Craftsman 247.388240 Owner's Manual page 17

Prepare y ourlawn mower forstorage a ttheendofthe
season or
if the unit will not be used for 30 days or
morn. Store the mower in a clean, dry area.
Mower
Clean underside of the mower following
instructionsin the Maintenance section of this
manual.
Inspect and replace/sharpen blade, if required.
Refer to the Maintenance sectionof this manual
for blade care instructions.
Lubricate mower following the lubricationchart
on page 14 of this manual.
You can fold your mower's handle for convenient
storage as shown in Figure 20. Follow the steps
below to fold the handle.
Remove the starter rope from the rope guide.
Loosen the two hand knobs on the sides of the
handle, and let the upper handle fold down to
the rear.
Move the hairpin clips to the outer hole in the
weld pins on the handle mounting brackets.
Spread the sides of the lower handle, and push
itforward and down.
Upper Handle
\
Lower
Handle
,/
Figure 20
NOTE: When folding the handle for storage or
transportation,be careful not to bend or kink the
cable.
Engine
IMPORTANT: It is importantto prevent gum deposits
from forming in essential fuel system parts such as
carburetor,fuel filter, fuel hose, or tank during
storage. Also, experience indicates that 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.
Drain fuel system & carburetor
WARNING: Drain fuel into approved
container outdoors away from open flame.
Be sure engine is cool Do not smoke.
Drain the fuel tank.
Start the engine and let it run until the fuel lines
and carburetor are empty.
Drain carburetor by removing bowl drain screw
which is located below the carburetor. See
Figure 21.
Carburetor
Figure 21
Note: Do not drain carburetor ff using fuel stabilizer.
WARNING: Never usa engine or
carburetor cleaner productsin the fuel tank
or permanent damage may occur.
Use fresh fuel next season.
Use fuel stabilizer
NOTE: Fuel stabilizer is an acceptable alternative in
minimizing the formationof fuel gum deposits during
storage.
Add stabilizer to gasoline in fuel tank or storage
container.
Always follow the mix ratiofound on stabilizer
container.
Run engine at least 10 minutes after adding
stabilizer to allow the stabilizer to reach the
carburetor.
Do not drain the gas tank and carburetor if
using fuel stabilizer. Drain all the oil from the
crankcase (This should be done after the
engine has been operated and is stillwarm)
and refill the crankcase with fresh oil.
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