Chosen Solution

I cleaned the carb. fuel line gets fuel. Carb has fuel in the bowl. i have spark. if i put fuel into the carb it fires and then dies. I dont think the carb is opening . cant figure this out. Grass is getting tall.

@jayg “if i put fuel into the carb it fires and then dies” sounds like you are having trouble with the needle valve in your bowl. You may have fuel in there but it may not get through your carb. Remove the bowl, set the float height and check the needle valve. Briggs and Stratton Carb Overhaul

I just answered this same question yesterday: My Toro self propelled lawn mower starts right up and then dies.

Got the Toro out this spring, same type as being discussed, 6.5 hp, self propelled, and after going thru all of the cleaning suggestions of jets, carb, tank and so on and making sure the bulb was priming right, on reassembly and testing, without the air filter installed, same problem, runs the prime dry and stops running. I did an inspection of the filter element that I had cleaned, last fall, and found one of the paper edge was stuck out under the rubber edges. I fixed that, and I can only venture, that some how, the filter works in conjunction with the fuel flow as there is a rubber hose that runs to the crankcase, and that has to pump and suck as the piston action occurs. I took the filter and reshaped the side with the paper under the gasket so that the entire filter seals and bingo, put it all back together, did a 3 pump prime and the engine started first pull, and kept running. Let me just say, I did all of the suggested remedies on the fuel flow issue and this last one did it for me. So which one was the real culprit? Don’t know, don’t care, the lawn mower is running great!

Check the air filters. If they’re clogged, the engine might not be getting enough air. Either clean or replace them.

Engine starts runs for a minute and then starts to die down then back up again

Check the thermostat and make sure it is set correctly. My mower would start for 2 - 5 seconds and die. After doing research, I found it has a thermostat behind the muffler that has to be set between the “markings” both in front and on the sides.

ya air filters are causing much damage… myprepaidcenter card

This video should explain how to fix this problem. https://youtu.be/UXztzNj0Mvo