Engine

MAINTENANCE

•Clean terminals and battery cable ends with wire brush until bright.

•Coat terminals with grease or petroleum jelly.

•Reinstall battery (See “REPLACING BATTERY” in the Service and Adjustment section of this manual).

V-BELTS

CheckV-belts for deterioration and wear after 100 hours and replace if necessary. The belts are not adjustable. Replace belts if they begin to slip from wear.

TRANSAXLE COOLING

Keep transaxle free from build-up of dirt and chaff which can restrict cooling.

LUBRICATION

Only use high quality detergent oil rated with API service classiﬁcation SG-SL. Select the oil’s SAE viscosity grade according to your expected operating temperature.

SAE VISCOSITY GRADES

							10W30
			5W-30

F	-20	0			30 32 40		60	80	100
C	-30	-20		-10	0	10	20	30	40

TEMPERATURE RANGE ANTICIPATED BEFORE NEXT OIL CHANGE

oil_visc_chart4_e

FIG. 13

Change the oil after every 50 hours of operation or at least once a year if the tractor is not used for 50 hours in one year.

Check the crankcase oil level before starting the engine and after each eight (8) hours of operation.

TO CHANGE ENGINE OIL (See Figs. 13 and 14)

Determine temperature range expected before oil change. All oil must meet API service classiﬁcation SG-SL.

•Be sure tractor is on level surface.

•Oil will drain more freely when warm.

•Catch oil in a suitable container.

•Remove oil ﬁll cap/dipstick. Be careful not to allow dirt to enter the engine when changing oil.

•Remove yellow cap from end of drain valve and install the drain tube onto the ﬁtting.

		OIL DRAIN VALVE
	CLOSED
	AND
	LOCKED
	POSITION
	YELLOW CAP	DRAIN
	YELLOW CAP	TUBE
		TUBE

FIG. 14

•Unlock drain valve by pushing inward and turning counterclockwise.

•To open, pull out on the drain valve.

•After oil has drained completely, close and lock the drain valve by pushing inward and turning clockwise until the pin is in the locked position as shown.

•Remove the drain tube and replace the cap onto to the bottom ﬁtting of the drain valve.

•Reﬁll engine with oil through oil ﬁll dipstick tube. Pour slowly. Do not overﬁll. For approximate capacity see “PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS” section of this manual.

•Use gauge on oil ﬁll cap/dipstick for checking level. For accurate reading, insert dipstick into the tube and push down ﬁrmly into place before removing. Keep oil up to, but not over, the “FULL” line on dipstick. Push dipstick down ﬁrmly into the tube when ﬁnished.

CLEAN AIR SCREEN

Air screen must be kept free of dirt and chaff to prevent engine damage from overheating. Clean with a wire brush or compressed air to remove dirt and stubborn dried gum ﬁbers.

AIR FILTER

Your engine will not run properly using a dirty air ﬁlter. Service air cleaner more often under dusty conditions. See Engine Manual.

ENGINE OIL FILTER

Replace the engine oil ﬁlter every season or every other oil change if the tractor is used more than 100 hours in one year.

MUFFLER

Inspect and replace corroded mufﬂer and spark arrester (if equipped) as it could create a ﬁre hazard and/or dam- age.

SPARK PLUGS

Replace spark plugs at the beginning of each mowing sea- son or after every 100 hours of use, whichever comes ﬁrst. Spark plug type and gap setting is shown in "PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS" section of this manual.

IN-LINE FUEL FILTER (See Fig. 15)

The fuel ﬁlter should be replaced once each season. If fuel ﬁlter becomes clogged, obstructing fuel ﬂow to carburetor, replacement is required.

•With engine cool, remove ﬁlter and plug fuel line sec- tions.

•Place new fuel ﬁlter in position in fuel line with arrow pointing towards carburetor.

•Be sure there are no fuel line leaks and clamps are properly positioned.

•Immediately wipe up any spilled gasoline.

CLAMP

FUEL FILTER

FIG. 15