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Carburetor - Craftsman 917.258911 Owner's Manual

Craftsman lawn mower user manual

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O ERATION
BEFORE
STARTING
THE ENGINE
CHECK ENGINE OIL LEVEL (See Fig. 10)
=
The engine in yourtractor has been shipped, from the
factory, already filled with summer weight oil
.
Check engine oil with tractor on level ground,
°
Unthread and remove oil fill cap/dipstick; wipe oil off,.
Reinsert the dipstick into the tube and rest oil fill cap on
the tube. Do not thread the cap onto the tube. Remove
and read oil level. If necessary, add oil until "FULL"
mark on dipstick is reached. Do not overfill..
For cold weather operation you should change oil for
easier starting (See "OIL VISCOSITY CHART" in the
Customer Responsibilities section of this manual).
=
To change engine oil, see the Customer Responsibi{i-
ties section in this manual,,
.....%'=-_=--=-_=_" _'_"
FILL CAP/DIPSTICK
FIG. 10
ADD GASOLINE
Fill fuel tank.
Use fresh, clean, regular unleaded
gasoline with a minimum of 87 octane,, (Use of leaded
gasoline will increase carbon and lead oxide deposits
and reduce valve life).. Do not mix oi! with gasoline.
Purchase fuel in quantities that can be used within 30
days to assure fuel freshness.
IMPORTANT:
WHEN OPERATING IN TEMPERATURES
BELOW 32°F(0°C), USE FRESH, CLEAN WINTER GRADE
GASOLINE TO HELP INSURE GOOD COLD WEATHER
STARTING..
WARNING:
Experience indicates that alcohol blended
fuels (called gasohol or using ethanol or methanol) can
attract moisture which leads to separation and formation of
acids 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 stor-
age of 30 days or longer.
Drain the gas tank, start the
engine and let it run until the fuel lines and carburetor are
empty. Use fresh fuel next season,. See Storage Instruc-
tions for additional information,.
Never use engine or
carburetor cleaner products in the fuel tank or permanent
damage may occur.
CAUTION:
Fill to bottom of gas tank
fillerneck°
Do not overfill. Wipe offany
spilled oil or fuel. Do not store, spill or
use gasoline near an open flame.
15
TO START ENGINE (See Fig. 6)
When starting the engine for the first time or if the engine
has run out of fuel, it will take extra cranking time to move
fuel from the tank to the engine_
Be sure freewheel control is in the transmission en-
gaged position°
°
Sit on seat in operating position,depress clutch/brake
pedal and set parking brake.
Place motion control lever in neutral (N) position.
Move attachment clutch to "DISENGAGED" position.
°
Move throttle control to fast position
Pull choke control out for a cold engine start attempt,.
For a warm engine start attempt the choke control may
not be needed_
Note: Before starting, read the warm and cold starting
procedures below.
Insert key into ignition and turn key clockwise to"START"
position and release key as soon as engine starts_ Do
not run starter continuously for more than fifteen sec-
onds per minute,. If the engine does not start after
several attempts, push choke control in, wait a few
minutes and try again, if engine still does not start, pull
the choke control out and retry°
WARM WEATHER STARTING (50 ° F and above)
When engine starts, slowly push choke control in until
the engine begins to run smoothly, If the engine starts
to run roughly, pull the choke control out slightly for a
few seconds and then continue to push the control in
slowly..
=
The attachments and ground drive can now be used., If
the engine does not accept the load, restart the engine
and atlow itto warm up for one minute using the choke
as described above.
COLD WEATHER STARTING (50 ° F and below)
°
When engine starts, slowly push choke control in until
the engine begins to run smoothly,. Continue to push
the choke control in small steps allowing the engine to
accept small changes in speed and load, until the
choke control is fully in. if the engine starts to run
roughly, pull the choke control out slightly for a few
seconds and then continue to push the control in
slowly. This may require an engine warm-up period
from several seconds to several minutes, depending
on the temperature°
HYDROSTATIC TRANSMISSION WARM UP
°
Before ddving the unit in cold weather, the transmis-
sion should be warmed
lip
as follows:
°
Be sure the tractor is on level ground.
.
Place the motion control lever in neutral
Release the parking brake and let the clutch/brake
slowly return to operating positlono
°
Allow one minute for transmission to warm up,.
This can be done during the engine warm up
period_
The attachments can be used during the engine warm-
up period after the transmission has been warmed up
and may require the choke control be pulled out sfightiy.
NOTE: If at a high altitude (above 3000 feet) or in cold
temperatures (below 32 F) the carburetor fuel mixture may
need to be adjusted for best engine performance, See 'qO
ADJUST CARBURETOR" in the Service and Adjustments
section of this manual.

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