General Recommendations; Engine Maintenance - Craftsman Professional 247.88998 Operator's Manual

MAINTENANCE
Beforeperformingany maintenance or repairs,disengageblades,
stopengine and removekey to preventunintendedstarting.
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Alwaysobservesafetyruleswhenperforminganytype of
maintenance on the mower.
Thewarrantyon this lawnmowerdoesnot coveritemsthat have
been subjectedto operatorabuseor negligence. T o receivefull
valuefromwarranty,operatormustmaintainthe lawnmoweras
instructed i n this manual.
• Changingof engine-governed speedwill voidenginewarranty.
• All adjustmentsshouldbe checkedat leastonceeach season.
• Periodically checkall fastenersand make suretheyare tight.
ENGINE MAINTENANCE
Checking the Engine Oil
Checkoil levelbeforeeachuse. Stopengineand wait severalminutes
beforecheckingoil level.With engineon levelground,
the oil must be to FULLmark on dipstick.
1. RemovetheOil Cap/Dipstickand wipe with a
cleancloth.
2. Replaceandtighten Oil Cap/Dipstick.Remove
Oil Cap/Dipstickand checkoil level.Level
shouldbe at FULL mark.
3. If needed,add oil slowlyinto theengine oil fill. Recheckoil level.
Do notoverfill.
4. ReinsertOil Cap/Dipstickand tighten.
Do notoverfill.Overfillingwith oil may makethe enginehard to start,
or not to start. If overthe FULL mark on the dipstick,drain oil levelto
FULLmark on dipstick.
Changing the Engine Oil
If the enginehas been recentlyrun,the engine,mufflerand sur-
roundingmetal surfaceswill be hotand can causeburnsto the skin.
Exercisecautionto avoidburns.
Theoil inthe engine shouldbe changedafterthe first five hoursof
operationand every50 hoursof operation.
1. Runthe enginefor a few minutesto allowtheoil in the crankcase
to warmup. Warmoil will flow morefreelyand carryaway moreof
the enginesedimentwhich may havesettledat the bottomof the
crankcase.Use careto avoidburnsfrom hotoil.
.
5.
Togain accessto theoil drain valveon the engine,pivotthe right
handlebracetube forward.
a. Removethe upperstar knoband carriagescrewon the right
sideof the handle,Figure13.
b. Pivotthe bracetube towardsthe frontof the mowerto allow
roomto connectthe oil drain hoseto the oil drain valve,
Figure13.
Figure13
Popoff the protective cap on theend of the oil drain valveto
exposethe drain port. See Figure14.
Oil Fiil Cap/Dipstick
_\ j,J"
..... "",,, iij ........................... ........
Figure14
Removethe oil fill cap/dipstickfrom theoil fill tube, Figure14.
Pushtheoil drainhose(packed withthismanual)ontotheoildrain
port.Route theopposite endd thehoseintoan appropriate oil collec-
tioncontainer w ithat leasta 2.5quartcapacity, to collectthe usedoil.
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