In message , Sla#s
writes

"Robert" wrote in message
...
It started and ran perfectly for the first 3 cuts of the year but the
4.5hp Honda has played up this evening. It started without problem, ran
for one to three minutes, backfired then stalled. Tried it five times,
same result.
Grateful for any suggestions.

Weak mixture.
Clean out float bowl as mentioned above.
Check that the fuel tank cap "breaths" - do this by removing the fuel line
and letting the tank drain into a container. If it slows down and stops then
the breather is blocked.
How old is it - you might have to have the carburettor cleaned as the jets
in Hondas are very small and prone to blocking - (There about 16 small
orifices in an 11hp Honda that can block.)
You could try "Carburettor Cleaner".
Remember to always switch off the fuel and run it dry when you have finished
with it. That will help prevent this sort of problem.

Many thanks for the advice. I checked all the above and removed the carb
and cleaned the float bowl and the only jet I could access then refilled
with fresh petrol. For a while it continued to backfire and stall then
it decided to run perfectly - no problems despite many restarts. I used
it to mow the lawns, put it away for a week, then this week the same
problem reappeared. I persevered and eventually it stopped stalling.
It will be interesting to see what happens next week.

--
Robert