you are doing it correctly.  Otherwise, hope your dealer does his job, keep us posted....

[Stig / Major Tom]

Good strong battery?
EFI likes a strong battery.
Mediocre battery gets weak in cold.
Stig

[loftisman19]

That is really a bummer !!!  I havevthe 450 and have no issue with cold weather starting clear down to -10 below.  With that said....my machine has a buzzer feature when starting....you turn on the key and allow the buzzer to finnish before starting, this allows the ECU to sense current conditions and adjust for a quick start.  If I dont wait for the buzzer to finnish on cold days, it is very hard to start....if I wait for the buzzer to finnish, it fires right up !!!!  Does the 700 have the buzzer???  Check over the cold start feature un your manual and be sure you are doing it correctly.  Otherwise, hope your dealer does his job, keep us posted....

When I turn the key, I do hear a “buzz” but it sounds like the fuel pump to me. I’m not too mechanically inclined on these machines, but I will definitely sit and wait to see if it will stop.

[loftisman19]

Good strong battery?
EFI likes a strong battery.
Mediocre battery gets weak in cold.
Stig

Battery should be good. I’ll try to hook some jumper cables up to it and see what happens

[loftisman19]

I tried waiting for the fuel pump to stop, that didn’t work and I hooked a jump box up to it and that wouldn’t start it either.

I think I’m down to it’s not getting any spark.

I’m going to look up videos on how to get this dadgum plastic console off to check the plugs. If you guys have a link to someone taking it off, I’d be much obliged.

[airshot]

Battery should be good. I’ll try to hook some jumper cables up to it and see what happens

During cold weather I keep my machine hooked up to a battery tendervto keep a full charge.  As I use mine for plowing, the winch sucks a lot of power, this way I have a full charged battery on startup and wont run low on power when plowing.  Just a thought!!!

[CROSSBOLT]

I tried waiting for the fuel pump to stop, that didn’t work and I hooked a jump box up to it and that wouldn’t start it either.

I think I’m down to it’s not getting any spark.

I’m going to look up videos on how to get this dadgum plastic console off to check the plugs. If you guys have a link to someone taking it off, I’d be much obliged.

I got so sick and tired of the sketchy starts in my UXV500i that I ditched the tiny OEM battery and put in a Lawn& Garden battery.

[airshot]

I got so sick and tired of the sketchy starts in my UXV500i that I ditched the tiny OEM battery and put in a Lawn& Garden battery.

I have to say the oem battery lasted for almost 6 years, never had a lawn mower battery last more than 2 years, but I can also attribute the long life to the battery tender.  These little gems keep a maintenence cycle on the battery which adds life !!  Once I started using them I am fetting much longer life from my batteries.  I use them on my boat batteries and my motorhome batteries as well as my SxS battery. It has almost doubled my average battery life compared tovthe time before using the battery tender.  Not trying to do a sales pitch here, but the improvement has been more than noticible.  I also upgraded my SxS battery, moved up to a 325 cca capacity and a deep cycle sealed agm type as these batteries can be dropped down to 35% charge without damage, where a standard starting type battery can only drop to 60% capacity before damage can take place.   I also add the terminals with the plug, and attach the plug to the roll cage so it becomes as simple as plugging in the charger and not having to disassemble the battery compartment. When cold weather arrives, it is just a matter of plugging in when I park it!!!  It does sound like the posters issue is lack of spark, hope his dealer treats him right !!!!

[airshot]

I tried waiting for the fuel pump to stop, that didn’t work and I hooked a jump box up to it and that wouldn’t start it either.

I think I’m down to it’s not getting any spark.

I’m going to look up videos on how to get this dadgum plastic console off to check the plugs. If you guys have a link to someone taking it off, I’d be much obliged.

On my machine there is an actual buzzer as well as the fuel pumo sound. The manual actually talks about waiting for the buzzer to stop before engaging the starter.  Not necessary during warm weather but makes cold weather starts a breeze !!!  Cant believe they dont use this on all their machines....works very well at least on mine.  We did get a good snow yesterday and comming down again today. Last night itvwas only 15 degrees and my machine started right up, plowed the drive for almost an hour and no noticible loss of battery power from the winch use. Hope you get this figured out !!!!!

[loftisman19]

I’m out of options for what I’m capable of doing.

It will be going to the dealership this week. It’s still under warranty, so they will have to deal with it.

[Bratman2]

You remove both seats, take the allen screw out of the shifter, two pull pins in the front. Can't remember what is in the back (maybe two bolts) but you will see with the seats out. Sparkplug is easy then to get too. I know on my MXU450i I replaced the sparkplug pretty early on for a cutting off condition when coming to an idle. I already have a new sparkplug for my 700, just have not installed it yet.

[airshot]

Good idea, a spark plug is cheap, easy and quick.  Have saw plugs that will not fire again once fouled!! 

[mstparker]

I have to say the oem battery lasted for almost 6 years, never had a lawn mower battery last more than 2 years, but I can also attribute the long life to the battery tender.  These little gems keep a maintenence cycle on the battery which adds life !!  Once I started using them I am fetting much longer life from my batteries.  I use them on my boat batteries and my motorhome batteries as well as my SxS battery. It has almost doubled my average battery life compared tovthe time before using the battery tender.  Not trying to do a sales pitch here, but the improvement has been more than noticible.  I also upgraded my SxS battery, moved up to a 325 cca capacity and a deep cycle sealed agm type as these batteries can be dropped down to 35% charge without damage, where a standard starting type battery can only drop to 60% capacity before damage can take place.   I also add the terminals with the plug, and attach the plug to the roll cage so it becomes as simple as plugging in the charger and not having to disassemble the battery compartment. When cold weather arrives, it is just a matter of plugging in when I park it!!!  It does sound like the posters issue is lack of spark, hope his dealer treats him right !!!!

My 2015 still working with original battery. Put the battery tender terminals on the day I brought it home. Keep it plugged up.

[loftisman19]

Well the shop finally got around to my buggy. It was a fouled spark plug. I asked what would cause it not to crank in the cold, and he blamed it on the electronics.

If anybody can send me a link to the battery tender set up, I’d really appreciate it, I’ve never seen one. It seems like the battery tender is going to be the way to go if I want to drive it when it’s cold.