Engine Maintenance - Craftsman 247.28884 Operator's Manual

ENGINE
MAINTENANCE
Checking the Engine Oil
Onlyuse high qualitydetergentoil ratedwith APIserviceclassification
SF,SG,SH, or SJ, Selectthe oil's SAEviscositygradeaccordingto
the expectedoperatingtemperature. F ollowthe chart below.
Althoughmulti-viscosity oils (5W20,10W30,etc.)improvestarting
in coldweather,they will result in increasedoil consumption when
usedabove32°E Checkyour engineoil levelmorefrequentlyto avoid
possibleenginedamagefrom runninglowon oil.
('_older _ 32°F _War me'_r
Oil Viscosity Chart
Tocheckthe engineoil, proceedas follows:
• Ensurethat the tractoris on a levelsurface.
• Cleantheoil fill area of anydebris.
1. Removethedipstickand wipe with a clean cloth.
2. Insertand tightendipstick.
3. Removethedipstickand checkthe oil level.It shouldbe at the
Fullmark on the dipstick.See Figure9.
f
Dipstick-_
Oil Drain
Valve
Oil Drain
Sleeve
J
Figure9
If low,add oil slowlyintothe engineoil fill. Do notoverfill.After
addingoil, wait one minuteand then recheckthe oil level.
Donotoverfill.Overfillingwith oil maycausethe engine to not start,
hard starting,or engine smoking.If overthe FULLmark on the
dipstick,drain oil to reduceoil levelto FULL markon dipstick.
5. Replaceandtightendipstick.
Changing Engine Oil
The engineoil shouldbe changedin the first 5 hoursand thenevery
50 hoursor once a season.Tochangethe engineoil, proceedas
follows:
1. WithengineOFFbutstillwarm,disconnect s parkplugwireandkeep
itawayfromsparkplug.
2. Remove theoil fillcap/dipstick fromtheoil filltube.See Figure9.
3. Turnthesteering wheel a ll thewaytothe rightto betterexpose the
drainplug.
4. Cliptheoildrainsleeve(packed withthismanual) o ntotheoildrain
port.Route theopposite endof thesleeve intoan appropriate o il
collection container w ith a capacity greatenough to collecttheused
oil.
5. Remove theoil drainplug,Theoilwillbeginto drainoutof theengine.
6. Aftertheoil hasfinished draining,replace theoil drainplugand
tighten.Be careful n ottoovertighten.
7. Remove theoil drainsleeve and storeforlateruse.
8. Refill t heenginewithnewmotoroil untiltheoil level o n thedipstick
readsFULL.Replace theoilfillcap/dipstick.
Usedoil is a hazardouswasteproduct.Disposeof usedoil properly.
Do notdiscardwith householdwaste.Checkwith your localauthori-
ties or or contact 1-800-4-MY-HOME for a list of safe disposal/
recyclingfacilities.
Changing the Oil Filter
1. Drainthe oil fromthe engineas describedabove.
2. Removethe oil filter and disposeof properly.See Figure10.
3. Beforeyou install t he newoil filter, lightly lubricate the oil filter
Figure10
gasketwith fresh,cleanoil.
4. Installthe oil filter byhand untilthe gasketcontactstheoil filter
adapter,then tightenthe oil filter 1/2to 3/4 turns.
5. Add oil as describedabove.
6. Startand runthe engine.Asthe enginewarmsup,checkfor oil
leaks.
7. Stoptheengineand checkthe oil level.It shouldbe at the FULL
19