Craftsman 247.388250 owner manual Mower, Engine

Prepareyourlawnmowerforstorageattheendofthe seasonorif theunitwill notbeusedfor 30daysor moreStorethemowerin.a clean, dry area.

Mower

•Clean the mower thorougly.

Inspect and replace/sharpen blade, if required.

•Lubricate mower following the lubrication chart

on page 14 of this manual.

You can fold your mower'shandle for convenient

storage as shown in Figure 19. Follow the steps below to fold the handle.

•	Remove the starter rope from the rope guide.
•	Loosen the two hand knobs on the sides of the
	handle, and let the upper handle fold down to
	the rear.
•	Remove carriage bolt and wing nut from each
	handle	bracket.
•	Spread	the sides of the lower handle, and push
	it forward and down.

Drain the fuel tank. Start the engine and let it

run until the fuel lines and carburetor are empty. Loosen the bowl drain screw a few turns. The

bowl drain screw is located below the carburetor. See Figure 20. Do not remove the screw completely. Drain the carburetor

Note: Do not drain carburetor if using fuel stabilizer.

cleaner products in the fuel tank or

,_ WARNING: Never use engine or carburetor permanent damage may occur.

.._/Primer

Bowl Drain

	Lower	Handle
Upper Handle	folded	down
folded down

Screw

Carburetor

Figure 19

NOTE: When folding the handle, be careful not to bend or kink the cable.

Engine

IMPORTANT: It is importantto prevent gum deposits from forming in essential fuel system parts such as carburetor, fuel filter, fuel hose, or tank during storage. Also, 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.

Drainfuelsystem & carburetor

containerWARNING:outdoorsDrain fuelawayintofromapprovedopen flame. Be sure engine is cool. Do not smoke.

Figure 20

Use fuel stabilizer

NOTE: Fuel stabilizer is an acceptable alternative in minimizing the formation of fuel gum deposits during

storage.

•Add stabilizer to gasoline in fuel tank or storage

container. Always follow the mix ratio found on stabilizer container.

Run engine at least 10 minutes after adding stabilizer to allow the stabilizer to reach the carburetor.

•Do not drain the gas tank and carburetor if using fuel stabilizer. Drain all the oil from the crankcase (This should be done after the

engine has been operated and is stiff warm) and refill the crankcase with fresh oil.

Oil cylinder bore

After you have drained the fuel tank, protect the inside of the engine as follows:

Remove spark plug, pour approximately one ounce (30 ml) of engine oil into spark plug hole, and crank slowly to distribute oil.

hole when cranking the engine slowly. WARNING: Avoid spray from spark plug

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