I have a 1997 mower service manual I've been trying to get rid of. It's new, 334 pages with holes for a three-ring binder. You won't belive this - it has a JD14SB on the cover! That is a beautiful machine and looks well worth some time and money to get it going. This book should help. You can have it. email with name and address.

You should be okay. The Kohler website recommends 10W30 as an alternative to 30 weight, and is good for temperatures from 0 degrees to over 100. Is this a new machine, or did you buy a used one? If new, it is usually recommended to change the oil at the 5 hour mark. Be sure to do this. If you want to use regular 10W30, be sure to monitor the oil level closely, as some engines are said to use more of this oil than straight 30. If you use a synthetic multigrade, the consumption should be more in line with a straight 30 weight.

I'm going to demur on saxman1's recs. Quaker State and Pennzoil are both made from Pennsylvania crude oil (or were in the past, anyway), which is very high in parafins. They have a bad habit of leaving sludgy buildup, which is probably worse in high-temp situations like our air-cooled engines. Back when I still used mineral oils, Valvoline and Castrol were considered the top of the heap (in the US among major brands, at least). OTOH, even though Royal Purple comes from my home town of Houston, I can't endorse it. It's a Group III "synthetic," which really isn't a synthetic at all but rather a very highly refined mineral oil. Castrol started that whole sham, and there was a major lawsuit about it, which Castrol inexplicably won. But the bottom line is that these are still mineral oils that require viscosity enhancers to achieve a multi-weight rating (and those additives are what make multi-weight mineral oils not so good, too). The big shizzle about true Group IV and V synths is that their base molecules can be made to act as a multi-vis without additives (they are "engineered molecules, so to speak), and their high-temp-high-shear (HTHS) ratings tend to reflect that. My _guess_ is that Royal Purple straight 30w doesn't have a lot of nasty friction modifiers, but then I think that just makes it very expensive good mineral oil. At that point, I'd recommend saving the money and just buying Valvoline or Castrol mineral 30HD oil. PS - Even if you get what I consider the worst of the oils, such as Quaker State 5w30, if you use your mower once a week for your personal yard and change your oil annually, your engine will probably never die due to oil problems.

Bob, There is a trans filter located under the tractor and the belly pan must be removed to access it. The engine oil drain is a valve sticking out the right engine cover. There is a trans drain under at the bottom of the rear housing. You should use the proper JD oil in the trans. I use Amsoil synthetic hydrostatic/hydraulic oil in mine. Spend the money and get a manual for it. There is a wealth of info in there. Email me direct if you need more help.