Engine Maintenance - Craftsman 247.28933 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.
f_older _ 32°F _Warmer _
Oil Viscosity Chart
Althoughmulti-viscosity oils (5W20,10W30,etc.)improvestarting
in coldweather,they will result in increasedoil consumption when
usedabove32°RCheckyour engineoil levelmorefrequentlyto avoid
possibleenginedamagefrom runninglowon oil.
Tocheckthe engineoil, proceedas follows:
1. Ensurethat the tractoris on a levelsurface.
2. Cleantheoil fill area of anydebris.
3. Removethedipstickand wipe with a clean cloth.
4. Insertand tightendipstick.
5. Removethedipstickand checkthe oil level.It shouldbe at the
Fullmark on the dipstick.See Figure7.
F
Dipstick
il Drain
Hose
Oil Drain
Valve
Figure7
6. If low,add oil slowlyintothe engineoil fill. Do notoverfill.After
addingoil, wait one minuteand then recheckthe oil level.
7. 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. Popoff the protective cap on theend of the oil drain valveto
exposethe drain port. See Figure7.
3. Removethe oil fill cap/dipstickfrom theoil fill tube. See Figure7.
4. Pushthe oil drain hose(packedwith this manual)ontothe oil
drain port. Routethe oppositeend of the hoseintoan appropriate
oil collectioncontainerwith a capacitygreatenoughto collectthe
usedoil.
5. Releasethe valveby twistingand pullingthe valveout. The oil will
beginto drain outof the engine.
6. After the oil hasfinisheddraining,pressthe two tabs inwardand
pushthe oil drainvalve back in to lock the valveclosed. Remove
the hose,twist and pushin to lock valve,and re-capthe end of
the oil drainvalve to keepdebrisfromenteringthe drain port.
7. Refillthe enginewith newmotoroil untilthe oil levelon the
dipstick readsFULL.Replacetheoil fill cap/dipstick.
Usedoil is a hazardous wasteproduct.Disposeof usedoil properly.
IDonot discardwith householdwaste.Checkwith yourlocal authori-
[tiesor SearsServiceCenterfor safe disposal/recycling facilities.
Changing the Oil Filter
1. Drainthe oil fromthe engineas describedabove.
2. Removetheoil filter and dis ure 8.
Oil
Filter
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.
19
Figure8
3. Beforeyouinstall the newoil filter,lightly lubricatethe oil filter
gasketwith fresh,cleanoil.
4. Installthe oil filter byhand untilthe gasketcontactstheoil filter
adapter,then tightenthe oil filter 1/2to 3/4 turns.