Craftsman 944.363201 Owner's Manual page 15

HANDLE
You can fold your lawn mower handle for
storage.
NOTE: The upper handle has an "anti-fold"
bracket located on the right side of the
handle. This bracket prevents the upper
handle from folding forward, which helps
protect control cable(s) from damage.
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
Operator presence
control bar
Upper handle
FOR
STORAGE
Lower
handle
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.
FOLD
FORWARD
Mowing
position
15
Also, 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.
ENGINE OIL
Drain oil (with engine warm) and replace
with clean engine oil. (See "ENGINE" in
the Maintenance section of this manual).
CYLINDER
1. Remove spark plug.
2. Pour 30 ml of oil through spark plug
hole into cylinder.
3. Pull starter handle slowly a few times
to dis trib ute oil.
4. Replace with new spark plug.
OTHER
• Do not store gasoline from one season
to another.
• Replace your gasoline can if your can
starts to rust. Rust and/or dirt in your
gasoline will cause problems.
• If possible, store your unit indoors and
cover it to protect it from dust and dirt.
• Cover your unit with a suitable pro tec tive
cover that does not retain moisture. Do
not use plastic. Plastic cannot breathe,
which allows con den sa tion to form and
will cause your unit to rust.
IMPORTANT: Never cover mower while
en gine and exhaust areas are still warm.
CAUTION: Never store the lawn mower
with gaso line in the tank inside a build ing
where fumes may reach an open fl ame
or spark. Allow the engine to cool before
storing in any en clo sure.