Craftsman 917.28852 Operator's Manual page 14

BEFORE STARTING THE ENGINE
CHECK ENGINE OIL LEVEL
The enginein your tractor has been shipped,
from the factory, already filled with summer
weight oil,
1. Check engine oil with tractor on level
ground.
2. Remove oil fill cap/dipstick and wipe
clean, reinsert the dipstick and screw cap
tight, wait for afew seconds, remove and
read oil level. If necessary, add oil until
"FUL_ mark on dipstick is reached. Do
not overfill.
• For cold weather operation you should
change oil for easier starting (See the oil
viscosity chart inthe Maintenance section
of this manual).
• Tochange engine oil,seethe Maintenance
section in this manual,
ADD GASOLINE
o Fill fuel tank to bottom offifter neck. Do not
overfill. Usefresh, clean, regular unleaded
gasoline with a minimum of 87 octane.
(Use of leaded gasoline will increase
carbon and lead oxide deposits and reduce
valve life). Do not mix oil with gasoline.
Purchasefuel inquantities thatcan be used
within 30 days to ensure fuel freshness.
_CAUTION: Wipe off any spilled oil or fuel.
Do not store, spill or use gasoline near an
open flame.
IMPORTANT: When operating in tem-
peratures below 32°F(0°C), use fresh, clean
winter grade gasoline to help ensure good
cold weather starting.
CAUTION: Alcohol blended fuels (called
gasohol or using ethanol or methanol) can
attract moisture which leads to separation
and formation ofacids during storage, Acidic
gas can damage the fuel system of an engine
while in storage. Toavoid engine problems,
3. Place motion control lever in neutral
position.
4. Move attachment clutch to disengaged
position.
5. Move throttle control to choke position.
NOTE: Before starting, read the warm and
cold starting procedures below.
6. Insert key into ignition and turn key
clockwise to start position and release
key as soon as engine starts, Do not run
starter continuously for more than fifteen
seconds per minute. If the engine does
not start after several attempts, move
throttle control to fast position, wait a
few minutes and try again. If engine still
does not start, move the throttle control
back to the choke position and retry.
WARM WEATHER STARTING
(50°F/10°C and above)
7. When engine starts, move the throttle
control to the fast position.
• The attachments and ground drive can
nowbe used, tftheengine does notaccept
the load, restart the engine and allow it to
warm up for one minute using the choke
as described above.
COLD WEATHER STARTING
(50°F/10°C and below)
7. When engine starts, leavethrottle control
in choke position until engine warms up
and begins to run roughly, Once rough
running begins, immediately move the
throttle controlto the fast position. Engine
warm-up may take from several seconds
to several minutes (the colder the tem-
perature, the longer the warm-up).
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WARM UP
Before driving the unit in cold weather, the
transmissionshould be warmed up asfollows:
the fuel system should be emptied before 1. Ensure the tractor is on level ground.
storage of 30 days or Ionqer, Drain the gas 2. Place the motion control lever in neutral.
fuellinesandcarburetorareempty. Usefresh clutch/brake slowly return to operating
fuel next season. See Storage Instructions position.
foradditional information. Never useengine
or carburetor cleaner products inthefueltank
or permanent damage may occur.
TO START ENGINE
When starting the engine for the first time or
if the engine has run out of fuel, it will take
extra cranking time to move fuel from the
tank to the engine.
I, Ensure freewheel control is in the trans-
mission engaged position.
2. Siton seat in operating position, depress
clutch/brake pedal and set parking brake.
3. AUowone minute for transmission towarm
up. This can be done during the engine
warm up period.
• The attachments can also be used dur-
ing the engine warm-up period after the
transmission has been warmed up.
NOTE: Ifat a high altitude (above 3000 feet)
or in cold temperatures (below 32°F/0°C)
the carburetor fuel mixture may need to be
adjusted for best engine performance (see
"TO ADJUST CARBURETOR" inthe Service
and Adjustments section of this manual).
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