Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): lawn mower repair questions, lawn mower repair, air leak

Question
i have 2 questions.  first is with a honda hrm215 mower.  i've cleaned up the carb,etc. and it has run fine.  now it starts to die, and i have to push the throttle to choke to get it to run,  and eventually it stops again.  any ideas?
second is with a briggs europa 5.5 horse engine.  starts great on the first pull.  problem is that it surges. i took out the carb and cleaned it up etc..as i said, it runs strong except for  a bit of surging.  
thanks,
greg

Answer
Hi Greg,

On the Honda I would still suspect the carb.  The carb most likely has dirt, debris, gummed fuel or water inside. You will need to remove it, disassemble, clean all the small internal openings and blow it out with compressed air.  All it takes is missing one small opening to cause a problem.

The surging, if a "hunting" type, (hi and low cycling of the idle speed) is usually caused by a bad or weak governor spring.  Replace that.  If the surging is a runaway high reving, after it starts, then look for a carb air leak, usually at the carb to intake gasket.

Let me know how you make out.
Michael