Outdoor Power Equipment and Small Engines - Murray Riding Mower Stops Runnning

I bought this mower new 6 years ago and it has been trouble free until now.I was mowing the grass for the last time this season,when the mower shut off as if I turned the key off. I checked for spark but there wasn't any. the engine will turn over like normal,but no fire. Now I can start it if it is cold, and it runs perfectly for about 3-5 minutes then it shuts off again. It will start every day like this, then shuts off. It is a Murray model 4251x92A 17.5 hp Techumseh

Sounds to me like the ignition coil is going bad on it.That's the way those eletronic ignitions does,when ever they start geting hot they start breaking down.Sounds like a $50-$60 part.

When you put the new one on gap it to between 10 and 14 thou.A business card should be thick enough.
Woun't hurt to clean any rust & debres from the flywheel ether.
And make sure that the ground wire is not touching or being pinched anywhere.

you need to fix the choke

The choke has nothing to do with this problem. I think repair guy is right on the money....bad coil.

I bought this mower new 6 years ago and it has been trouble free until now.I was mowing the grass for the last time this season,when the mower shut off as if I turned the key off. I checked for spark but there wasn't any. the engine will turn over like normal,but no fire. Now I can start it if it is cold, and it runs perfectly for about 3-5 minutes then it shuts off again. It will start every day like this, then shuts off. It is a Murray model 4251x92A 17.5 hp Techumseh
Is there an easy way to test a coil to tell whether it is bad or not? This is my first time with DIY, so if I am doing anything wrong, please let me know. Thanks for the replies.

It may depend on what engine you have as to the exact steps, but basically the coil will have a spade terminal with a wire connected from it to a switch, beit an ignition key switch or manual of some sort. If you disconnect this wire at the coil, then check for spark at the plug. If there is spark now when there is not with the wire connected, this indicates a short in the kill circuit. If there is still no spark then the coil can be presumed bad.

In my 30+ years of repairing small air-cooled gasoline engines I have come to realize that if your mower quits when it has run long enough to get hot,like someone has cut off the switch or took the plug wire off.And then starts back again only after it has had time to cool off,that is the only indecation that your mower will give you that the coil is bad.

And if it 'was' the ground wire,it wouldn't get spark to crank any time the wire was connected.

Is there an easy way to test a coil to tell whether it is bad or not?

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