Craftsman 917.37459 owner manual Before Starting Engine, To Start Engine, Mowing Tips, GAS See Fig

OPERATION

BEFORE STARTING ENGINE

OiL (See Fig. 9)

Your lawn mower is shipped without oil in the engine.

•Be sure mower is level and area around oil fill is clean.

•Remove engine oil cap w/dipstick and 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 section of 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.

oReinstall engine oil cap and tighten.

After the first two (2) hours of mowing, change the oil, and every 25 hours thereafter. You may need to change the oil more often under dusty, dirty conditions.

GAS (See Fig. 9)

Fill gasoline tank with fresh, clean, unleaded gasoline,

DO NOT USE PREMIUM GASOLINE. BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVER FILL TANK.

WARNING: 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. To avoid engine problems, the fuel system should be emptied before stor- age of 30 days or longer. Drain the fuel tank, start the engine and let it run until fuel lines and carburetor are empty. Use fresh fuel next season. See Storage Instruc- tions for additional information. Never use engine or carburetor 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.

Move engine speed control lever to fast (@) position.

Hold operator presence control bar down to the handle and pull 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 will not start. If you do flood engine, wait a few minutes before attempting to start and do not repeat priming steps.

FILLER CAP

ENGINE OIL CAP

W/DIPSTICK

FiG. 9

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 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 discharge of grass.

oFor better grass bagging and most cutting conditions, the engine speed should be set in the fast (,_) position.

oWhen using a rear discharge lawn mower in moist, heavy grass, clumps of cut grass may not enter the grass catcher. Reduce ground speed (pushing speed) and/or run the lawn moweroverthe area asecond time.

Ifa trail of grass clippin gs 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 wil! help engine air flow and extend engine life.

Pores in cloth grass catchers can become filled with dirt and dust with use and catchers will collect less grass. To prevent this, regularly hose catchers off with water and let dry before using.

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