Craftsman EZ3 917.388152 Owner's Manual page 8

BEFORESTARTINGENGINE
OIL
Yourlawnmower is shippedwithoutoilin the
engine.
• Be sure mower is level and area around oil
fillis dean.
• Remove engine oil cap w/dipstickand fill to
the full line on the dipstick.
• Use 20 ozs. of oil For type and grade of oil
to use, see "ENGINE" in Customer
Responsibilities sectionof this manual.
• Pour oil slowly. Do not over fill,
• Check oil level before each use. Add oil if
needed. Fill to full line on dipstick.
• To read proper level, tighten engine oil cap
each time.
• Reinstall engine oil cap and tighten.
• 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.
GAS
• Fillfuel tank. Use
fresh, c lean,
regular
unleaded gasoline with a minimum of 87
octane. Do not mix oil with gesoline.
Purchase fuel in quantitiesthat can be used
within 30 days to assure fuel freshness.
WARNING: Experienceindicates that
alcohol b lendedfuels(calledgasohol o rusing
ethanol ormethanol)canattractmoisture
whichleadsto separation and formation of
acidsduring storage. Acidicgascandamage
the fuel systemofan enginewhile in storage.
Toavoidengineproblems, t he fuel system
shouldbe emptiedbefore storageof 30 days
or longer.Drain the fueltank,startthe engine
and let it run until f uel linesand carburetor a re
empty.Use freshfuelnextseason.See
StorageInstructions f or additional i nformation.
Never useengineorcarburetordeaner
products in fueltankorpermanent damage
mayoccur.
TO START ENGINE
• To start a cold engine, push primer five (5)
times before trying to start. Use a firm push.
This step is not usually necessary when
startingan engine which has already run for
a few minutes.
• Push engine speed controllever to fast
position.
• Hold operator presence control bar down to
the handle and pullstarter handle quickly.
Do not allowstarter rope to snap back.
• To stop engine,1 release operator presence
controlbar.
NOTE:
In cooler weather it may be neces-
san/to repeat priming steps. In warmer
weather over priming may cause flooding and
engine will not stad. If you do flood engine,
wait a few minutes before attemptingto start
and do not repeat primingsteps.
MOWING TIPS
• Under certain conditions, such as very tall
grass, it may be necessary to raise the
height of cutto reduce pushing effod and to
keep from overloadingthe engine and
leaving dumps of grass dlppinge.
• For extremely heavy cutting,reduce the
width of cut and raise the rear of the lawn
mower housing one (1) wheel adjuster
setting higher than the front for better
dischargeof grass.
• For better grass bagging and most cutting
conditions,the engine speed should be set
in the fast position.
• When using a rear discharge lawn mower in
moist, heavy grass, dumps of cut grass
may not enter the grass catcher. Reduce
ground speed (pushing speed) and/or run
thelawn mower over t heareaasecond
time.
• ff a trail of grass dippings is left on the dght
side of a mar discharge lawn mower, mow
in a clockwisedirection with a small ovedap
to collect the clippingson the next pass.
• Keep top of engine around starterclear and
clean of grass clippingsand chaff. This will
help engine air flow and extend engine life.
• Pores in cloth grass catchers can become
tilled with dirt and dustwith use and
catchers will collect less grass. To prevent
this, regularly hose catchers off withwater
and let dry before using.
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