Craftsman 944.365990 Owner's Manual page 9

CAUTION: Do not run your lawn mower
with out mulcher plug, clipping defl ector or
ap proved grass catch er in place. Never
at tempt to op er ate the lawn mow er with
the rear door re moved or propped open.
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
ATTACH FUEL CAP CARTRIDGE
Your mower is equipped with a special
FRESH START fuel cap and continuous
TM
fuel preserver cartridge. See the infor-
mation and instructions packed with the
FRESH START cartridge.
TM
1. Snap cartridge into bottom of fuel cap.
NOTE: Do not remove the silver foil seal on
the side of cartridge that snaps into fuel cap.
2. Grasp the white peel tab and pull to
remove the entire seal.
3. Screw fuel cap onto fuel tank after fi ll-
ing tank with gasoline.
Replace cartridge when empty (about
once a season). Check preserver level
visually.
DANGER: Cartridge fl uid is HARMFUL
OR FATAL IF SWALLOWED. Avoid contact
to eyes, skin, or clothing. Do not take
internally. Do not inhale fl uid vapor. Keep
out of reach of children. If swallowed, call
a physician immediately.
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.
Purchase fuel in quan ti ties that can be
used within 30 days to assure fuel fresh-
ness.
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
Engine
or carburetor cleaner products in the fuel
oil cap
tank or permanent damage may occur.
TO STOP ENGINE
• To stop engine, release operator pres-
ence control bar.
TO START ENGINE
NOTE: Due to protective coatings on the
engine, a small amount of smoke may be
present during the initial use of the prod-
uct 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 turn the start
key.
IMPORTANT: Do not crank engine more
than fi ve continous seconds between each
time you try to start. Wait 5 to 10 seconds
between each attempt.
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