Off-Season Storage; Preparing The Engine; Draining The Fuel; Preparing The Lawn Tractor - Craftsman 247.25000 Operator's Manual

Neverstore lawntractorwith fuel in tank indoorsor in poorly
ventilatedareaswherefuelfumesmay reachan open flame,spark,
or pilotlight as on a furnace,waterheater,clothesdryer,or gas
appliance.
PREPARING THE ENGINE
iMPORTANT: F uelleft inthe fuel tankduring warmweatherdeterio-
ratesand will cause seriousstartingproblems.
Gasolineis a toxicsubstance.Disposeof gasolineproperly.Contact
yourlocal authoritiesfor approveddisposal methods.
Failureto usea fuel stabilizingadditiveor completelyrun the engine
until it's out of fuel beforeoff-seasonstoragemay resultin damageto
yourengine'scarburetor.Subsequent d amagewouldnot be covered
underthe manufacturer's warranty.
Enginesstoredbetween30 and 90 daysneed to be treatedwith a
gasolinestabilizerand enginesstoredover90 daysneed to be drained
of fuelto preventdeterioration and gum fromformingin fuel systemor
on essentialcarburetorparts. If the gasolinein yourenginedeterio-
ratesduring storage,you may needto havethe carburetor,and other
fuel systemcomponents,servicedor replaced.
Topreventgum depositsfrom forminginsidethe engine'scarburetor
and causingpossiblemalfunction of the engine,the fuel systemmust
be eithercompletelyemptied,or thegasolinemustbe treatedwith a
stabilizerto preventdeterioration.
1. If usinga fuel stabilizer:
a. Readthe productmanufacturer's instructionsand recom-
mendations.
b. Add to clean,fresh gasolinethe correctamountof stabilizer
forthe capacityof the fuel system.
c. Fillthe fuel tank with treatedfueland runthe enginefor 2-3
minutesto get stabilizedfuel intothe carburetor.
2. If emptyingthefuel system:
a. Do notdrain fuel whenthe engine is hot. Allowtheengine
adequatetime to cool. Drainfuel intoan approvedcontainer
outdoors,away from openflame.
b. Drainanylarge volumeof fuelfrom the tank by disconnect-
ing the fuel line fromthe in-line fuelfilter near theengine.
See thecompleteinstructionsfor DrainingThe Fuellater in
this section.
Gasolineis extremelyflammableand can be explosiveundercertain
conditions.Draingasolinebeforestoringthe equipment f or extended
periods.Drainfuelonly intoan approvedcontaineroutdoors,away
from an open flame.Allow engineto cool. Extinguishcigarettes,
cigars,pipes,and othersourcesof ignitionpriorto drainingfuel.
Storegasolinein an approvedcontainerin safe location.
c. Reconnectthe fuelline and run theengine untilit startsto
falter,then usethe choketo keepthe engine runninguntilall
fuel in the carburetorhas beenexhausted.
d. Disconnectthe fuel line and drain anyremaininggasoline
fromthe system.
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3. Removethespark plug and pour one (1)ounceof engineoil
throughthe spark plug holeinto thecylinder.Crankthe engine
severaltimes todistributethe oil. Replacethe sparkplug.
4. Cleandebrisfromaroundengine,underfingerguard,and under,
aroundand behindmuffler.Touchup any damagedpaint,and
coat otherareasthat may rustwith a light film of oil.
5. Storein a clean, dry and wellventilatedarea awayfrom any ap-
pliancethat operateswith a flameor pilotlight, such as a furnace,
waterheater,or clothesdryer.Alsoavoidanyarea with a spark
producingelectricmotor,or wherepowertools are operated.
6. If possible,alsoavoidstorageareaswith high humidity,because
that promotesrust and corrosion.
7. Keepthe enginelevelin storage.Tiltingcan causefuel or oil
leakage.
DRAINING THE FUEL
1. Locatethefuel filter,which islocatedon the left side of the
engine,and may be attachedto theenginewith a tie strap.
2. Cut the tie strap,if present,thenpinch thein-lineclampon the
fuel filterwith a pair of pliers, slidethe clampup thefuel line.
3. Pull thefuel line free fromthe filter and placethe open end of the
line intoan approvedcontainerto drainthe fuel.
PREPARING THE LAWN TRACTOR
1. Cleanand lubricatethe unit thoroughly as describedin the
Lubricationinstructions in the Serviceand Maintenancesection.
2. Do not usea pressurewasheror garden hoseto cleanyourunit.
3. Storemowerina dry, cleanarea. Donot storenext to corrosive
materials,such as fertilizer.
Removing From Storage
1. Checktheoil levelas describedin the Assemblysectionof this
manual.
2. If thefuel was drainedduringstoragepreparation, f ill the tank with
freshgasoline.If youkeepa containerof gasolinefor refueling,
makecertain itcontainsonlyfresh fuel. Gasolineoxidizesand
deterioratesovertime,causinghardstarting.
3. If thecylinderwas coatedwith oil duringstoragepreparation, t he
enginewill smokebrieflyat startup.This is normal.