Seems the ignition switch has been opened before and the internals were put together incorrectly causing a short to the blue wire in all positions except off. Fixed this and I had significant improvement to the longevity with blades engaged, but fuel starvation is still problem. I can mow at about 40% throttle for a while, but anything more it starts to bog down, cutout and sputter. Disengage blades and I can get it to continue running. Maybe I will remove the anti-backfire valve since I have a fuel line shut-off valve.