Bill: I feel confident that I have ample battery power. The engine turns over very well, even after 30 - 45 seconds of stomping. I think the significant thing is that I can crank it and crank it without starting no matter how much I wear out my leg pumping the accelerator pedal, but if I give it a little squirt of starter fluid it starts instantly.
Being uncertain that the recent cold temps could have taken some of the oomph out of the battery, I got a trickle charger last weekend and left it hooked up. When I give it a try this evening, it'll be with a fully charged battery so hopefully that will take it out of the equation.
Jon: I'm glad you clarified that. I've never heard of "pumping the choke", but assumed that I just wasn't familiar with the jargon. I thought you were wanting me to cycle the choke from off to full, then off and back to full. Y'know, "pumping the choke!"
When I'm cranking, I'm pumping the accelerator pedal like crazy. I've learned that one long 30-second crank isn't as good as five 6-second long cranks. If it doesn't grab after the first few seconds, it isn't going to start on that attempt. If, during the attempt, it coughs a little but fails to grab, then I stand a fairly good chance of having success if I stop that attempt and start again. As winter drags on, the success rate seems to be dropping which prompted me to post the question in this forum. I don't know if the worsening problem is due to colder temperature or something wearing out over time.
Bill
