The long winter (here in Italy) is over; finally spring has arrived and as every year I start to take care of my garden: herbicide for weeds, fertilizer for the lawn and of course cutting the grass with my lawnmower.Who knows if it starts again after all these months of inactivity? Every year this doubt assails me and the machine responds promptly and punctually.
What is the secret? The proper maintenance carried out before a long storage.
Any Cifarelli machine (and not) you own, to avoid any problems when using it after a long period of inactivity, it is necessary to carry out a simple maintenance before “parking” it. If you will perform the operations that I describe, you will avoid starting problems, irregular rpm, switching off the engine idling, loss of chemical and angers especially. When you store your “Cifarelli” machine, proceed as follows:
- Empty the fuel tank of remaining fuel; then start the engine (not at high rpm) and let it switch off itself for lack of fuel, empting the carburetor of the residual fuel. In this way you will avoid going to the assistance to clean the carburetor and to replace the membrane: in fact the fuel in the carburetor starts to degrade after a few days, by obstructing the small orifices of the carburetor and damaging its membrane.
- If the machine is an mist sprayer, clean well the tanks and the parts that are in contact with the chemical solution. Read the article “Cleaning liquid tank” published on Friday, 6th March 2012.
- Thoroughly wash all the external parts of the machine to remove incrustations of soil, grass, dust and, in the case of the mist sprayer, chemical products.
- Spread a thin layer of oil on metal parts; this will prevent corrosion.
- Remove the spark plug (observed the article “Spark plug maintenance”). Pour in the plug hole a few drops of oil for two-stroke engine (that you used to prepare the fuel), then pull the starter handle to distribute the oil in the combustion chamber. Finally replace the spark plug.
- Finally, don’t forget to clean the air filter; read the article “Cleaning the air filter” that illustrates the operation in all its phases (but surely you will know exactly how to do, as you clean it at least three times a week … ).
Now the machine is ready for the rest; put it in a covered place, fresh and dry, away from heat sources, corrosive products and inaccessible to children.
When you return to use the machine, before switching it on, check the tightness of screws and bolts; if you have succefully carry out all the operations, your “Cifarelli” machine will respond promptly, saving time and above all some money for extraordinary repairs.
