Craftsman 917.377794 Owner's Manual page 14

TO CHANGEENGINEOIL
NOTE: Beforetipping lawn mowerto drain
oil, empty fuel tank by runningengine until
fuel tank is empty.
1. Disconnectspark plug wire from spark
plug and place wire where it cannot
come in contact with plug.
2. Removeengineoil cap; lay aside on a
clean surface.
3. Tip lawn moweron its side as shown
and drain oil into a suitablecontainer.
Rock lawn mowerback and forth to re-
moveany oil trapped inside of engine.
Oil filler cap/dipstick
_i, CAUTION: Petroleum solvents, such as
kerosene, are not to be used to clean car-
tridge. They may cause deterioration of the
cartridge. Do not oil cartridge. Do not use
pressurized air to clean or dry cartridge.
4. Install cartridge, then replace cover.
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4. Wipe off any spilled oil from lawn
mower or side of engine.
5. Fill engine with oil. The engine oil
capacity is 18.5 oz. If oil is not com-
pletely drained from engine, you may
not need the entire container of a 20
oz. bottle of oil. Slowly pour 3/4 of the
oil from the container down the oil fill
spout into the engine.
6. Wait one minute to allow oil to settle.
Use guage on oil fill cap/dipstick for
checking level. Insert dipstick into the
tube and rest the oil fill cap on the tube.
DO NOT thread the cap into the tube
when taking reading.
7. Continue adding small amounts of oil and
rechecking the dipstick until it reads full.
DO NOT overfill, or engine will smoke
heavily from the muffler on startup.
8. Always be sure to retighten oil dipstick
before starting engine.
9. Reconnect spark plug wire to plug.
AIR FILTER
Your engine will not run properly and may
be damaged by using a dirty air filter.
Replace the air filter every 100 hours of
operation or every season, whichever oc-
curs first. Service air cleaner more often
under dusty conditions.
TO CLEAN AIR FILTER
1. Remove cover.
2. Carefully remove cartridge.
3. Clean by gently tapping on a flat sur-
face. If very dirty, replace cartridge.
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MUFFLER
Inspect and replace corroded muffler as it
could create a fire hazard and/or damage.
SPARK PLUG
Replace spark plug at the beginning of
each mowing season or after every 100
hours of operation, whichever occurs
first. Spark plug type and gap setting
are shown in the "PRODUCT SPECIFIC-
ATIONS" section of this manual.
CLEANING
IMPORTANT: For best performance, keep
mower housing free of built-up grass and
trash. Clean the underside of your mower
after each use.
• I,CAUTION: Disconnect spark plug wire
from spark plug and place wire where it
cannot come in contact with plug.
• Clean the underside of your lawn mower
by scraping to remove build-up of grass
and trash.
• Clean engine often to keep trash from
accumulating. A clogged engine runs
hotter and shortens engine life.
• Keep finished surfaces and wheels free
of all gasoline, oil, etc.
• We do not recommend using a garden
hose to clean lawn mower unless the
electrical system, muffler, air filter and
carburetor are covered to keep water
out. Water in engine can result in short-
ened engine life.
CLEAN UNDER DRIVE COVER
Clean under drive cover at least twice a
season. Scrape underside of cover with
putty knife or similar tool to remove any
build-up of trash or grass on underside of
drive cover.
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