Generac
®
Power Systems, Inc. 17
Never operate the engine with the oil level
below the “Add” mark on the dipstick. Doing
this could damage the engine.
4. Install the dipstick.
5. Reset the Auto/Off/Manual switch to its original
position.
Figure 4.2 — Oil Dipstick and Fill, 7 kW
Figure 4.3 — Oil Dipstick and Fill,
12 kW and 15 kW
4.3 CHANGING THE ENGINE OIL
4.3.1 ENGINE OIL RECOMMENDATIONS
Use oil of American Petroleum Institute (API) Service
Class SG, SH or SJ. Use all season SAE 5W-30
Synthetic oil. Organic break-in oil is required before
using synthetic oil.
NOTE:
The unit is supplied with “break-in” oil. See the
“Break-in Procedure,” Section 3.1 (Page 12), for
the first required oil change.
Any attempt to crank or start the engine before
it has been properly serviced with the recom-
mended oil may result in an engine failure.
4.3.2 OIL CHANGE PROCEDURE
To change the oil, proceed as follows:
1. Run the engine until it is thoroughly warmed up
then shut OFF the engine.
2. Immediately after the engine shuts OFF, pull the
oil drain hose (Figure 4.4) free of its retaining
clip. Remove the cap from the hose and drain the
oil into a suitable container.
Figure 4.4 – Oil Drain Hose and Filter
3. After the oil has drained, replace the cap onto the
end of the oil drain hose. Retain the hose in the clip.
4. Refill with the proper recommended oil (see
Section 4.3.1). See Section 1.5.2 (Page 6) for oil
capacities.
4.4 CHANGING THE OIL FILTER
Change the engine oil filter as follows:
1. With the oil drained, remove the old oil filter by
turning it counterclockwise.
2. Apply a light coating of clean engine oil to the gas-
ket of the new filter. See Section 1.5.1 (Page 6) for
recommended filter.
3. Screw the new filter on by hand until its gasket
lightly contacts the oil filter adapter. Then, tighten
the filter an additional 3/4 to one turn (Figure 4.4).
4. Refill with the proper recommended oil (see
Section 4.3.1, Page 15). See Section 1.5.2 (Page 6)
for oil capacities.
5. Start the engine and check for leaks.
Oil Filter
Oil
Drain
Hose
L
o
o
s
e
n
!
Oil Dipstick
Oil Fill
Oil Dipstick and Fill
!
Section 4 — Maintenance
Guardian Air-cooled 7 kW, 12 kW and 15 kW Generators