Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): 285 jd, john deere mowers, lawn mower

Question
My 1990 285 jd lawn mower only fires at the plug when the key is turned on and off,will not fire when cranking over.Before it quit runing,it was runing like the choke was on.I have checked the safteys.

Answer
I don't regularly work on john deere mowers and may be no help on this one, but I'm wondering if you have a bad ignition switch. I can't say that I have ever seen this problem before. One thing you can do is to disconnect the ground from the ignition coil and see if you have spark then. If you do then it's in the wiring or ignition. Be careful since the engine is shutoff by this ground. Good Luck