Starting the Engine

Avoid injury! Engine exhaust fumes contain carbon monoxide and can cause serious illness or death.

• Move the machine to an outside area before running the engine.
• Do not run an engine in an enclosed area without adequate ventilation.
• Connect a pipe extension to the engine exhaust pipe to direct the exhaust fumes out of the area.
• Allow fresh outside air into the work area to clear out the exhaust fumes.

Avoid injury! Do not start engine by shorting across starter terminals.

Do not use starting fluid to aid engine starting.

Never start engine while standing on ground. Start engine only from operator’s seat.

1. Sit on the operator seat and fasten seat belt. Do not start engine.

2. Push down on accelerator pedal to check free movement of pedal assembly. Release pedal.

3. Move transmission shift lever to N (Neutral) position.

4. Lock the park brake.

   The engine can start with the transmission in gear. The machine has a brake pedal safety start switch. The brake pedal must be pushed down to start the engine.

   On some machine models, starter crank protection may engage and you will be unable to crank the engine for approximately ten seconds.

5. Push and hold the brake pedal down to engage the safety start switch.

6. Turn ignition key switch to START position.

   Avoid damage! Turn off the choke as soon as possible. Running the engine with the choke on beyond the warm-up period leads to plug fouling.

7. If engine is cold, pull out choke control fully and hold.

8. When engine starts, release ignition key switch to the RUN position.

   • If engine does not start within five seconds, turn ignition key switch to STOP position and wait ten seconds before trying to start again.
   • In cold conditions, attempt starting engine three times only, then wait 5 minutes before trying again. This allows time for the starter to cool and prevent damage to starter.
   
   

9. Move choke control out and in as needed until engine is running smoothly.

10. Release choke control.

    Avoid damage! Do not operate the engine at full throttle or under load until engine has warmed up, or engine damage could occur.

11. If you want to warm up the engine manually with the accelerator pedal, first shift to N (Neutral), unlock the park brake, and push down on the brake pedal. Engine stops if the accelerator pedal is pushed down when in N (Neutral) with the park brake locked.

12. To allow the machine to move, unlock the park brake.