(or should I use my Scag FreedomZ for target practice?) I have had the machine for 3 years and 2 months so if is of course out of warranty. I have put all of 100 hours on the machine. I guess it is too fast :-) for 2 acres but I have the better part of 100 trees etc. to cut around. A few weeks back I went to mow the lawn. The engine cranked, fired up and then sputtered to a stop. Plenty of fuel in the tank. It has always been hard starting so I keep a can of starting juice handy. A squirt of starting fluid on the air filter and it immediately fires only to sputter to a stop a few seconds later. Classic symptom of no fuel.

I pulled the carb and removed the "float" bowl although there is no float in it. The fuel shutoff solenoid valve moved freely and this inside was clean as a whistle. I put everything back together and if fired up fine and I cut the lawn.

About a week later the same thing, It would not run until I pulled the carb, opened it up, looked at the innards and put everything back.

The last couple of time it has started with no problem. I changed the hydraulic filters and oil and did the other 100 hour maintenance.

Today vroom sputter dead. I pondered what to do. Pulling the carb along with everything else which as to come off to do that is a real PITA. So I might...

- winch it into my truck and dump it upside down in front of the Scag dealer
- hook it behind my trusty 1983 John Deere 314, drag it into the middle of my neighbor's pasture and set it on fire
- drag it the rest of the way across the pasture, down the path and park it in front of the berm at our shooting range. It would make a heck of a gong target.

I was tempted. But then I would have to purchase something else with no assurance that it would be any better. So I pondered some more. If it was next to my shop I could hook the fuel line to my compressed air and see if 130 psi would clear something out. But the machine was in the back of the yard.

I was then inspired by my Dad's think out of the box saying (before "think out of the box" was even in the common lingo).

"Don't raise the bridge, lower the river."

The fuel pump seemed to be supplying good pressure to push fuel INTO the carb. What would happen if I pulled a vacuum on the fuel line? I hooked a large syringe (made for measuring two stroke oil) to the fuel line from the carb and pulled. Nothing came out as the fuel had dribbled out of the line when I disconnected it from the fuel pump. I reconnected the fuel line to the pump and the machine fired up and ran just fine!

I had noticed that the fuel valve on the tank was open when I started all of this latest fiasco. I generally remember to close it. I believe that the solenoid valve is supposed to keep fuel from flowing from the tank (which is higher than the carb) and flooding the carb. I cannot say if the manual valve was open during the prior two occurrences. When I removed the carb I did not get a big slosh of fuel out of the bowl. In fact is seemed dry.

Can anyone enlighten me on what might be going on?

TIA,

Ken