Craftsman 917.376541 owner manual Grass Catcher, Gear Case, To Change Engine OIL, AIR Filter

GRASS CATCHER

•The grass catcher may be hosed with water, but must be dry when used.

•Check your grass catcher often for dam- age or deterioration. Through normal use it will wear. If catcher needs replac- ing, replace only with approved replace- ment catcher shown in the Repair Parts section of this manual. Give the lawn

mower model number when ordering.

GEAR CASE

•To keep your drive system working properly, the gear case and area around the drive should be kept clean and free of trash build-up. Clean under the drive cover twice a season.

•The gear case is filled with lubricant to the proper level at the factory. The only time the lubricant needs attention is if service

has been performed on the gear case.

•If lubricant is required, use only Texaco Starplex Premium 1 Grease, Part No. 750369. Do not substitute.

ENGINE

Maintenance, repair, or replacement of the emission control devices and systems, which are being done at the customers expense, may be performed by any non-road engine repair establishment or individual. Warranty repairs must be performed by an authorized engine manufacturer's service outlet. LUBRiCATiON

Use only high quality detergent oi! rated

with API service classification SG-SL. Select the oil'sSAE viscosity grade according to your expected operating temperature.

SAE VISCOSITY GRADES

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

2.Remove oil fill cap/dipstick; 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 re-

move any oil trapped inside of engine.

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

5.Fill engine with oil. Slowly pour oil down the oil fill spout into the engine.

6.Wait one minute to allow oil to settle. Use guage on oil fill cap/dipstick for checking level. Insert dipstick into the tube and rest the oil fill cap on the tube. DO NOT thread the cap into the tube when taking reading.

Oil fill cap / dipstick

Upper _

°F -20	0	30	32 40	60	80	100
°c -_o -2_ -_o			_	_	_o	1o 4o

TEMPERATURE RANGE ANTICIPATED BEFORE NEXT OIL CHANGE

NOTE: Multi-viscosity oils (5W30, 10W30 etc.) improve starting in cold weather, and you should check your engine oil level fre- quently to avoid possible engine damage from running low on oil.

Change the oi! after every 25 hours of opera- tion or at least once a year if the lawn mower is not used for 25 hours in one year.

Check the crankcase oil level before starting the engine and after each five (5) hours of continuous use. Tighten oil plug securely each time you check the oil level.

TO CHANGE ENGINE OIL

NOTE: Before tipping lawn mower to drain
oil, empty fuel tank by running engine until
fuel tank is empty.	14

mark

7.Continue adding small amounts of oil and rechecking the dipstick until it reads ful!. DO NOT overfill, or engine will smoke on startup.

8.Always be sure to retighten oil fill cap/ 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 filter. Replace the air filter every 100 hours of

operation or every season, whichever oc- curs first. Service air cleaner more often

under dusty conditions.