john deere lx255 backfired on starting, then died. Will not start now

Deere had been running. I stopped for a short time, and it seemed slower starting. Strong battery. It backfired through the muffler, ran a few seconds, but missing, then died. Would not start again. Used starter fluid, and still would not start. Spark was present. Ran bat. down trying to start.

Pull the spark plug and see if you have spark and if the plug is wet with fuel. When you post back, give us the numbers off the engine, as we can’t see what you are talking about.