Service and Adjustments

MAINTENANCE

TO CHANGE ENGINE OIL (See Fig. 17)

NOTE: Before tipping lawn mower to drain oil, empty fuel tank by running engine until fuel tank is empty.

1.Disconnect spark plug wire from spark plug and place wire where it cannot come in contact with spark plug.

2.Remove engine oil cap; lay aside on a clean surface.

3.Tip lawn mower on its side as shown and drain oil into a suitable container. Rock lawn mower back and forth to remove any oil trapped inside of engine.

OIL FILLER CAP/DIPSTICK

UPPER

LIMIT

LOWER

LIMIT

FIG. 17

4.Wipe off any spilled oil from lawn mower or side of engine.

5.Slowly pour oil down the oil ﬁ ll spout, stopping every few ounces to check the oil level with the dipstick.

6.Stop adding oil when you reach the FULL mark on the dipstick. Wait a minute to allow oil to settle.

7.Continue adding small amounts of oil, rechecking the dipstick until oil level settles at FULL. DO NOT over- ﬁ ll, or engine will smoke heavily from the mufﬂ er on startup.

8.Always be sure to retighten oil dipstick before starting engine.

9.Reconnect spark plug wire to spark plug.

AIR FILTER

Your engine will not run properly and may be damaged by using a dirty air ﬁ lter. Replace the air ﬁ lter every 100 hours of operation or every season, whichever occurs ﬁ rst. Service air cleaner more often under dusty conditions. See the maintenance section of your engine manual.

MUFFLER

Inspect and replace corroded mufﬂ er as it could create a ﬁ re hazard and/or damage.

SPARK PLUG

Replace spark plug at the beginning of each mowing season or after every 100 hours of operation, whichever occurs

ﬁrst. Spark plug type and gap setting are shown in the “PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS” section of this manual.

CLEANING

IMPORTANT: FOR BEST PERFORMANCE, KEEP MOWER HOUSING FREE OF BUILT-UP GRASS AND TRASH. CLEAN THE UNDERSIDE OF YOUR MOWER AFTER EACH USE.

CAUTION: Disconnect spark plug wire from spark plug and place wire where it cannot come in contact with spark plug.

•Clean the underside of your lawn mower by scraping to remove build-up of grass and trash.

•Clean engine often to keep trash from accumulating. A clogged engine runs hotter and shortens engine life.

•Keep ﬁ nished surfaces and wheels free of all gasoline, oil, etc.

•We do not recommend using a garden hose to clean lawn mower unless the electrical system, mufﬂ er, air ﬁ lter and carburetor are covered to keep water out. Water in engine can result in shortened engine life.

CLEAN UNDER DRIVE COVER

Clean under drive cover at least twice a season. Scrape un- derside of cover with putty knife or similar tool to remove any build-up of trash or grass on underside of drive cover.

CAUTION: TO AVOID SERIOUS INJURY, BEFORE PERFORMING ANY SERVICE OR ADJUSTMENTS:

1.Release control bar and stop engine.

2.Make sure the blade and all moving parts have completely stopped.

3.Disconnect the spark plug wire from the spark plug and place the wire where it cannot come into contact with the spark plug.

LAWN MOWER

TO ADJUST CUTTING HEIGHT

See “TO ADJUST CUTTING HEIGHT” in the Operation section of this manual.

REAR DEFLECTOR

The rear deﬂ ector, attached between the rear wheels of your mower, is provided to minimize the possibility that objects will be thrown out of the rear of the mower into the operator's mowing position. If the deﬂ ector becomes damaged, it should be replaced.