Engine Maintenance; Checking The Engine Oil; Changing Engine Oil; Changing The Oil Filter - Craftsman 247.288843 Operator's Manual

Engine Maintenance
Checking the Engine Oil
Onlyusehighqualitydetergentoil ratedwith APIservice classification S F, S G,
SH, o r SJ. S elect t he oil'sSAE viscosity gradeaccording to the expected operating
temperature. F ollowthechartbelow.Althoughmulti-viscosity oils (5W20,10W30,
etc.)improvestartingin coldweather, t heywill resultinincreased o il consumption
whenusedabove 32°ECheck yourengineoil levelmorefrequentlyto avoidpossible
enginedamage from runninglowon oil.
f
Colder _ 32°F _Warmer
Oil Viscosity Chart
Tocheck the engineoil,proceed asfollows:
Ensure thatthe tractorison alevelsurface.
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Clean the oil fill areaof anydebris.
1. Remove t he dipstickandwipewith acleancloth.
2. Insertandtightendipstick.
3. Remove t he dipstickandcheck the oil level.Itshouldbeat the Fullmarkon
the dipstick. S eeFigure10.
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.
Replace a ndtightendipstick. 5.
f
Oil Drain
Valve
Oil Drain
Sleeve
Figure 10
ChangingEngine Oil
Theengineoil shouldbechanged in the first 5hoursandthenevery50 hours or
onceaseason. Tochange the engineoil,proceed asfollows:
I. With engineOFF but still warm,disconnect sparkplugwire andkeepit away
from sparkplug.
2. Remove t he oil fill cap/dipstkkfromthe oil fill tube.SeeFigure 10.
3. Turnthe steeringwheelall the wayto the rightto betterexpose the drain
plug.
4. Clip the oil drainsleeve (packed with thismanual)ontothe oil drainport.
Route the opposite endofthe sleeve into anappropriate oil collection
container w ith acapacity greatenoughto collectthe usedoil.
5. Remove t he oil drainplug,Theoil will beginto drainout of the engine.
6. Afterthe oil hasfinisheddraining,replace the oil drainplugandtighten.Be
carefulnotto overtighten.
Remove t he oil drainsleeve andstoreforlateruse.
7.
8.
Refillthe enginewith newmotoroil untilthe oil levelonthe dipstickreads
FULL. Replace t he oil fill cap/dipstick.
Usedoil is a hazardouswaste product. Disposeof used oil properly.
Donot discard with household waste. Checkwith your local
authorities or or contact 1-800-659-5917 for a list of safe disposal/
recycling facilities.
Changingthe Oil Filter
I. Draintheoil fromthe engineasdescribed above.
2. Remove t he oil filter anddispose of properly. S eeFigure 11.
Figure 11
3. Beforeyou install t he newoil filter, lightly lubricatethe oil filter gasket
with fresh,cleanoil.
4. Installthe oil filter byhanduntil the gasket c ontacts the oil filter adapter,
thentighten the oil filter 1/2to 3/4 turns.
5. Addoil asdescribed above.
6. Startandruntheengine.Asthe enginewarmsup,check foroil leaks.
7. Stopthe engine andcheck the oil level.Itshouldbeat the FU LLmarkon the
dipstick.
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