Craftsman 247.288843 Operator's Manual page 112

Muffler
Temperature o f muffler andnearbyengine areasmayexceed150 ° F(65°Q.
Avoidcontactwith theseareas.
Inspect m ufflerperiodically, andreplace if necessary. Replacement parts
forthe mufflermustbethe sameandinstalledinthe samepositionasthe
originalparts.
CleanEngine
Dailyor before everyuse,deangrass, c haffor accumulated d ebris from
engine.Keep linkage, s pring,andcontrols dean.
Keep areaaroundandbehindmufflerfreeof anycombustible d ebris.
Keeping enginecleanaflows air movement a roundengine.
Engine partsshouldbekeptcleanto reduce the riskof overheating a nd
ignitionofaccumulated debris.
Donotusewater to dean engine parts. Watercould contaminate fuel
system.Usea brush or dry cloth.
CarburetorAdjust ment
Thecarburetor o nthisengineis notadjustable.
Lubrication
lubricating, repairing, or inspecting,alwaysdisengagePTO (Blade [
Before
Engage Lever),moveshift leverinto neutral position,set parking brake,stop I
eng ne andremovekeyto prevent un ntendedstart rig. I
J
Pivot Points & Linkage
Lubricate all the pivot pointsonthe drivesystem, p arkingbrakeandlift linkageat
leastonceaseason with light oil.
RearWheels
Therearwheelsshouldberemoved fromthe axles onceaseason. L ubricate the
axles andthe rimswell with anall-purpose grease beforere-installingthem.
Front Axles
Each endof the tractor'sfront pivotbarmaybeequipped with agrease fitting.
Lubricate with agrease gunafterevery25 hours of tractoroperation.
Battery
Thebatteryissealedandis maintenance-free. Acidlevelscannotbechecked.
Alwayskeepthe batterycables andterminalsdeanandfreeofcorrosive
build-up.
Aftercleaning the batteryandterminals, a pplya lightcoatof petroleum jelly
or grease to bothterminals.
Alwayskeepthe rubberbootpositioned overthe positive terminalto prevent
shorting.
IM PORTANT: If removing the batteryforanyreason, d isconnect the NEGATIVE
(Black) w irefrom itsterminalfirst, followedbythe POSITIVE (Red) w ire.When
re-installingthe battery,alwaysconnect t he POSITIVE (Red) w ire to its terminal
first, followedbythe NEGATIVE (Black) w ire. Becertainthat the wiresareconnected
to the correct t erminals; r eversing them couNchange the polarityandresultin
damage to yourengine'salternatingsystem.
Cleaning Battery
Clean the batteryby removing it from the tractorandwashingwith abakingsoda
andwatersolution.If necessary, scrape the batteryterminalswith awire brushto
remove deposits. C oat t erminalsandexposed wiringwith grease or petroleumjelly
to preventcorrosion.
Battery Failures
Some common causes f or batteryfailureare:
Incorrect i nitialactivation
Overcharging
Freezing
Undercharging
Corroded c onnections
These failures areNOT covered byyourtractor'swarranty.
Cleaning the EngineAnd Deck
Anyfuelor oil spilledon the machine shouldbewipedoff promptly.DoNOT allow
debristo accumulate a roundthe coolingfinsof the engine or on anyotherpart of
the machine.
IMPORTANT: Theuseofa pressure w asher to cleanyourtractorisNOT
recommended. It maycause damage to electrical c omponents, spindles, p ulleys,
bearings orthe engine.
Ascrewplugcanbefoundonyourtractor'sdecksurface asseenin Figure 15.This
plug canbereplaced w ith a waterportto beusedaspartof aseparately-available
deckwashsystem.
TheDeck W ashSystem
TM
isusedto rinsegrassclippings from the deck'sunderside
andprevent t he buildupof corrosive chemicals.
NOTE: Adeckwashsystem canbepurchased throughthe retaillocationinwhich
youpurchased thistractor.Formoreinformation,carl1-800-659-5917.
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Figure15
2O