Craftsman T1200 247.203723 Operator's Manual page 18

Checking the Engine Oil
Use a 4-stroke, o r anequivalent h ighdetergent,premiumqualitymotoroil certified
to meetor exceed U.S. a utomobilemanufacturer's r equirements f or service
classification o f aminimumlevelSJ(higherletter ratingsareacceptable s uch asSL
andSMgrades). M otoroil will display thisdesignation onthe container. S AE 10W-30
isrecommended f orgeneral, a ll temperature use.If singleviscosity o il isused, s elect
the appropriate viscosity forthe average temperature inyourareafrom the chart
below.
Colder _ 32°F _Warmer
Oil Viscosity Chart
Tocheck the engineoil,proceed asfollows:
Ensure thatthe tractorisona levelsurface.
Clean the oil fill areaofanydebris.
1. Remove t he dipstick,seeFigure 10,andwipewith acleancloth.
2. Reinsert d ipstickandpresscompletely down.
3. Remove t he dipstickandcheck the oil level.Itshouldbeat the Fullmarkon
the dipstick.
Changing the Engine Oil and Filter
If the engine hasbeenrecently run, the engine,muffler andsurrounding
metal surfaceswill be hot andcancauseburnsto the skin. Exercise caution
to avoid burns.
NOTE: Theoil filter shouldbechanged at everyoil change interval.
Theengineoil shouldbechanged in the first 5hoursandthenevery50 hours or
onceaseason. Tochange the engineoil,proceed asfollows:
1. Run the engineforafew minutes to allowthe oil inthe crankcase t o warm
up.Warmoil will flow morefreelyandcarryawaymoreof the engine
sediment w hichmayhavesettledatthe bottomof the crankcase. Use careto
avoidburnsfrom hot oil.
2. Open thetractor's hood andlocate theoil drainportontherightside ofthe
engine. S ee Figure 1 1.
3. Disconnect sparkplug wireandkeepit awayfromsparkplug.
4. Remove t he oil fill cap/dipstick fromthe oil fill tube.SeeFigure 10.
5. Turnthe steeringwheelall the wayto the rightto betterexpose the drain
plug.
6. Snap the smallendofoil drainsleeve ontothe space provide aroundthe oil
drainplug.SeeFigure 11.
Oil Drain
Figure 10
4. If low,addoil slowlyinto the engineoil fill. Donot overfill.Afteraddingoil,
waitoneminuteandthenrecheck the oil level.
Donot overfill. Overfilling with oil maycausethe engine to not start, hard
starting, or engine smoking. If overthe FULL mark on the dipstick, drain oil
to reduceoil levelto FULL mark on dipstick.
5. Replace d ipstick,andtighten.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Figure 11
Remove o il drainpluganddrainthe oil.
Remove t he oil drainsleeve andstoreinasafelocationfor lateruse.
Replace t he oil drainplug.
Remove t he oil filter,seeFigure 12,and dispose ofit properly.
Partiallyfill the newoil filter approximately 3/4of the wayfull with clean
freshoil.Beforeyou installthe new oil filter, lightly lubricatethe oil filter
gasketwith someof the oil bysimplydippingyourfingerinthe oil and
runningit aroundthe gasket.
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