Thanks for the reply. I never did get around to taking the tank off but did already pull the jet mentioned and cleaned it with wire and more carb cleaner without success. I just didn't want to put anymore time and money into it especially since it seemed the transmission might be starting to go. And I somehow got a sore ligament at my elbow that might be from my moving the mower around working on it (that still haven't healed now a few months later). Honda had a one-year extended warranty offer at the time so I bought the $399 model at the local H D store. Glad I did, quieter, lighter and easier to maneuver than the John Deere. And it mulches better and doesn't accumulate clippings under the deck like the Deere does. With the Deere, I'd have to scrap under the deck with a putter knife after almost every mow, and that's when my grass is dry to the touch. Only thing with the Honda is I have to get used to the hand padels self-propel speed control. It's good for on the go speed adjustments, but the down side is it does take more effort to keep a constant speed, especially with my lumpy lawn often bumping my mower a little up and down. And I have to restart it every time I let go of the handle. But it's a lot cheaper than the Deere that cost me $700 back in 1995, will have to see how long it last. Overall I like the Honda better and will try to sell the Deere for parts.

Mower99, Sorry for my lack of response - my junk mail must have intercepted all responses to this thread. Anyway, all four of the engine mounting holes on the motor needed to be tapped. Also, the mowers seems to have a bit more power in that it does not bog down as much, but it does not appear to be a substantial increase. I only installed the new motor since the cost to repair the old motor was as much as a new mower. Regarding the backwards throttle, I was able to remount the cable onto a part I created from a piece of 1/16 inch thick shelf bracket metal and mounted on the governor. If anyone is interested I'll post some pictures and a template.

By all means save this Mower with the Kawasaki engine! I've just saved ours, and when I got to looking into engine wearout, I was shocked to see that the valve adjustments held steady for 15 years, and are within .0005 of what the spec is! That is unbelievable, even cars don't hold tolerances that well as they undergo a lot of wear and tear. Your problem is probably the same exact same one that I had. It throws you for a loop for sure. MOST LIKELY it is your carburetor MAIN JET, that you need to actually unscrew and clean with nylon Fishing Line. Yes! My Jet actually looked great, with my eyesight, it had a very round opening and didn't look like any junk was blocking it. BUT ... there was uniform build-up of gasoline residues, that I was able to rough-out, but using fishing line and just running it through the jet maybe 10 times, and when I saw the opening getting larger, I knew I was onto something! The Fishing Line won't damage the soft brass jet, so don't worry about enlarging the opening too much. But once you get this back in, and your Carb back on, you will be amazed! As you throttle-up and then Engage the Blade Clutch, the Engine will pull strongly and NOT Stall-Out !!! Oh - There is NO replacement or rebuilt carburetor available, so treat it well, you can probably re-use the same gaskets, and maybe a little bit of gasket sealer -Automotive type is fine. Good Luck !

Hi...... I have a good used transmission for you.I would let it go for $50 as I was keeping it as an extra for my 14sb. It came out of the newer green bodied mower.