Carburetor; Engine - Craftsman 917.256591 Owner's Manual

OPERATION
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ADD GASOLINE
o 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 oil 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 fNSURE 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 dudng 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.
gas tank ............ j
_ _ fillerneek. Do not overfiU. Wipeoffany
! spilled oil or' fuelo Do not store, spill or J
use gasoline near an open flame, j
'TO START ENGINE (See Fig. 9)
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_
o Depress crutch/brake pedal and set parking brake.
Pface motion control lever in neutral (N) position..
o Move attachment clutch to "DISENGAGED" position.
o Move throttle control to choke (l\l) position,
Note: Before starting, read the warm and cold starting
procedures below.
o _nsertkey into ignitionand 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, move throttle control to fast (,_)
position, wait a few minutes and try again, if engine stilt
does not start, move the throttle control back to the
choke (N) position and retry.
WARM WEATHER STARTING (50 ° F and above)
o When engine starts, move the throttle control to the fast
(,@) position..
The attachments and ground drive can now be use& If
the engine does not accept the load, restart the engine
and allow it to warm up for one minute using the choke
as described above.
COLD WEATHER STARTING ( 50 ° F and below)
o When engine starts, atlow engineto run with thethrottle
control in the choke (I\) position until the engine runs
roughly, then move thrott e contro to fast (=_) position.
This may require an engine warm-up period from
several seconds to several minutes, depending on the
temperature.
HYDROSTATIC TRANSMISSION WARM UP
Before driving the unit in cold weather, the transmis-
sion should be warmed up as follows:
14
o Be sure the tractor' is on level ground.
o Place the motion control lever in neutral
Release the parking brake and let the clutch/brake
slowly return to operating position..
o Allow one minute for' transmission to warm up.
This can be done during the engine warm up
period.
o The attachments can also be used during the engine
warm-up period after the transmission has been warmed
up.
NOTE: If at a high altitude (above 3000 feet) or in cold
temperatures (below 32 F) the carburetor fuet mixture may
need to be adjusted for best engine perfor mance. See "TO
ADJUST CARBURETOR" in the Service and Adjustments
section of this manual
PURGE TRANSMISSION
CAUTION: Never engage or disengage
freewheel lever while the engine is run-
ning,
To ensure proper operation and performance, it is recom-
mended that the transmission be purged before operating
tractor' for the first time° This procedure will remove any
trapped air inside the transmission which may have devel-
oped during shipping of your tractor
IMPORTANT: SHOULD YOUR TRANSMISSION REQUIRE
REMOVAL FOR SERVICE OR REPLACEMENT, IT
SHOULD BE PURGED AFTER REINSTALLAT1ON
BEFORE OPERATING THE TRACTOR
° Place tractor safely on level surface with engine off and
parking brake set,
o Disengage transmission by placing freewheel control
in freewheeling position (See "TO TRANSPORT" in
this section of manual),
. Sitting in the tractor seat, start engine, After the engine
is running, move throttle control to slow (-_) position,.
With motion control lever in neutral (N) position, slowly
disengage clutch/brake pedal
• Move motion control lever to full forward position and
hold for' five (5) second& Move lever to full reverse
position and hold for five (5) seconds.. Repeat this
procedure three (3) times,,
NOTE: During this procedure there will be no movement of
drive wheel& The air is being removed from hydraulic drive
system_
° Move motion control lever' to neutral (N) position_ Shut-
off engine and set parking brake
= Engage transmission by placing freew!leel control in
driving position (S..e TO TRANSPORT Jnth,s section
of manual).
o Sitting in the tractor seat, start engine° After the engine
is running, move throttle control to half (1/2) speed.
With motion control lever in neutral (N) position, slowly
disengage clutch/brake pedal
o Slowly move motion control lever' forward, after the
tractor moves approximately five (5) feet, slowly move
motion control lever to reverse position.. After the
tractor moves approximately five (5) feet return the
motion control lever to the neutral (N) position. Repeat
this procedure with the motion control lever three (3)
times°
• Your tractor is now purged and now ready for normal
operation