Craftsman EZ3 917.377303 Owner's Manual page 8

Operator presence Drive
control bar"_ ,,._ _ _ ,control
_,_ "_, "_ Drive c ontrol
mengage _ disengaged
drive c ontrol
BEFORE STARTING ENGINE
OIL
Your lawn m ower isshipped without oil i nthe
engine.
Be sure mower islevel and area around oil
fillisclean.
, Remove engine oil c ap w!dipstick and fillto
the full l ine onthe dipstick.
Use 27ozs. ofoil. F or t ype and grade o foil
touse, see "ENGINE" inCustomer
Responsibilities section ofthis manual.
• Pour oil s lowly. Donot o ver f ill.
• Check oil l evel before each use. Add oil i f
needed. Fill t ofull l ine ondipstick.
. Toread p roper level, tighten engine oil c ap
each time.
• Reinstall engine oil c ap and tighten.
• Change the oil a fter e very 25hours o f
operation oreach season. You may need
tochange the oil m ore o ften u nder dusty,
dirty conditions.
GAS
Fill f uel tank. Use fresh, clean, regular
unleaded gasoline with aminimum of87
octane. Donot m ix oil w ith gasoline.
Purchase fuel i nquantities that c an beused
within 3 0days t oassure fuel f reshness.
WARNING: Experience indicates that
alcohol blended f uels (called g asohol or
using ethanol ormethanol) canattract
moisture which leads toseparation and
formation ofacids d uring 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 storage of 30 days oi"
longer. Drain the fuel tank, star/the engine
and let it run until fuel lines and carburetor
are empty. Use fresh fue! next season.
See Storage Instructions for additional
information. Never use engine or carbure-
tor cleaner products in fuel tank or
permanent damage may occur.
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
starting an engine which has already run for
a few minutes.
Push engine speed control lever to fast
position.
Hold operator presence control bar down to
the handle and puff starter handle quickly.
Do not allow starter rope to snap back.
To stop engine, release operator presence
control bar.
NOTE: In cooler weather it may be necessary
to repeat priming steps. In warmer weather
over priming may cause flooding and engine
wil! not start. If you do flood engine, wait a few
minutes before attempting to start and do not
repeat priming steps. Engine oil cap
Gasoline ._pstick
filler cap
MOWING TIPS
• Under certain conditions, such as very tall
grass, it may be necessary to raise the
height of cut to reduce pushing effort and to
keep from overloading the engine and
leaving clumps of grass clippings.
• For extremely heaW 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
discharge of 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, heaW grass, clumps of cut grass
may not enter the grass catcher. Reduce
ground speed (pushing speed) and/or run
the lawn mower over the area a second
time.
• If a trail of grass clippings is left on the right
side of a rear discharge lawn mower, mow
in a clockwise direction with a small overlap
to collect the clippings on the next pass.
• Keep top of engine around starter clear and
clean of grass clippings and chaff. This will
help engine air flow and extend engine life.