Now that cold weather is here, after an afternoon of hunting I came back to my 1996 Max II w/23 hp Vanguard engine and attempted to start it. It was cold and I wanted to get home. I noticed that the throttle cable was frozen. After I started the engine it started to race and I couldn't move the choke as it was not operating properly. I have since ordered a new one. Anyway, some time after I hit the throttle heater switch, eventually it did thaw the cable. I'm wondering if there is an alternative to letting the machine sit cold while the cable freezes then having to wait till it thaws. I was thinking of an additional small battery and bypass switch so I could leave the key off, hit the switch and let the aux battery keep the cable warm. Not sure what this might involve or if any problem might occur. Any suggestions would be appreciated.