Craftsman 247.288862 Operator's Manual page 110

Engine Maintenance
Checking the EngineOil
Onlyusehighqualitydetergentoil ratedwith APIservice classification S F, S G,
SH, o r SJ. S elect t he oil'sSAE viscosity gradeaccording to the expected operating
temperature. F ollowthechartbelow.Althoughmulti-viscosity oils (5W20,10W30,
etc.)improvestartingin coldweather, t heywill resultinincreased o il consumption
whenusedabove 32°I.Check yourengineoil levelmorefrequentlyto avoidpossible
enginedamage from runninglowon oil.
f
Colder _'_ 32°F _Warmer
Oil Viscosity Chart
Tocheck the engineoil,proceed asfollows:
Ensure thatthe tractorison alevelsurface.
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Clean the oil fill areaof anydebris.
1. Remove t he dipstickandwipewith acleancloth.
2. Insertandtightendipstick.
3. Remove t he dipstickandcheck the oil level.Itshouldbeat the Fullmarkon
the dipstick. S eeFigure10.
4. If low,addoil slowlyinto the engineoil fill. Donot overfill.Afteraddingoil,
waitoneminuteandthenrecheck the oil level.
Donot overfill. Overfilling with oil may causethe engine to not start, hard
starting, or engine smoking. If overthe FULL mark on the dipstick, drain oil
to reduce oil levelto FULL mark on dipstick.
ChangingEngine Oil
Theengineoil shouldbechanged in the first 5hoursandthenevery50 hours or
onceaseason. Tochange the engineoil,proceed asfollows:
I. With engineOFF but still warm,disconnect sparkplugwire andkeepit away
from sparkplug.
2. Remove t he oil fill cap/dipstkkfromthe oil fill tube.SeeFigure 10.
3. Turnthe steeringwheelall the wayto the rightto betterexpose the drain
plug.
4. Clip the oil drainsleeve (packed with thismanual)ontothe oil drainport,
seeFigure 10.Route the opposite endof the sleeve into anappropriate oil
collectioncontainer w ith acapacity greatenoughto collect t he usedoil.
5. Remove t he oil drainplug,Theoil will beginto drainout of the engine.
6. Afterthe oil hasfinisheddraining,replace the oil drainplugandtighten.Be
carefulnotto overtighten.
7. Remove t he oil drainsleeve andstoreforlateruse.
8. Refillthe enginewith newmotoroil untilthe oil levelonthe dipstickreads
FULL. Replace t he oil fill cap/dipstkk.
Used oil is a hazardous w aste product. Dispose o f usedoil properly. Donot
discardwith household waste.Check with your localauthorities or or contact
1-800-659-5917 f or a list of safedisposal/recyclingfacilities.
Changingthe Oil Filter
I. Drain theoil from theengine asdescribed above.
2. Remove theoilfilteranddispose ofproperly. See Figure 1 1.
5.
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Replace a ndtightendipstick.
Dipstick
Oil Drain
Valve
Oil Drain
Sleeve
Figure 10
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Figure 11
3. Beforeyou install t he newoil filter, lightly lubricatethe oil filter gasket
with fresh,cleanoil.
4. Installthe oil filter byhanduntil the gasket c ontacts the oil filter adapter,
thentighten the oil filter 1/2to 3/4 turns.
5. Addoil asdescribed above.
6. Startandruntheengine.Asthe enginewarmsup,check foroil leaks.
7. Stopthe engine andcheck the oil level.Itshouldbeat the FULL markon the
dipstick.