Off-Season Storage; Preparing The Engine; Draining The Fuel; Preparing The Lawn Tractor - Craftsman 247.203721 Operator's Manual

Neverstore lawn tractor with fuel in tankindoors or in poorlyventilated
areaswhere fuel fumes may reachanopen flame, spark,or pilot light ason
a furnace,water heater, clothesdryer,or gasappliance.
PreparingTheEngine
IM PORTANT: Fuel l eft inthe fueltank duringwarmweatherdeteriorates a nd
will cause serious startingproblems.
Toprevent g umdeposits fromforminginside the engine's carburetor a ndcausing
possible malfunctionofthe engine,the fuel system mustbeeithercompletely
emptied,or the gasoline mustbetreatedwith astabilizerto prevent d eterioration.
I. Ifusingafuelstabilizer:
a. Read the productmanufacturer'sinstructionsand recommendations.
b. Addto clean,freshgasoline the correct a mountofstabilizerfor the
capadtyofthe fuel system.
c. Fillthe fueltank with treatedfuel andrunthe enginefor2-3minutesto
get stabilized fuel intothe carburetor.
2. Ifemptyingthefuelsystem:
a. Donot drainfuel whenthe engineishot.Allowthe engineadequate
time to cool.Drain fuel intoanapproved container o utdoors, a wayfrom
openflame.
b. Drain anylargevolumeof fuelfrom the tankbydisconnecting t he
fuel linefromthe in-linefuel filter nearthe engine.See the complete
instructionsforDraining TheFuellaterin thissection.
Gasolineisextremely flammable and canbe explosiveundercertain
conditions. Draingasolinebeforestoring the equipment for extended
periods.Drainfuel only into an approvedcontaineroutdoors,awayfrom
an open flame. Allow engine to cool.Extinguish cigarettes, cigars,pipes,
and othersourcesof ignitionprior to draining fuel. Storegasolineinan
approvedcontainer in safe location.
c. Reconnect the fuel lineandrunthe engineuntil it startsto falter,then
usethe choketo keepthe enginerunninguntilall fuel inthe carburetor
hasbeenexhausted.
d. Disconnect the fuellineanddrainanyremaining gasoline from the
system.
DrainingThe Fuel
1. Locate the fuel filter,whichis located onthe left sideofthe engine,andmay
beattached to the engine with a tiestrap.
2. Cut t he tie strap,if present, t henpinchthe in-lineclamponthe fuel filter
with a pairof pliers,slidethe clampupthe fuel line.
3. Pullthefuel linefreefrom the filter andplace the openendof the lineinto
an approved container t o drainthe fuel.
Preparin9Thelawn tractor
Clean andlubricatetractorthoroughlyasdescribed inthe lubrication
instructions.
2. Donot usea pressure w asher or gardenhoseto cleanyourunit.
3. Store mowerinadry,cleanarea.Donotstorenextto corrosive materials,
suchasfertilizer.
Gasolineisa toxic substance. D ispose o f gasolineproperly. C ontactyour
localauthorities for approveddisposalmethods.
3. Remove t hesparkplugandpourone(1)ounce ofengineoil throughthe spark
plug holeinto the cylinder. C rank t he engine several t imesto distributethe
oil. Replace t he sparkplug.
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