I have had dozens of these with this problem. I don't know why so many complain about the carbureators being plastic, etc. but they are so simple to work on. Just clean the carb and I usually remove the pilot jet and clean the orifices with a thin wire as well as the main jet orifice. I highly recommend installing a good gas filter like the larger Briggs clear style you can get anywhere. I have made them standard fare on my Lawn Boys for years. I don't like those "York Peppermint Patties" filters though. While you're in the carb you may want to do the minor mod on the jets (very very simple) to make her run better and less prone to clogging in the future. Walt is correct, if the dealer gave you that line, he really doesn't understand 2 cycle engines. They are incredibly simple once understood. But that can probably be said about anything in life. BTW, the elcheapo throttle control plastic detent typically breaks and I wouldn't worry about it. It is really for the idiots who can't figure out what a choke setting is. The better alum. deck models got a better throttle control, much smoother.

This year the problem here is definitely drought. We have a water supply based on local reservoirs, and the YTD rainfall this winter is about 7", whereas the normal should be 20" by now. Worst rainfall season actually in recorded history in this county! Our water district is talking about building a de-salinization plant for multi- gabillion dollars - if they do that the water rates will be above the moon forever, but they say if they don't.... The water shortage has meant that the deer damage in the garden has continued during what is normally our wet season - in normal years the deer damage stops as soon as the rain starts, as the wild areas green up. So, my emerging Spring bulbs & new growth on the roses is under attack - luckily our garden is so overgrown with large shrubs that there is plenty for them to eat, without really making it obvious. They are going to decide about water rationing on April 1 - I can't wait! Other than that this "Meditteranean climate" zone is perfect for warm zone old roses - we have lots of happy chinas, teas, noisettes & hybrid musks, as well as an unhappy damask - Madame Hardy, which is sulking, and has died back to 1 & 1/2 canes, as usual. I moved it last summer to where it will get more sun in the summer, and we did get some cold nights a while ago, so I am hoping it will make more than its usual 2 flowers next Spring - I do love it, but it is a good example of why it is smarter to grow roses in the climate zone they prefer! Jackie

Hey guys, I got some bad news to report on this 9hpVanguard engine. After I got it running right and put the console and switch panel back on, I tried starting it and stopping it repeatedly. I never ran it for more than a few minutes and not under any load to speak of (just spinning the snow thrower blades). All of a sudden I hear this metalic screeching and I shut her down...and following that, she is real hard to turn over, almost cant budge it with the rope pull start. Well it seems like I siezed her up - the 'autopsy' report is that on one occasion, I disassembled/reassembled the carb for a soak in cleaner. Well, on re-assembly, I put the float in upside down and this allowed gas to flood into the carb and overflow into the cylinder, down past the rings and into the sump with the oil. This gas in the oil, caused the oil to lose its lubricating properties and she frooze up. I started up a new thread on the diagnosis and rebuilding of the seized engine over on the tractor forum. I sure appreciate all your help and I am very disappointed that it came to this but I hpoe to turn it into a learning experience. Tim

It does not sound like an electrically related problem to me either. Nor does it sound as though it improves "after cooling off". It improves after WAITING....but I don't think it is because of cooling off. OK, now answer this set of questions please. Does the machine have a fuel pump, or is the gas tank mounted higher than the carburetor? How many hours of operation would you guess the engine has accumulated? Have you recently changed the fuel filter or fuel hoses? The situation you describe, now sounds very much like what happens when a machine utilizes a gravity fed carburetor......and something is causing the flow of fuel to the carb to be reduced to a small trickle, instead of the proper flow volume needed for sustained running. Picture this: The machine has sat there until you show up and first start it. The carburetor bowl is full of fuel because during the hours or days the machine sat, the small flow of fuel filled the bowl. Now, you start the engine. In 2 minutes or less, the engine will consume the gas in the bowl and the engine hiccups, coughs, and dies. You will have to wait long enough for the bowl to slowly refill before you will get 2 more minutes of run time. How long will the engine run just idling? At idle, it should run much longer because the fuel consumption rate is so much smaller than at high RPM. A badly clogged filter in a gravity fed system can cause this to happen. A carb needle valve that does not open far enough can also cause this. A sticking or rubbing float could cause the needle valve to stay nearly closed and that would cause this condition as well. A kinked or pinched fuel hose might also cause this.