Starting The Engine - Craftsman 247.883971 Operator's Manual

Gasoline
Useextreme carewhenhandling gasoline.Gasolineisextremely flammable
and the vapors areexplosive.Neverfuel the machineindoorsor while the
engine ishot or running. Extinguishcigarettes, cigars,pipesand other
sourcesof ignition.
Use automotivegasoline (unleaded or low leaded to minimizecombustion chamber
deposits) w itha minimumof87 octane. G asoline with up to 10%ethanolor 15%
MTBE (Methyl T ertiaryButylEther) canbeused. N everuseanoil/gasoline mixture
or dirty gasoline. A voidgettingdirt, dust,or waterinthe fuel tank.DO NOT useE85
gasoline.
Refuel i n awell-ventilated areawith theenginestopped. D onot smokeor
allowflamesor sparksintheareawherethe engineisrefueled or where
gasoline isstored.
Donot overfillthe fuel tank.After refueling, m akesurethe tank capisclosed
properlyandsecurely.
Becareful n ot to spillfuel whenrefueling.Spilled fuel or fuelvapormay
ignite.Ifanyfuelis spilled,makesurethe areaisdry beforestartingthe
engine.
Avoidrepeated or prolongedcontact w ith skinor breathingof vapor
1. Clean aroundfuel fill beforeremoving capto fuelto prevent d ebris from
enteringfueltank..
2. Afuel levelindicatorislocated in the fueltank.Filltank until fuel reaches t he
fuel levelindictor.SeeFigure 10inset.Becareful n ot to overfill.
Starting The Engine
Alwayskeephandsandfeet clearof moving parts. Donot usea pressurized
starting fluid. Vaporsareflammable.
flOTE: A llowthe enginetowarmup forafew minutes after starting.Theenginewill
not develop full poweruntil it reaches o peratingtemperatures.
1. Makecertainboth theaugercontrol a nddrivecontrol a reinthe disengaged
(released) p osition.
2. Insertkeyintoslot.Makesureit snapsintoplace.Donot attemptto turnthe
key.
NOTE: The enginecannotstartwithout the keyisfully insertedintothe ignition
switch.
Electric Starter
Theoptional electricstarter isequippedwith a groundedthree-wire power
plug,and is designedto operate on 120volt AChouseholdcurrent. It mustbe
usedwith a properly groundedthree-prongextensioncordandreceptacle
at all times to avoidthe possibilityof electricshock.Followall instructions
carefully prior to operatingthe electric starter. DONOT useelectricstarter in
the rain.
Determine that yourhome'swiring isathree-wiregrounded system. A ska licensed
electrician ifyouarenot certain.
Theextensioncordcan beany length, but must be ratedfor 15ampsat 125
volts,groundedand ratedfor outdoor use.
Ifyouhaveagrounded three-prongreceptacle, proceed asfollows.If youdonot
have the properhouse wiring, DO NOT usethe electricstarterunderanyconditions.
1. Plugthe extension cordintothe outlet located onthe engine'ssurface. P lug
the otherendof extension cordintoa three-prong120-volt, g rounded, A C
outlet inawell-ventilated area.
2. Movethrottlecontrolto FAST (rabbit)_j_ position.
3. Movechoke to the CHOKE p osition[,j €[ (coldenginestart).
4. NOTE: Ifthe engineisalready warm,placechokecontrol i n the RUN position
insteadof CHOKE
I."1
position.
5. Push primerthreetimes(3x),makingsureto covervent holeinprimerbulb
when pushing. I f engineiswarm,pushprimeronlyonce. A lwayscovervent
holewhen pushing. C ool w eathermayrequireprimingto be repeated.
6. Push starterbuttonto startengine.Once the enginestarts,immediately
release starterbutton.Electric starterisequipped with thermaloverload
protection;system will temporarilyshut-downto allowstarterto coolif
electricstarterbecomes o verloaded.
Toprolong starter life, useshort starting cycles(5 seconds maximum, then
wait oneminute).
7. Asthe enginewarms,slowlyrotatethe chokecontroltothe RUN position.If
the enginefalters,restartengineandrunwith chokeat half-choke position
fora shortperiodof time,andthenslowlyrotatethe chokeintothe RUN
position.
8. Afterengineis running,disconnect powercordfrom electricstarter.When
disconnecting, alwaysunplugthe endat thewall outlet beforeunplugging
the opposite endfromthe engine.
RecoilStarter
Donot pull the starter handlewhilethe engine running.
1. Movethrottlecontrolto FAST (rabbit)_ position.
2. Movechoke to the CHOKE
I,"l pos t on co,d
enginestart).Ifengineis
warm,placechokeinthe RUN position.
3. Push primerthreetimes,makingsureto coverventholewhenpushing.
Ifengineiswarm,pushprimeronlyonce. A lways covervent holewhen
pushing.Cool w eathermayrequireprimingto berepeated.
4. Pull g entlyonthestarterhandleuntilit begins to resist, t henpullquicklyand
forcefully to overcome t he compression. Engine s houldstart.Donot release t he
handle andallowit to snap back.Return ropeSLOWLY to originalposition. I f
required, r epeat t hisstep.
5. Asthe enginewarms,slowlyrotatethe chokecontroltothe RUN position.If
the enginefalters,restartengineandrunwith chokeat half-choke position
fora shortperiodof time,andthenslowlyrotatethe chokeintothe RUN
position.
15