Craftsman Snowblower #247-88755 -Need description/use of yellow cap on the left

I have a Craftsman Snowblower 2008, 22 in, 179 cc , model number 247-88755. It has three gas/oil caps, I know and used two of them, do not know the purpose of third one.
There is Red for gasoline, a big yellow with dip stick on top for checking and filling engine oil.

Question: What is this third smaller yellow cap on the left hand side , placed at right angle?

I am guessing it has to do with checking engine oil, but I would like to be sure. The manual does not talk about it at all.
Please look at this You tube video, you will see a yellow cap on the left side, you may have to pause the video at (0:42 / 1:30) to see the cap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIz-mPKyKO8&NR=1

 

can you post a pic of the cap? hard to see the the cap in the vid.

 

Indy..if you pause at 42 sec..you get a pretty good look. Looks like the ones I've seen on older engines without a top oil dipstick. It's not an oil drain, I don't think, as there is appears to be another plug on the other side for that.

The online parts list at managemylife.com is too hard to use to get any idea...

I'd probably open it with a rag handy and see whats there...

 

I've got a Troy Bilt Snow Blower, (new this winter-have not yet had to change the oil) which is very similar to the Craftsman. I think that both are built by the same company (??MTD??).
Anyway, I checked my machine, and it has the same smaller yellow cap, in the same place as shown in your video.

I looked in the manual, and that extra yellow plug is the "oil filler plug", and the one near the red gas cap is called the "dipstick and dipstick tube".

My guess is that you check the oil with the dipstick tube, but fill the oil through this other yellow cap, which makes sense, given the respective names.

And yes, the oil drain is in another location.

 

Thank you for the response,

Mikedel,
The manual that came with this model is saying "Remove the oil filter cap/dipstick and wipe the dipstick clean".

That means Oil filer is the yellow cap on the top with dip stick.

Gunguy45,
I will try to open it and see what happens, I did open when I was draining the oil, it was empty then. I will do it now, when I have oil in engine. I have been filling the oil from top yellow cap.
So finding an answer quick is more important now since Mikedel read that Troy Bilt is saying fill oil from this cap.

Indypower,
I will have to find a way to upload the picture to this forum, right now I do not have a location where I can upload and provide a link to it here. If you do stop the video at 42 seconds, you will see the cap I am talking about.

Thanks everyone, please keep sending your ideas/knowledge.

 

http://forum.doityourself.com/electr...your-post.html

 

Mikedel,
The manual that came with this model is saying "Remove the oil filter cap/dipstick and wipe the dipstick clean".

That means Oil filer is the yellow cap on the top with dip stick.


Not necessarily.

The names and instructions you mentioned are the same as I found in my owners manual. There is no reference in the owners manual to the plug that is the point of this thread.

However, the names I used in my earlier post (#4) were from the "illustrated parts manual", a separate document from the "owners manual".

If you look at the machine itself, you may see (as I did on mine) that the 2 yellow caps both connect (eventually) into the same area on the engine.
I'm going to guess that either one could be used to add oil, but that the top one, with the dipstick, looks like it is narrower than the lower opening, and might result in a longer time required to add oil.

 

Mikedel,

I agree with what you are saying, I just need a confirmation.
I am trying to avoid causing a big messup by pouring engine oil in a place where it is not required.

Thanks

 

 

Use the dipstick to check & add oil & drain thru the drain tube,,,.... The extra yellow plugs you see should be left alone,, They're in case the engine is used on a generator, Splitter, mixer etc where you don't have axcess to the top of the engine

 

Hpkinsr2,

Thank you, that makes sense.
For anyone interested in knowing more detail:
Like Hpkinsr2 said, the engine is used for multiple purpose, in some cases used as generator, a big fuel tank sits on top of engine, so they have a second opening on the side to fill oil.
According to another expert, the second yellow cap should be left as is, just make sure it is tightly closed.

The manual should have indicated it.

Thank you guys for all your input.