14
Does not start
1. Dirty air fi lter. 1. Clean/replace air fi lter.
2. Out of fuel. 2. Fill fuel tank.
3. Stale fuel. 3. Drain tank and refi ll with
fresh, clean fuel.
4. Water in fuel. 4. Drain fuel tank and
carburetor and refi ll tank
with fresh gasoline.
5. Spark plug wire is 5. Connect wire to plug.
disconnected.
6. Bad spark plug. 6. Replace spark plug.
7. Loose blade or broken 7. Tighten blade bolt or
blade adapter. replace blade adapter.
8. Control bar in released 8. Depress control bar to
position. handle.
9. Control bar defective. 9. Replace control bar.
10. Fuel valve lever (if so 10. Turn fuel valve lever
equipped) in OFF position. to the ON position.
11. Weak battery (if equipped). 11. Charge battery.
12. Disconnected battery 12. Connect battery to engine.
connector (if equipped).
1. Drain the fuel tank.
2. Start the engine and let it run until the
fuel lines and carburetor are empty.
• Never use engine or carburetor cleaner
prod ucts in the fuel tank or per ma nent
damage may occur.
• Use fresh fuel next season.
NOTE:
Fuel stabilizer is an acceptable
al ter na tive in minimizing the formation
of fuel gum deposits during stor age.
Add stabilizer to gasoline in fuel tank or
storage con tain er. Always follow the mix
ratio found on stabilizer container. Run
engine at least 10 min utes after adding
stabilizer to allow the stabilizer to reach
the car bu re tor. Do not drain the gas tank
and carburetor if using fuel stabilizer.
ENGINE OIL
Drain oil (with engine warm) and replace
with clean engine oil. (See “ENGINE” in
the Maintenance section of this manual).
CYLINDER
1. Remove spark plug.
2. Pour 30 ml of oil through spark plug
hole into cylinder.
3. Pull starter handle slowly a few times
to dis trib ute oil.
4. Replace with new spark plug.
OTHER
• Do not store gasoline from one season
to another.
• Replace your gasoline can if your can
starts to rust. Rust and/or dirt in your
gasoline will cause problems.
• If possible, store your unit indoors and
cover it to protect it from dust and dirt.
• Cover your unit with a suitable pro tec tive
cover that does not retain moisture. Do
not use plastic. Plastic cannot breathe,
which allows con den sa tion to form and
will cause your unit to rust.
IMPORTANT
: Never cover mower while
en gine and exhaust areas are still warm.
CAUTION:
Never store the lawn mower
with gaso line in the tank inside a build ing
where fumes may reach an open fl ame
or spark. Allow the engine to cool before
storing in any en clo sure.
PROBLEM CAUSE CORRECTION
TROUBLESHOOTING - See appropriate section in manual unless directed
to a Sears Service Center.
11
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 de te ri o ra tion. Through normal use
it will wear. If catcher needs replacing,
replace only with a manufacturer ap proved
replacement catcher. Give the lawn mower
model number when ordering.
ENGINE
LUBRICATION
Use only high quality detergent oil rated with
API service classifi cation SF-SJ. Select the
oil's SAE viscosity grade according to your
expected operating temperature.
6. Wait one minute to allow oil to settle.
Insert and tighten dipstick, then re-
move it to check oil level.
7. Continue adding small amounts of
oil and rechecking the dipstick until it
reads full. DO NOT overfi ll, or engine
will smoke on startup.
8. Always be sure to retighten oil dipstick
before starting engine.
9. Re con nect spark plug wire to spark plug.
TEMPERATURE RANGE ANTICIPATED BEFORE NEXT OIL CHANGE
SAE VISCOSITY GRADES
-20 0 30 40
80
100
-30
-20 0 20 30
40
F
C
32
-10
10
60
5W-30
SAE 30
Container
NOTE:
Although multi-viscosity oils
(5W30, 10W30 etc.) improve starting in
cold weather, these multi-viscosity oils will
result in increased oil consumption when
used above 32°F. Check your engine oil
level more frequently to avoid possible
engine damage from running low on oil.
Change the oil after every 25 hours of op-
eration 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 start-
ing 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, drain 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 re-
move any oil trapped inside of engine.
4. Wipe off any spilled oil from lawn
mower or side of engine.
5. Fill engine with oil. The engine oil capacity
is 20 oz. If oil is not com plete ly drained
from engine, you may not need the entire
container of a 20 oz. bottle of oil. Slowly
pour 3/4 of the oil from the container down
the oil fi ll spout into the engine.
AIR FILTER
Your engine will not run properly and may
be damaged by using a dirty air fi lter. Re-
place the air fi lter every 100 hours of op-
er a tion or every season, which ev er occurs
fi rst. Service air cleaner more often under
dusty conditions. Do not wash air fi lter.
TO CHANGE AIR FILTER
1. Remove the air fi lter by turning coun-
terclockwise to the stop and pull away
from collar.
2. Remove fi lter from inside of cover.
3. Clean the inside of the cover and the
collar to remove any dirt accumulation.
4. Insert new fi lter into cover.
5. Put air fi lter cover and fi lter into collar
aligning the tab with the slot.
6. Push in on cover and turn clockwise to
tighten.
Collar
Tab
Slot
Air fi lter
TURN
COUNTER-
CLOCK-
WISE
TO
RE-
MOVE
TURN
CLOCK-
WISE TO TIGHTEN
Clip
Air fi lter cover
