Craftsman 944.360040 Owner's Manual page 10

BEFORE STARTING ENGINE
ADD OIL
Your lawnmower is shipped without oil in
the engine. For type and grade of oil to
use, see "EN GINE" in the Maintenance
section of this manual.
CAUTION: DO NOT overfi ll engine with
oil, or it will smoke heavily from the muffl er
on startup.
1. Be sure lawnmower is level.
2. Remove oil dipstick from oil fi ll spout.
3. You receive a container of oil with the
unit. Slowly pour the entire container
down the oil fi ll spout into the engine.
NOTE: Initial oil fi ll requires only 18 oz.
due to residual oil in engine from the
manufacturers 100% quality testing. When
changing oil you may need 20 oz.
4. Insert and tighten dipstick.
IMPORTANT:
• Check oil level before each use. Add oil
if needed. Fill to full line on dipstick.
• Change the oil after every 25 hours of
operation or each season. You may
need to change the oil more often
under dusty, dirty conditions. See "TO
CHANGE ENGINE OIL" in the Mainte-
nance section of this manual.
Gasoline
fi ller cap
Primer
ADD GASOLINE
• Fill fuel tank to bottom of tank fi ller neck.
Do not overfi ll. Use fresh, clean, regular
unleaded gasoline with a minimum of 87
octane. Do not mix oil with gasoline. Pur-
chase fuel in quan ti ties that can be used
within 30 days to assure fuel freshness.
CAUTION: Wipe off any spilled oil or
fuel. Do not store, spill or use gasoline
near an open fl ame.
CAUTION: Alcohol blended fuels
(called gasohol or using ethanol or metha-
nol) can attract moisture which leads to
separation and for ma tion of acids during
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. Empty 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 In struc tions for
additional information. Never use engine
or carburetor cleaner products in the fuel
tank or permanent damage may occur.
TO STOP ENGINE
• To stop engine, release operator pres-
ence con trol bar.
Engine
TO START ENGINE
oil cap
NOTE: Due to protective coatings on the
engine, a small amount of smoke may be
present during the initial use of the product
and should be considered normal.
1. To start a cold engine, push primer
three (3) times before trying to start.
Use a fi rm push. This step is not
usually necessary when starting an
engine which has already run for a few
minutes.
2. Hold operator presence control bar
down to the han dle and pull starter
handle quickly. Do not allow starter
rope to snap back.
NOTE: In cooler weather it may be
necessary to repeat priming steps. In
warmer weather over priming may cause
fl ooding and engine will not start. If you do
fl ood engine, wait a few minutes before
attempting to start and do not repeat
priming steps.
10 23