Craftsman 917.3773 manual To Start Engine, Mowing Tips, GAS See Fig

OPERATION

BEFORE ,STARTING ENGINE

OIL (See Fig, 9)

Your lawn mower _sshipped 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 27 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 fit!.

•Check oil leve before each use. Add oil if needed. Fill to full line on dipstick.

GASOLINE FILLER CAP

ENGINE OIL CAP

W/DIPSTICK

\

,,To read proper level, tighten engine oil cap each time. Reinstall 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)

-Fii fuel tank. Use fresh, clean, regular unleaded gasoline with a minimum of 87 octane. Do'notmix oil with gasoline. Purchase fuel in quantities that can be used w_thin 30 days to assure fuel freshness.

IMPORTANT: WHEN OPERATING IN TEMPERATURES

BELOW 32°F(0°C), USE FRESH, CLEAN WINTER GRADE

GASOLINE TO HELP INSURE GOOD COLD WEATHER STARTtNG

WARNING: Experience indicates that alcohol blended fuels (calfed gasohof 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 engrne or carburetor cleaner products in fuel tank or permanent damage may occur.

TO START ENGINE

To start acold engine, push primer five (5) times before [rying to start. Use a firm push. This step is not usually

necessary when starting an eng_ne which has already run for a few minutes.

-Move engine speed control lever to fast (,t_) 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.

FIG. 9

MOWING TIPS

oUnder 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 ofcut

and raise the rear of the lawn mower housing one (1) wheel adjuster setting higher than the front for better discharge of grass.

=For better grass bagging and most cutting conditions. Lheengine speed should be set in the fast (@) position.

•When 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 mower over the area a second time.

•Ifa trail of grass clippings is left on the rignt side of a rear discharge lawn mower, mow in a clockwise direction with a small overlap to collect the cl ippings on the next pass.

•Keep top of engine around starter clear and clean of grass clippings and chaff. This will help engine airflow and extend engine life.

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

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