"Roger Blake" wrote in message
...
I was mowing the lawn today with our MTD garden tractor when it suddenly
and without warning started sputtering and died. The engine is a 14.5 HP
Briggs & Stratton OHV job with electric start.

I checked for obvious stuff like clogged fuel and air filters, and cleaned
the spark plug (it had some carbon deposits). Still no good, the engine
barely catches even with the throttle wide open, backfires through the
carb, and dies. On a car I'd say it sounded like it was trying to run
with severely retarded ignition timing, or too lean a mixture, but I'm
not quite sure what to test on this thing. (This is a 1996-vintage mower,
so I'm pretty sure it has transistorized ignition, not points.) Maybe
some dirt got past the fuel filter into the carb? Any "gotchas" to
be aware of in taking the carb apart?

Any pointers on what to check, or to troubleshooting/tech info online
would be greatly appreciated!

Roger,
If by chance you hit something, the key could have sheared (completely or
partially) and then the timing will be off. You can pull the starter cover
and look at the flywheel to check.