Cub Cadet 173cc parts

I have a 19" push mower (model 18M) that surges and dies without the choke pulled out, whether hot or cold. I cleaned out the fuel system and carb with no improvement. However, I've noticed a gelatinous substance on the carb heat shield and suspect it's from a reaction with the ethanol that the oil companies are scamming us with by putting it in our gas. The engine is obviously running too lean, so I suspect an airleak on one or both sides of the insulating block (between the head and carb), so I need a replacement gasket (the paper one on the head) and heat shield. I have the "no-child-left-behind" version of the operator's manual (FORM NO. 769-02999A), which lumps all these parts in with the carburetor assembly, on the parts list. Anybody have the part numbers, or sources, for these two so I can finally get my grass cut?

I'll be using ethanol-free gas, like I do in my plane, from now on. You can find ethanol free gas locally (more or less) at pure-gas dot org.

Thanks!

go to cubcadet.com click on parts and service, put in your model number, and that should pull up your mower, click on select assembly, you are looking for the engine parts breakdown, that should get you the parts numbers that you need.

I did that and they display the same exploded engine drawing as the one in my manual. The two parts I need are lumped together with the carb and other bits as "carburetor assembly," that they sell for well north of $50. On the same drawing, the governor assembly is shown, but not given a number or referenced in the parts list. This mower was top-rated by Consumer Reports, back in 2007, but I'm starting to lose my faith in MTD. It's one thing to take their manufacturing capability from the US and ship it to China, all in the name of "globalization," but to then make it wicked hard, if not impossible, to acquire the replacement parts you need...they must be run entirely by greedy bean-counters.

Assuming model 11a18mz256, that was one of the early model engines that they didn't offer very many parts for. The first engines they came out with didn't have any parts available at all. If any thing broke you replaced the engine. A lot of companies are going to major component replacement instead of simple parts sourcing. Complete carb replacement requirement due to a gasket is not unusual,

The funny or not so funny part of this is, the carb cost about half as much as the engine cost MTD to have shipped here from their owned company in china.

Thank you! Mod. 11A-18MZ256, S/N 1C1Y7K71481 898720

They do make replacement carbs for #951-10310 that are cheaper (maybe not as good of quality).

http://amzn.to/2wgv9ay

https://goo.gl/b6FSUx (Ebay)

Thanks! I've located a couple of gas stations in the area that sell ethanol-free gas and I mix Sta-bil in with it. I'm also very diligent about filling the tank through a filter funnel and in draining and flushing the fuel system after the last fall mowing so I no longer have carb problems, but you never know what the future holds so these sources may come in handy.