Craftsman 917.276361 manual To Start Engine

_,CAUTION: Wipe off any spilled oil or fuel. Do not store,spill or use gasoline near an open flame.

IMPORTANT:When operatingin temper- atures below32°F(0°C),use fresh,clean winter gradegasolineto helpinsuregood cold weatherstarting.

CAUTION: Alcohol blendedfuels (called gasoholor usingethanol or methanol)can attractmoisturewhichleads to separa- tion and formationof acids duringstorage. Acidic gas can damagethe fuel system

of an enginewhile in storage. To avoid engine problems,the fuel system should be emptiedbeforestorageof 30 days

or longer. Drainthe gas tank, start the engine and let it run until the fuel lines and carburetorare empty. Use fresh fuel

nextseason. See Storage Instructionsfor additionalinformation. Neveruse engine or carburetorcleaner productsin the fuel tank or permanentdamagemayoccur.

TO START ENGINE

When startingthe engine for the first time or if the enginehas run out of fuel, it will take extracrankingtime to movefuel from the tank to the engine.

1.Be sure freewheelcontrol is in the transmissionengagedposition.

2.Sit on seat in operatingposition,

depressbrakepedal and set parking brake.

3.Moveattachmentclutchto disengaged position.

4.Movethrottlecontrolto fast position

5.Pull chokecontrol outfor a cold engine start attempt.For a warm enginestart

attemptthe chokecontrol maynot be needed.

NOTE: Beforestarting,read the warm and cold starting proceduresbelow.

6.Insert keyinto ignitionand turn key clockwiseto start positionand release keyas soon as engine starts. Do

not run starter continuouslyfor more than fifteensecondsper minute. Ifthe engine does not start after several attempts,pushchoke controlin, wait a few minutesand try again. If engine still does not start, pull the chokecon- trol outand retry.

WARMWEATHERSTARTING(50° F and above)

7.When engine starts, slowlypushchoke control in until the engine beginsto run smoothly.If the enginestarts to run roughly,pullthe chokecontrol out slightlyfor a few secondsand then continue to push the control in slowly.

The attachmentsand grounddrive can now be used. If the engine does not acceptthe load, restart the engine and allowit to warm up for one minuteusing the choke as describedabove.

COLDWEATHERSTARTING(50° F and below)

7.When engine starts,slowlypush choke control in until the enginebegins to run smoothly.Continueto pushthe choke control in small steps allowingthe en- gine to acceptsmall changesin speed and load, untilthe choke controlis fully in. If the enginestarts to run roughly, pullthe chokecontrol out slightlyfor a fewsecondsand then continueto push the control in slowly.This mayrequire an enginewarm-upperiod from several secondsto severalminutes,depending on the temperature.

NOTE: In extremecold conditions,if enginewill not start you mayneedto dis- engagethe motiondrive belt as follows:

1.Besure parkingbrake is engaged.

2.Removeretainerspringfrom the drive belttension handleto relievebelt ten- sion.

3.Start engineand allow it to warm up for three (3) minutes.

4.Shut-offengine and engageparking brake.

5.Engagedrive belt tensionhandleand replacethe retainerspring.

AUTOMATICTRANSMISSIONWARMUP

Beforedriving the unit in cold weather, the transmissionshould be warmedup as follows:

1.Besure the tractor is on levelground.

2.Placethe motioncontrol leverin neutral.Releasethe parkingbrake and letthe brake slowlyreturn to operating position.

3.Allowone minutefor transmissionto warm up.Thiscan be done duringthe

enginewarm up period.

•The attachmentscan be used during the engine warm-upperiod afterthe transmissionhas beenwarmed up and mayrequirethe choke control be pulled

out slightly.

NOTE: If at a high altitude(above3000 feet) or in cold temperatures(below32 F) the carburetorfuel mixturemay needto be adjustedfor best engineperformance (see "TOADJUSTCARBURETOR"in the Serviceand Adjustmentssectionof this manual).

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