Craftsman LT2000 User Manual

ENGINE MAINTENANCE
Checking the Engine Oil
Onlyusehighqualitydetergentoil ratedwithAPIserviceclassification
SF,SG,SH,or SJ, Selecttheoil's SAEviscositygradeaccordingto
theexpectedoperatingtemperature.Followthechartbelow.
Althoughmulti-viscosityoils(5W20,10W30,etc.)improvestarting
in coldweather,theywill resultinincreasedoil consumptionwhen
usedabove32°ECheckyourengineoillevelmorefrequentlytoavoid
possibleenginedamagefromrunninglowonoil.
('_older _ 32°F _War me'_r
Oil Viscosity Chart
Tochecktheengineoil, proceedas follows:
• Ensurethatthe tractorisona levelsurface.
• Cleantheoil fill areaof anydebris.
1. Removethedipstickandwipe withaclean cloth.
2. Insertandtightendipstick.
3. Removethedipstickandcheckthe oil level.It shouldbeatthe
Fullmarkonthedipstick.SeeFigure9.
f
Dipstick-_
OilDrain
Valve
Oil Drain
Sleeve
J
Figure9
If low,addoil slowlyintotheengineoilfill. Do notoverfill.After
addingoil,waitoneminuteand then rechecktheoil level.
Donotoverfill.Overfillingwithoil maycausetheengineto notstart,
hardstarting,orenginesmoking.If overthe FULLmarkonthe
dipstick,drainoil to reduceoil levelto FULLmarkondipstick.
5. Replaceandtightendipstick.
Changing Engine Oil
Theengineoil shouldbechangedinthe first 5 hoursand thenevery
50 hoursoronce a season.Tochangethe engineoil,proceedas
follows:
1. WithengineOFFbutstillwarm,disconnectsparkplugwireandkeep
itawayfromsparkplug.
2. Removetheoilfillcap/dipstickfromtheoilfilltube.SeeFigure9.
3. Turnthesteeringwheelallthewaytotherightto betterexposethe
drainplug.
4. Cliptheoildrainsleeve(packedwiththismanual)ontotheoildrain
port.Routetheoppositeendofthesleeveintoanappropriateoil
collectioncontainerwithacapacitygreatenoughtocollecttheused
oil.
5. Removetheoildrainplug,Theoilwillbeginto drainoutoftheengine.
6. Aftertheoilhasfinisheddraining,replacetheoildrainplugand
tighten.Becarefulnottoovertighten.
7. Removetheoildrainsleeveandstoreforlateruse.
8. Refilltheenginewithnewmotoroiluntiltheoillevelonthedipstick
readsFULL.Replacetheoilfillcap/dipstick.
Usedoil isa hazardouswasteproduct.Disposeofusedoil properly.
Donotdiscardwithhouseholdwaste.Checkwithyour localauthori-
ties oror contact1-800-4-MY-HOMEfor alist of safedisposal/
recyclingfacilities.
Changing the Oil Filter
1. Drainthe oil fromthe engineas describedabove.
2. Removetheoilfilteranddisposeof properly.See Figure10.
3. Beforeyou installthe newoil filter,lightlylubricatethe oil filter
Figure10
gasketwithfresh,cleanoil.
4. Installthe oil filterbyhanduntilthe gasketcontactstheoil filter
adapter,thentightenthe oilfilter 1/2to 3/4 turns.
5. Addoil as describedabove.
6. Startand runthe engine.Astheenginewarmsup,checkfor oil
leaks.
7. Stoptheengineandcheckthe oil level.It shouldbeat the FULL
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Craftsman LT2000 Specifications

General

Cutting Width	42 inches
Fuel Capacity	1.5 gallons
Engine Type	Briggs & Stratton
Transmission	Automatic
Warranty	2 years