lawn mower troubleshooting

My solution is to move to Tucson and never cut a lawn again.  Probably not what your looking for though....

Sounds like a fuel filter or a fuel line. Had that happen to a mower I used to have. There was a bunch of junk clogging up the fuel line. Cleaned that line and it worked fine after that.

Also make sure the cutting area is clean, but please disconnect the spark plug before you stick your hands in there

Before I start removing bolts off the metal casing ... where would I find the air filter?

It's a Briggs-Stratton 6.75 hp, if that makes a difference.

Never mind. I found a diagram online.

Edited by Renee 2010-09-13 2:50 PM

This might help

This should help.....

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Doesn't scare me.

Engines are pretty basic on these things.  Many of the suggestions are good because you are really looking at fuel, air and spark systems.  Throwing out common things I check...

Fuel:  
  Sometimes if fuel caps are not venting properly you can have delivery issues
  cracks in fuel lines can cause air to leak into the system and prevent proper delivery
  as others stated, see if the fuel filter is blocked or dirty
  make sure cable is not binding somewhere
  is it the correct fuel / did it require an oil-gas mix or is your oil separate
 
Air:
  Pretty straightforward in simply making sure the air intake is clear
  Filter is not blocked
  pre-filter (if applicable) is clear

Spark:
  Check plug to make sure it is not cracked (some can have hairline cracks not visible)
  Is the plug wet or does it have oil on it? 
  Is the gap too large?
  Is the plug worn?
 

My mower (Briggs and Stratton engine) had similar symptoms that you describe.  I could go for about 30 seconds before it would cut off.  The problem was a bad gas cap.  The gas cap vent was blocked and no air was let into the tank.  A quick way to check if this is the problem is to loosen the cap while the engine is running.  If you take the cap completely off the vibration will splash fuel, so you just want to loosen it enough to let air into the gas tank.

Is it running Yet??

Many times the spot clogged is under the bowl,  This happens to my neighbors every year at least once

You could set it up like this. Fewer engine problems that way.

Perhaps the float is stuck. There is a tiny bowl under the carburetor. You might can fix it by tapping on it or shake the mower around. If not, my I advice a trip to the shop.

I will also put in my vote for a clogged vent in the fuel cap.   If you remove the fuel cap and look at the bottom side, there should be a little hole.  Use a paper clip to clear any debris.  To make sure, you could just run it without the fuel cap and see if it still dies.

If that doesn't work, then I would suggest looking for a clog in the fuel line.    If you do find a clog, clear it.  Also, add some Seafoam fuel treatment to your tank.

My lawn tractor will do this exact same thing when the fuel cap vent gets clogged with dust.
Just take off the cap and clear the blockage in the vent with a paper clip or something similar.

My next door neighbor has one of these, and is happy to tout the environmental impact he's making by using it.  Too bad that you have to mow twice as often with it to keep up with the lawn.  He doesn't.  So guess whose carbon-spewing gas mower he borrows to mow when its too long for the rotary mower....

Carbon is the least of your worries with small engines.  NOx, VOC, PM are all worse than nearly every other engine category out there.

Its my understanding that this one runs on BEER!!!

I had that going on and it turned out not to be the fuel cap but one of the little holes in the carburetor was clogged with dust. Same thing, different place. Hose down the carb with carb cleaner while you've got it apart anyway, it can't hurt.

HAHAHAHA! That's funny!!!!! I hope you're giving him heck and charging him $20! I just like mine because it is simple, always works and I can use it whenever I manage to remember to mow. While I will train endlessly for a triathlon, I am too lazy to fiddle with oil, fuel, etc for the mower. It's a weird kind of lazy.
 
I have only myself to blame when the grass is long. I call the solution the Landscaping Two Step. Two steps forward, one back. Takes a while to get the lawn mowed, but since my mower runs on margaritas or gin&tonics, I burn lots of calories doing it.

Hi just purchased

Yard Machines 12A-A1BA729 Self-Propelled Lawn Mower. Once it is started up the engine keeps revving when running.
Any thoughts