How do I change the oil and tune up a Craftsman lawn mower model 917.378641?

Answer 1

Real easy, to drain the oil, take out the dipstick and turn the mower on its side with the carb in the air as far as you can. Make sure there is no gas in the tank or it will come out the cap. Pour as much oil out of the mower as you can letting it sit and drip a little while. Then to refill, it takes 20 ounces of oil, sae 30 is best, and fill it in the dip stick hole. To change the spark plug, you will need the champion rc12yc plug to replace the existing one. Take off the plug wire, with a little force pull it straight off the plug and use a socket to remove the plug fr0m the engine.

Then you will need to replace the air filter and pre-filter. Remove the two screws on the top of the mower opposite the muffler side. This will expose the filter elements. Be very careful not to get any debris into the carb when you remove the filter, there is a lip that traps trash around the filter. The filter item number is 697029 and the pre-filter number is 273356. After everything is replaced, put fresh gas in the tank and run it at full speed for a while, the studders and spitting of the engine should be gone. If not, the carb may need cleaning and that would really be the job of a small engine repair shop. Eventually the drive belt will need replacing, its model number is 169778. Hope this helps!!