Maintenance - Craftsman 917.28856 Operator's Manual

BEFORE STARTING THE ENGINE
CHECK ENGINE OIL LEVEL
The engine inyour tractor has been shipped,
from the factory, already filled with summer
weight oil.
1. Check engine oil with tractor on level
ground.
2. Remove oil fill cap!dipstick and wipe
clean, reinsert the dipstick and screwcap
tight, wait for a few seconds, remove and
read oil level. If necessary, add oil until
"FUL[_ mark on dipstick is reached. Do
not overfill.
• For cold weather operation you should
change oil for easier starting (See the oil
viscosity chart inthe Maintenance section
of this manual).
• Tochange engine oil, see the Maintenance
section in this manual.
ADD GASOLINE
• Fill fuel tank to bottom of filler neck. Do
not overfill. Use fresh, clean, regular
unleaded gasoline with a minimum of
87 octane. (Use of leaded gasoline will
increase carbon and lead oxide deposits
and reducevaive life), Do not mix oilwith
gasoline. Purchase fuel in quantities that
can be used within 30 days to assure fuel
freshness.
_CAUTION: Wipe offany spilled oil or fuel.
Do not store, spill or use gasoline near an
open flame.
IMPORTANT: When operating in tempera-
tures below 32°F(0°C), use fresh, clean
winter grade gasoline to help insure good
cold weather starting.
CAUTION: Alcohol blended fuels (called
gasohol or using ethanol or methanol) can
attract moisture which leads to separation
and formation of acids during storage. Acidic
2. Sit on seatin operating position, depress
brake pedal and set parking brake.
3. Move attachment clutch to disengaged
position.
4. Move throttle control to choke position.
NOTE: Before starting, read the warm and
cold starting procedures below.
5, 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
seconds per minute. If the engine does
not start after several attempts, move
throttle control to fast position, wait a
few minutes and try again. If engine still
does not start, move the throttle control
back to the choke position and retry.
WARM WEATHER STARTING (50°F/10 °
C and above)
6. When engine starts, move the throttle
control to the fast position,
• The attachments and ground drive can
nowbe used. Iftheengine does not accept
the load, restart the engine and allow itto
warm up for one minute usingthe choke
as described above.
COLD WEATHER STARTING ( 50°F/10 ° C
and below)
6. When engine starts, leavethrottle control
in choke position until engine warms up
and begins to run roughly. Once rough
running begins, immediately move the
throttle control to the fast position. Engine
warm-up maytake from several seconds
to several minutes (the colder the tem-
perature, the longer the warm-up).
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WARM UP
Before driving the unit in cold weather, the
transmission should be warmed up as fol-
gas can damage the fuelsystem of an engine lows:
whilein storage. To avoid engine problems, I, Be sure the tractor is on level ground,
the fuel system should be emptied before 2 Release the _,arkin ,_ brake and let the
......................... storage of 30. days .or longer.. Drain 4he-gas ............. _ ._........ _ ___ . ..._ __._.,_ ........... _u ................... _................... ,_.......................
DraKe sJowly return [o operating posmon
tank, start the engine and let it run until the
fuel lines and carburetor are empty. Use 3. Allowoneminutefortransmissionto
freshfuel next season. SeeStorage Instruc-
tions for additional information. Never use
engine or carburetor cleaner products in the
fuel tank or permanent damage may occur.
TO START ENGINE
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.
1. Be sure freewheel control is in the trans-
mission engaged position.
warm up. This can be done during the
engine warm up period.
• The attachments can also be used dur-
ing the engine warm-up period after the
transmission has been warmed up.
NOTE: tfat a high altitude (above 3000 feet)
or in cold temperatures (below 32°F/0°C)
the carburetor fuel mixture may need to be
adjusted for best engine performance (see
"TO ADJUST CARBURETOR"In the Service
and Adjustments section of this manual).
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