I have a Craftsman push mower with a Briggs & Stratton 5.50 Silver motor. I can mow for a half hour to an hour then it will stop instantly for no apparent reason - no sputtering, racing, etc. I cannot restart the mower at all. The next day it starts right up like nothing had ever happened. I thought it might be overheating so I cleaned the filter, checked the oil and cleaned under the deck. It happened again today - any ideas? Thanks, Miles
One of two possible causes, no spark or lack of fuel. Next time it happens check for spark. May have a hot open or short in the coil. If no spark replace coil. If you have spark spray some carb cleaner into the carb and see if it will fire. Report back and we go from there.