Craftsman 917.387402 - Manual (Page 8)

BEFORE STARTING ENGINE
OIL
Your lawn mower is shipped without oil in the
engine.
• Be sure mower is level and area around oil
fill is clean.
• Remove engine oil cap and fill to the full line
on the dipstick.
• Use 20 ozs. of oil. For type and grade of oil
to use, see “ENGINE” in Maintenance
section of this manual.
• Pour oil slowly. Do not over fill.
• Check oil level before each use. Add oil if
needed. Fill to full tine on dipstick.
• To read proper level, tighten engine oil cap
each time.
• Reinstall engine oil cap and tighten.
• Change the oil after every 25 hours of
operation or each season. You may need
to change.the oil more often under dusty,
dirty conditions.
GAS
• Rll fuel tank. Use fresh, clean, regular
unleaded gasoline with a minimum of 87
octane. Do not mix oil with gasoline.
Purchase fuel in quantities that can be used
within 30 days to assure fuel freshness.
WARNING: Experience indicates that
alcohol blended fuels (called gasohol or using
ethanol or methanol) can attract moisture
which leads to separation and formation of
adds during storage. Acidic gas can damage
the fuel system of an engine while in storage.
To avoid engine problems, the fuel system
should be emptied before storage of 30 days
or longer. Drain the fuel tank, start the engine
and let
It
run until fuel lines and carburetor are
empty. Use fresh fuel next season. See
Storage Instructions for additional information.
Never engine or carburetor cleaner
products in fuel tank or permanent damage
may occur. _
Engine oil
cap
Gasoline
filler cap
TO START ENGINE
• To start a cold engine, push primer three (3)
times before trying to start Use a firm push.
This step is not usually necessary when
start‘ng an engine which has already run for
a few minutes.
• Hold operator presence control bar down to
the hai^le and pull starter handle quicidy.
Do not allow starter rope to snap back.
• To stop engine.release operator presence
control bar.
NOTE; In cooler weather it may be neces­
sary to repeat priming steps. In warmer
weather over priming may cause flooding and
engine will not start. If you do flood engine,
wait a few minutes before attempting to start
and do not repeat priming steps.
MOWING TIPS
• Under certain conditions, such as very
tall grass, it may be necessary to raise
the height of cut to reduce pushing effort
and to keep from overloading the engine
and leaving clumps of grass clippings. It
may also be necessary to reduce
ground speed and/or run the lawn
mower over the area a second time.
• For extremely heavy cutting, reduce the
width of cut by overlapping previously
cut path and mow slowly.
• For better grass bagging and most
cutting conditions, the engine speed
should be set in the fast position.
• When using a rear discharge lawn
mower in moist, heavy grass, clumps of
cut grass may not enter the grass
catcher. Reduce ground speed (push­
ing speed) and/or run the lawn mower
over the area a second time.
• If a trail of clippings is left on the right
side of a rear discharge mower, mow in
a clockwise direction with a small
overlap to collect the clippings on the
next pass.
• Pores in cloth grass catchers can
become filled with dirt and dust with use
and catchers will collect less grass. To
prevent this, regularly hose catcher off
with water and let dry before using.
• Keep top of engine around starter clear
and clean of grass clippings and chaff.
This will help engine air flow and extend
engine life.
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