Engine Maintenance; Checking The Engine Oil; Changing Engine Oil - Craftsman 247.288812 Operator's Manual

ENGINE MAINTENANCE
Checking the Engine Oil
Onlyuse high qualitydetergentoil ratedwith APIserviceclassification
SF,SG,SH, or SJ. Selectthe oil's SAEviscositygradeaccordingto
theexpectedoperatingtemperature. F ollowthe chart below.
Althoughmulti-viscosity oils (5W20,10W30,etc.)improvestarting
in cold weather,they will result in increasedoil consumption when
usedabove32°E Checkyourengine oil level morefrequentlyto avoid
possibleenginedamagefrom runninglowon oil.
f
Colder_ 32°F D"-Warmer
5W20
Oil Viscosity Chart
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Figure9
Tocheckthe engineoil, proceedas follows:
1. Ensurethat the tractoris on a levelsurface.
2. Cleantheoil fill area of anydebris.
3. Removethe dipstickand wipe with a cleancloth.
4. Insertand tightendipstick.
5. Removethe dipstickand checkthe oil level.It shouldbe at the
Fullmark on the dipstick.See Figure10.
6. If low,add oil slowlyintothe engineoil fill. Do notoverfill.After
addingoil,wait one minuteand thenrecheckthe oil level.
f
Dipstick_
7. Replaceand tightendipstick.
Changing Engine Oil
The engineoil shouldbe changedin the first 5 hoursand thenevery
50 hoursor once a season.To changethe engineoil, proceedas
follows:
1. With engine OFFbut still warm,disconnectsparkplug wireand
keep it awayfrom sparkplug.
2. Removethe oil fill cap/dipstickfrom theoil fill tube. See Figure9.
3. Turnthe steeringwheelall theway to the rightto betterexpose
the drain plug.
4. Clip theoil drain sleeve(packedwith this manual)ontothe oil
drain port. Routethe oppositeend of the sleeveintoan appropri-
ate oil collectioncontainerwith a capacitygreatenoughto collect
the usedoil.
5. Removedrain plugand drainoil intoa suitablecontainerwith a
capacityof no less than64 oz.
6. Performsteps2 through4 in theoppositeorderafter oil has
finisheddraining.
7. Refillthe enginewith newmotoroil untilthe oil levelon the
dipstick readsFULL.Replacethe oil fill cap/dipstick.
Usedoil is a hazardouswasteproduct.Disposeof usedoil properly.
Do notdiscardwith householdwaste.Checkwith your localauthori-
ties or or contact 1-800-4-MY-HOME fora list of safedisposal/
recyclingfacilities.
8. Reconnect s park plug wire.
Oil Drain
Valve
Oil Drain
Sleeve
Figure10
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Do not overfill.Overfillingwith oil maycause theengineto notstart,
hard starting,or engine smoking.If overthe FULLmarkon the
dipstick,drainoil to reduceoil levelto FULLmarkon dipstick.
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