Section 5: Maintenance; Equipmentmaintenance; Engine Maintenance - Troy-Bilt 12097 Owner's Manual

s Maintenance
Before inspecting, cleaning or servicing
the machine, shut off engine, let all
moving parts come to a complete stop,
disconnectthe spark plug wire and move
the wire away from the sparkplug.
Failure to follow these instructionscan
result in personal injury or property
damage.
EQUIPMENTMAINTENANCE
Transmission Maintenance
Thetransmission was lubricated at the
factory and should not require any further
lubrication.
However,you should check the lubricant
level after the first five (5) hours of opera-
tion and every twenty-five (25) operating
hours thereafter. If needed,use a high-
quality, automotive-grade petroleum-base
grease.
Before tipping engine or equipment to
service transmission, drain fuel from
tank by runningengine until fuel tank is
empty.
Tocheckthe transmission:
1. Stop the engine, let it cool and discon-
nect the spark plug wire.
2. Placethe machine down on its left side
so the right end of the tine shaft faces up.
3. Removethe right-side tines (see Tine
Removal and Installation in this Section).
4. Cleanthe transmission housing.
5. Removethe three threaded plugs (A, B
and C, Figure 14) from the transmission.
Lubricant should be visible in the top two
0 \ c
,'
'
I
Figure14:Transmission lubricant c heck and
fill locations.
REQUIREDMAINTENANCE SCHEDULE
REQUIREDMAINTENANCE
Check Tightness of Bolts and Nuts
Clean Engine Cooling
System
Check Transmission Lubricant
Service Air Filter
Inspect Spark Plug
Clean Machine
Clean Engine Exhaust Ports
(see Factory or authorized Dealer)
Clean Tine Shaft
(1) - After first five (5) hours of use.
(2) - Clean daily when conditions are
extremely dusty or dirty.
(3) - Check spark plug annually or every 100
operating hours,
Before After Every Every End
Each Each 25 75 of
Use Use Hours Hours Season
. (1)
° (2)
Hardware
, (3)
o
Before each use, check that all hardware
is in place and tightened securely.
I_IUI_.IlUI_ UAIMTI_MAM_I_
holes (B and C). If so, replaceall three
plugs. If lubricant is needed,proceed as
follows.
To lubricatethe transmission:
1. Placethe nozzle of a standard grease
gun (D, Figure14) firmly against the rim
of the middle hole (B) and add grease
until it begins to seepfrom the bottom
hole (A). Reinstallthe plug in the bottom
hole (A). Next apply greaseto the top fill
hole (C) until it begins to seepfrom the
middle hole (B). Reinstallthe plugs in the
middle (B) and top (C) holes.
2. Before reinstalling the tines, use a fine
grade sandpaper to clean any rust off the
tine shaft. Apply a few drops of oil to the
tine shaft to make future tine removal
easier.
Other Lubrication Points
• HandlebarAdjustment Knobs: Spray
occasionally with a silicone type
lubricant.
• Throttle/TinesLeverCable: Squeezethe
lever closed and spray a lubricant into
the cable area.
• TineShaft: Alter each use, remove the
tines, clean the tine shaft with sandpaper
and apply a light coat of oil to the tine
shaft.
Engine Lubrication
The engine is a two-cycle engine. Lubri-
cation is provided by mixing two-cycle oil
with unleadedregular gasoline as de-
scribed in the Assembly Section. At-
tempting to operatethe engine on gaso-
line alone will causethe engine to over-
heat and seize up.
Engine Air Filter
It is extremely important that air filter ser-
vice be performed according to the main-
tenance schedule. Refer to the separate
Engine Owner's Manual for inspection and
cleaning instructions.
IMPORTANT:Never run engine without air
filter assembly properly installed.
Carburetor Adjustment
Do not tamper with the engine governor
screwwhich is factory-setfor the proper
engine speed, Overspeeding the engine
beyond the factory high speed setting
can be dangerous and will void the
engine warranty, Authorized service
shall be soughtif a problemexists,
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