I have different model of mower than you but it sounds like you have a belt driven mower with two or three blades. Mine has three blades. My mower did what yours is doing. It was the gear box. It had lost it's oil during the last two to three mowings and finally seized up. I realized the mower was getting really loud but it didn't register with me that something was going wrong. The bottom oil seal went out and the bearing ran dry and seized up. Other things to narrow down where your problem might be. Remove the belt and spin the spindles. See if any one of them is tight. Maybe a bad bearing there. Check for something like a piece of wood is caught between the mower and a blade. DAMHIKT. That will stop a blade fast. Good luck.

I had the same thing. I stressed over it for a few days, thinking what the dealer would charge to get it fixed, then I read this page, bought the time delay module, for 20 bucks, and in ten minutes was out mowing! That little part is big trouble when it fails. At least its easy to change, and cheap. I'm so glad this forum exists, it saved me a lot of time and expense for sure.

Coils may show spark in open air and fall flat under compression. After the beer check compression on the bad cylinder. It it is low you might remove the valve cover and look for a valve train problem. If you don't find a problem then have another beer.

Do you have any dash lamps that normally light up when the key is turned to the RUN position before you turn the key to the START position? If so and none of those lamps are coming on now.......your key switch may have gone defective, or the wiring connector on the back of the switch may have become loose. The absence of the fuel pump operation may also be an indicator of a problem with the key switch, but not proof of a key switch issue. Be cautious in using terms like "Everything under the hood appears to be fine electrically" unless you are checking things with a 12 volt test light or a DC volt meter. The naked eye is a poor judge of things electric except for identifying burnt or broken wires. There may also be a relay involved in supplying 12 volt power to the primary circuits on this machine. Failure of a relay, or a defective control circuit for the relay.......can mimic other types of component problems. You are going to have to begin checking the circuits using a test light or a volt meter, beginning at the fuse and working next to the key switch for battery voltage. Hopefully it will be nothing worse than a defective key switch or the connector on the back of it.