Craftsman EZ3 917.377531 Owner's Manual page 15

Immediately prepareyourlawnmowerfor
storageat the endof the seasonor if the
unit will notbe usedfor30 daysor more.
LAWN MOWER
When lawn mower is to be stored for a peri-
od of time, clean it thoroughly, remove all
dirt, grease, leaves, etc. Store in a clean,
dry area.
o Clean entire lawn mower (See "CLEAN-
ING" in the Maintenance section of this
manual).
• Lubricate as shown in the Maintenance
section of this manual.
o Be sure that all nuts, bolts, screws, and
pins are securely fastened. Inspect
moving parts for damage, breakage and
wear. Replace if necessary.
• Touch up all rusted or chipped paint sur-
faces; sand lightly before painting.
HANDLE
You can fold your lawn mower handle for
storage.
o Squeeze the bottom ends of the lower
handle toward each other until the lower
handle clears the handle bracketi!hen
move handle forward_
o Loosen upper handle mounting bolts
enough to allow upper handle to be fold-
ed back.
IMPORTANT; When folding the handle for
storage or transportation, be sure to fold the
handle as shown or you amy damage the
control cables.
o When setting up your handle from the
storage position, the lower handle will
automatically lock into the mowing posi-
tion_
d,e,
Operator presence control bar
Fold forward
for storage
Upper
handle
Fold back-
ward
Lower Mowing
handle position
ENGINE
FUEL SYSTEM
IMPORTANT; tt is important to prevent
gum deposits from forming in essential
fuel system parts such as carburetor, fuel
filter, fuel hose or tank during storage.
Also, 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 dam-
age the fuel system of an engine while in
storage.
o Drain the fuel tank.
, Start the engine and let it nJn until the fuel
lines and carburetor are empty,
o Never use engine or carburetor cleaner
products in the fuel tank or permanent
damage may occur:
o Use fresh fuel next season.
NOTE: Fuel stabilizer is an acceptable
alternative in minimizing the formation
of fuel gum deposits during storage,,
Add stabilizer to gasoline in fuel tank or
storage container'. Always follow the
mix ratio found on stabilizer container_
Run engine at least 10 minutes after
adding stabilizer to allow the stabilizer
to reach the carburetor. Do not drain
the gas tank and carburetor if using fuel
stabilizer.
15