Craftsman Model 917.387242 Lawnmower

James September 28, 2011

I'm sorry to hear that you are having some difficulties with your Craftsman Lawnmower. I did some research for you at Managemylife.com and found an excellent article that may help until your expert can respond to your specific question. The link is attached below. The expert who will assist you, can walk you through a repair like this. I also provided a link to your lawn Mower at Searspartsdirect.com so you will have a great mechanical drawing of your unit.This should assist you in finding all filters associated with your Lawnmower.

Pete September 28, 2011

Your owners manual shows a cylindrical Eager-1 air filter. It should be in a plastic cage like housing on the left side of the engine looking from the front. If you have a semi triangular foam filter on the left top it appears there is either an error in the manual or the wrong model # was put on your unit. The 6hp Eager-1 has the paper filter. The 5 or 5.5 hp Briggs has the foam filter.

Pete September 28, 2011

Most spark plugs are pre gapped - you need a RJ19 plug

Laura September 28, 2011

Thanks for all the replies, guys! I think, like Pete said, the wrong model # was put on my unit. I did find a foam filter, but not the cylindrical one. That means that Sears sent me the wrong filter in the tune-up kit. Pete, am I to assume that the spark plug sent in the tune-up kit is pre-gapped? BTW, I have no idea what that is referring to. What does it mean? Inquiring mind would really like to know! Another question: when I removed the foam filter, I noticed it was oily, so I washed it. Then I read somewhere that it is supposed to be oily! What do I do now?!

Pete September 29, 2011

1) The spark plug is pre gapped and will work with your unit. The threaded end of the spark plugs has a small L shaped piece of metal at the top. The spark jumps between the plug and the L shaped device. The area where the spark jumps is called the gap. A long time ago you had to use a tool to set the distance in the gap. 2) After the air filter is dry rub a very snall amount of 4 cycle oil onto it. You can use the same type of oil you put into the mower. The oil helps the air filter catch the dirt.

Mark T EXPERT September 29, 2011

Thank you for your question.

I am sorry you are having a problem with the mower. I will be able to help you with replacing the air filter. The first image below shows where the air filter is located. To remove the filter rotate the outer covering and pull it off. Install the new filter in the outer covering and reinstall in the reverse order. To gap the spark plug you will need a spark plug gaper. The second image below shows what a spark plug gaper looks like. You can pick one up at any Sears or auto parts store.

I hope this is helpful. If you need further assistance, please reply below with more details.

If you do not feel confident repairing this problem yourself, then you can have it repaired by a Sears technician. Here is a link that will provide the nearest drop-off locations: Sears Home Services .

Thank you for using Manage my life.

Mark T.