ENGINE MAINTENANCE
Checking the Engine Oil
Onlyusehighqualitydetergentoil ratedwithAPIserviceclassification
SF,SG,SH,or SJ, Selectthe oil's SAEviscositygradeaccordingto
the expectedoperatingtemperature.Followthechartbelow.
Althoughmulti-viscosityoils (5W20,10W30,etc.)improvestarting
in coldweather,theywill resultinincreasedoil consumptionwhen
usedabove32°E Checkyourengineoillevelmorefrequentlyto avoid
possibleenginedamagefromrunninglowonoil.
f'_older _ 32°F _War me'_r
Oil Viscosity Chart
Tocheckthe engineoil, proceedasfollows:
• Ensurethatthe tractorisona levelsurface.
• Cleantheoil fill areaof anydebris.
1. Removethedipstickandwipe withaclean cloth.
2. Insertandtightendipstick.
3. Removethedipstickandcheckthe oil level.It shouldbeat the
Fullmarkonthe dipstick.SeeFigure9.
f
Dipstick-_
OilDrain
Valve
Oil Drain
Sleeve
J
Figure9
If low,addoil slowlyintotheengineoilfill. Do notoverfill.After
addingoil, waitoneminuteand then recheckthe oil level.
Donotoverfill.Overfillingwithoil maycausethe engineto not start,
hardstarting,orenginesmoking.If overtheFULLmarkonthe
dipstick,drainoil to reduceoil leveltoFULLmarkondipstick.
5. Replaceandtightendipstick.
Changing Engine Oil
The engineoil shouldbechangedinthe first 5 hoursand thenevery
50 hoursoronce a season.Tochangethe engineoil, proceedas
follows:
1. WithengineOFFbut stillwarm,disconnectsparkplugwireand
keepit awayfromsparkplug.
2. Removethe oilfill cap/dipstickfromtheoil fill tube.SeeFigure9.
3. Cliptheoildrainsleeve(packedwiththis manual)ontotheoil
drainport. Routethe oppositeendof the sleeveintoanappropri-
ate oilcollectioncontainerwitha capacitygreatenoughto collect
the usedoil.
4. Removethe oildrainplug,Theoilwill begintodrainout ofthe
engine.
5. Afterthe oil hasfinisheddraining,replacethe oil drainplugand
tighten.Becarefulnot toovertighten.
6. Removethe oildrainsleeveandstorefor lateruse.
7. Refillthe enginewithnewmotoroil untiltheoil levelonthe
dipstickreadsFULL.Replacetheoil fill cap/dipstick.
Usedoil is a hazardouswasteproduct.Disposeof usedoil properly.
Do notdiscardwithhouseholdwaste.Checkwithyour localauthori-
ties oror contact1-800-4-MY-HOMEforalist of safedisposal/
recyclingfacilities.
Changing the Oil Filter
1. Draintheoil fromthe engineasdescribedabove.
2. Removethe oilfilteranddisposeof properly.See Figure10.
0il Filter
Figure10
3. Beforeyou installthe newoil filter, lightlylubricatethe oil filter
gasketwithfresh,cleanoil.
4. Installtheoil filterbyhanduntilthegasketcontactstheoil filter
adapter,thentightenthe oilfilter 1/2to3/4 turns.
5. Addoil as describedabove.
6. Startand runthe engine.Asthe enginewarmsup,checkforoil
leaks.
7. Stoptheengineandchecktheoil level.It shouldbeat theFULL
markonthe dipstick.
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