Service And Adjustments - Craftsman 944.361170 Owner's Manual

SERVICE AND ADJUSTMENTS

WARNING: To avoid serious injury, before per form ing any service or ad just ments:
1. Release control bar and stop engine.
2. Make sure the blade and all moving parts have completely stopped.
3. Disconnect spark plug wire from spark plug and place wire where it cannot come in
contact with plug.
LAWN MOWER
TO ADJUST CUTTING HEIGHT
See "TO ADJUST CUTTING HEIGHT" in
the Operation sec tion of this manual.
REAR DEFLECTOR
The rear defl ector, attached between the rear
wheels of your mower, is provided to minimize
the possibility that objects will be thrown out
of the rear of the mower into the operator
mowing position. If the defl ector becomes
dam aged, it should be replaced.
DISCHARGE GUARD
The discharge guard, attached to the
dis charge opening of your lawn mower, is
pro vided to prevent the possibility of injury
re sult ing from objects being thrown out of
the dis charge opening into the operator
mowing position. If the dis charge guard
becomes dam aged, it should be replaced.
TO ADJUST HANDLE
The handle can be mounted in a high or
low position. The mounting holes in the
bottom of lower handle are off center for
raising or lowering the handle.
1. Remove upper handle and all wire
tie(s) securing cable(s) to lower handle.
2. Remove hairpin cotters from lower
handle bracket mount ing pin.
3. Squeeze lower handle in to remove it
from mounting pins.
4. Turn lower handle over to raise or
lower handle.
5. Squeeze lower handle in and po si tion holes
onto mount ing pins on handle bracket.
6. Reassemble upper handle and all
parts removed from lower handle.
SQUEEZE
TO ADJUST
Lower handle
Mounting pin
Handle
bracket Hairpin cotter
Mowing Mowing
position position
Hairpin
Handle
cotter
bracket
Mounting
pin
LOW POSITION HIGH POSITION
Lower
handle
ROTATE
ENGINE
ENGINE SPEED
Your engine speed has been factory set.
Do not attempt to increase engine speed
or it may result in personal injury. If you
believe that the engine is running too fast
or too slow, take your lawn mower to a
Sears or other qualifi ed service centre for
repair and adjustment.
CARBURETOR
Your carburetor is not adjustable. If your
engine does not operate properly due to
suspected carburetor problems, take your
lawn mower to a Sears or other qualifi ed
service centre for repair or ad just ment.
IMPORTANT: Never tamper with the
engine governor, which is factory set for
proper engine speed. Over speed ing
the engine above the factory high speed
setting can be dangerous. If you think
the engine-governed high speed needs
adjusting, contact a Sears or other
qualifi ed service centre, which has proper
equip ment and ex pe ri ence to make any
nec es sary adjustments.
14
Immediately prepare your lawn mower for storage at the end of the season or if the unit
will not be used for 30 days or more.
LAWN MOWER
When lawn mower is to be stored for a
period of time, clean it thor oughly, remove
all dirt, grease, leaves, etc. Store in a
clean, dry area.
1. Clean entire lawn mower (See
"CLEANING" in the Maintenance sec-
tion of this manual).
2. Lubricate as shown in the Main te nance
section of this manual.
3. Be sure that all nuts, bolts, screws, and
pins are securely fas tened. Inspect
moving parts for damage, breakage
and wear. Replace if necessary.
4. Touch up all rusted or chipped paint
surfaces; sand lightly before painting.
HANDLE
You can fold your lawn mower handle for
storage.
1. Squeeze the bottom ends of the lower
handle toward each other until the
lower handle clears the handle bracket,
then move handle forward.
2. Loosen upper handle mounting bolts
enough to allow upper handle to be
folded back.
IMPORTANT: When folding the handle for
storage or transportation, be sure to fold
the handle as shown or you may damage
the control cables.
• When setting up your handle from the
storage position, the lower han dle will
automatically lock into the mow ing posi-
tion.
SQUEEZE
TO FOLD
Lower handle
STORAGE
Operator
presence
control bar
FOLD
FORWARD
FOR
STORAGE
ENGINE
FUEL SYS TEM
IMPORTANT: It is important to prevent
gum deposits from forming in essential
fuel system parts such as carburetor, fuel
fi lter, fuel hose or tank during storage.
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 damage the fuel system of an
engine while in storage.
• Empty the fuel tank by starting the en-
gine and letting it run until the fuel lines
and car bu re tor are empty.
• Never use engine or carburetor cleaner
prod ucts in the fuel tank or per ma nent
damage may occur.
• Use fresh fuel next season.
NOTE: Fuel stabilizer is an acceptable
al ter na tive in minimizing the formation
of fuel gum deposits during stor age.
Add stabilizer to gasoline in fuel tank or
storage con tain er. Always follow the mix
ratio found on stabilizer container. Run
engine at least 10 min utes after adding
stabilizer to allow the stabilizer to reach
the car bu re tor. Do not empty the gas tank
and carburetor if using fuel stabilizer.
15
MOWING
POSITION
Upper
handle
Handle
knob
Lower handle