Immediately prepare your lawn mower for storage at the end of the season or if the unit will not be used for 30 days or more.

LAWN MOWER

When lawn mower is to be stored for a period of time, clean it thoroughly, remove all dirt, grease, leaves, etc. Store in a clean, dry area.

1.Clean entire lawn mower (See "CLEANING" in the Maintenance sec-

tion of this manual).

2.Lubricate as shown in the Maintenance section of this manual.

3.Be sure that all nuts, bolts, screws, and

pins are securely fastened. Inspect moving parts for damage, breakage and wear. Replace if necessary.

4.Touch up all rusted or chipped paint surfaces; sand lightly before painting.

HANDLE

You can fold your lawn mower handle for storage.

1.Squeeze the bottom ends of the lower handle toward each other until the

lower handle clears the handle bracket, then move handle forward.

2.Loosen upper handle mounting bolts

enough to allow upper handle to be folded back.

IMPORTANT: When folding the handle for

storage or transportation, be sure to fold

the handle as shown or you may damage the control cables.

When setting up your handle from the storage position, the lower handle will au- tomatically lock into the mowing position.

SQUEEZE

TO FOLD

Lower handle

Operator

MOWING

I

POSITION

control bar

 

 

/ /

Lower handle

ENGINE

FUEL SYSTEM

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

Empty the fuel tank by starting the en- gine and letting it run until the fuel lines and carburetor are empty.

Never use engine or carburetor cleaner products in the fuel tank or permanent damage may occur.

Use fresh fuel next season.

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 stor- age 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 car-

buretor. Do not empty the gas tank and carburetor if using fuel stabilizer.

ENGINE OIL

Drain oil (with engine warm) and replace with clean engine oil. (See "ENGINE" in the Maintenance section of this manual).

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Craftsman 917.388981 owner manual Handle, Squeeze To Fold, Fuel System, Engine OIL