You say they cleaned out the carburetor, but what about the tank? You may have rust, dirt, water or any number of other contaminants lying in the botton of the tank. Does the unit have an inline fuel filter? If not, I would install one immediately, then try draining the tank and carburetor and go from there. Also, add some SeaFoam to the tank when you refill it.

Sounds like somekind of contaminant, could be left overs from old or stale gas, dirt, water etc., there are liquid gas cleaners that you pour in to the tank that will help clean the tank, hose tubing, carb bowl and the carb. Honda engines also normally come equipped with a fuel shut off valve, if so equipped make sure it is fully opened and not clogged or defective. Is the tank being vented properly also ?

I need to complete this deck washing today so I'm renting a PW for the day. Then I can spend time working on mine.
I also think it might be water in the gas, as we got gas from a brand new gas station.

I'll check on the things mentioned here but how do I "properly vent the tank"?

how do I "properly vent the tank"?

Leave the gas cap off with less fuel in the tank so it does not spill over or just screw the cap on very slightly to permit air to enter. Run your engine that way and see if it stops in 10 minutes or if it keeps running.

Oh! by the way the trouble is not necessarily the Honda engine, this happens also with a Briggs, a Tecumseh, a Kohler, yamaha etc., which is why during the off season you should keep the fuel tank full with stabilized fuel. Any gas that will not be used up in 30 days should be stabilized.

Thanks tahclep. I was hoping that was what you meant by venting. I do put stabilizer in my gas can. Thanks again. I learn so much from everybody here.

Garden graphic gal, did you ever find the root cause of your problem ?

How did you resolve it ?

Believe it or not, I had a similar experience with my pressure washer. It ran fine, suddenly start to sputter then smooth out and run fine for several minutes before doing it again. Finally died. Started a couple of times but then got to where it wouldn't start. After eliminating fuel issues, I found the plug would fire for only the first pull though it looked perfect. Grabbed an old plug and she fired every time. Went and bought the correct plug, she runs great now. This is my first time seeing a plug fail like this.

I replaced both oils, cleaned and vented the tank and filter and still have the same problem. any other ideas?

Here is a link that might be useful: Chicago painter

put in fresh gas with sea foam,put in new spark plug.. still will not start. Used starter fluid spray and it fired right up, for as long as the starter fluid lasted. Removed screw on side of carb. bowl and it's full of gas. What's wrong with my Honda engine ?! HELP !