BEFORE STARTING ENGINE
ADD
OIL
Your lawnmower
is shipped
without
oil in
the engine.
For type and grade
of oil to
use, see "ENGINE"
in the Maintenance
section
of this manual.
A
CAUTION:
DO NOT overfill
engine
with
oil, or it will smoke
heavily
from the muffler
on startup.
1.
Be sure
lawnmower
is level.
2.
Remove
oil dipstick
from oil fill spout.
3.
You receive
a container
of oil with the
unit.
Slowly
pour the entire
container
down
the oil fill spout
into the engine.
NOTE:
Initial oil fill requires
only
18 oz.
due to residual
oil in engine
from the
manufacturers
100% quality
testing.
When
changing
oil you may need 20 oz.
4.
Insert and tighten
dipstick.
IMPORTANT:
• Check
oil level
before
each
use.
Add oil
if needed.
Fill to full line on dipstick.
• Change
the oil after every 25 hours of
operation
or each season.
You may
need to change
the oil more often
under
dusty, dirty conditions.
See "TO
CHANGE
ENGINE
OIL" in the Mainte-
nance
section
of this manual.
ADD
GASOLINE
• Fill fuel tank to bottom
of tank filler neck.
Do not overfill.
Use fresh,
clean,
regular
unleaded
gasoline
with a minimum
of
87 octane.
Do not mix oil with gasoline.
Purchase
fuel in quantities
that can be
used within
30 days to assure
fuel fresh-
ness.
CAUTION:
Wipe off any spilled
oil or
fuel.
Do not store,
spill or use gasoline
near an open flame.
A
CAUTION:
Alcohol
blended
fuels
(called
gasohol
or using ethanol
or metha-
nol) 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
storage
of 30
days or longer.
Empty
the gas tank, start
the engine
and let it run until the fuel lines
and carburetor
are empty.
Use fresh fuel
next season.
See Storage
Instructions
for
additional
information.
Never
use engine
or carburetor
cleaner
products
in the fuel
tank or permanent
damage
may occur.
Engine
oil cap
Gasoline
filler cap
TO STOP
ENGINE
• To stop engine, release operator pres-
ence control bar.
TO
START
ENGINE
NOTE:
Due to protective
coatings
on the
engine,
a small
amount
of smoke
may be
present
during
the initial
use of the product
and should
be considered
normal.
1. To start a cold engine,
push primer
three
(3) times
before
trying
to start.
Use a firm push. This step is not usu-
ally necessary
when
starting
an engine
which
has already
run for a few minutes.
2. Hold operator
presence
control
bar
down
to the handle
and turn the start
key.
IMPORTANT:
Do not crank engine
more
than five continous
seconds
between
each
time you try to start. Wait 5 to 10 seconds
between
each attempt.
• To start engine
using the rope starter,
follow
the steps
above.
Exchange
the
use of the starter
rope for start
key.
Pull starter
handle
quickly.
Do not allow
starter
rope to snap
back.
NOTE:
In cooler
weather
it may be neces-
sary 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
at-
tempting
to start and do not repeat
priming
steps.
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