Engine Maintenance - Craftsman 247.28881 Operator's Manual

ENGINE
MAINTENANCE
Checking the Engine Oil
Onlyuse high qualitydetergentoil ratedwith APIserviceclassification
SF,SG,SH, or SJ, Selectthe oil's SAEviscositygradeaccordingto
the expectedoperatingtemperature. F ollowthe chart below.
Althoughmulti-viscosity oils (5W20,10W30,etc.)improvestarting
in coldweather,they will result in increasedoil consumption when
usedabove32°E Checkyour engineoil levelmorefrequentlyto avoid
possibleenginedamagefrom runninglowon oil.
('_older _ 32°F _War me'_r
Oil Viscosity Chart
Tocheckthe engineoil, proceedas follows:
• Ensurethat the tractoris on a levelsurface.
• Cleantheoil fill area of anydebris.
1. Removethedipstickand wipe with a clean cloth.
2. Insertand tightendipstick.
3. Removethe dipstickand checktheoil level.It shouldbe atthe Full
markon thedipstick.See Figure9.
f
Dipstick-_
Oil Drain
Valve
Oil Drain
Sleeve
J
Figure9
If low,add oil slowlyintotheengineoil fill. Donotoverfill.Afteradding
oil, waitone minuteand then recheckthe oil level.
Donotoverfill.Overfillingwith oil maycausethe engine to not start,
hard starting,or engine smoking.If overthe FULLmark on the
dipstick,drain oil to reduceoil levelto FULL markon dipstick.
5. Replaceandtightendipstick.
Changing Engine Oil
The engineoil shouldbe changedin the first 5 hoursand thenevery
50 hoursor once a season.Tochangethe engineoil, proceedas
follows:
1. With engineOFF but still warm,disconnectsparkplug wireand
keepit awayfrom sparkplug.
2. Removethe oil fill cap/dipstickfrom theoil fill tube. See Figure9.
3. Turnthe steeringwheelall the way to the rightto betterexpose
the drain plug.
4. Clipthe oil drain sleeve(packedwith this manual)ontothe oil
drain port. Routethe oppositeend of the sleeveintoan appropri-
ate oil collectioncontainerwith a capacitygreatenoughto collect
the usedoil.
5. Removethe oil drain plug,The oil will begin todrain out of the
engine.
6. After the oil hasfinisheddraining,replacethe oil drain plugand
tighten.Be carefulnot to overtighten.
7. Removethe oil drain sleeveand storefor later use.
8. Refillthe enginewith newmotoroil untilthe oil levelon the
dipstick readsFULL.Replacetheoil 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 for a list of safe disposal/
recyclingfacilities.
Changing the Oil Filter
1. Drainthe oil fromthe engineas describedabove.
2. Removethe oil filter and disposeof properly.See Figure10.
19
J
Figure10
3. Beforeyouinstall the newoil filter,lightlylubricate the oilfilter gasket
with fresh,cleanoil.
4. Installthe oil filter byhand untilthe gasketcontactstheoil filter
adapter,then tightenthe oil filter 1/2to 3/4 turns.
5. Add oil as describedabove.
6. Startand runtheengine.Astheenginewarrns up,checkforoilleaks.
7. Stoptheengineandchecktheoil level.It shouldbeatthe FULLmark
on the dipstick.