Hi All, this generator has been run about 3 times it will not run correctly, starts pretty well but surges severely to the point of almost stalling, I use fresh gas,plug looks fine, no load, Eco switch is off,where should I start? The owner manual is basically useless . :confused:

Hi from Oz. I have inherited my fathers ride-on mower, a Victa 4015HX with a B&S 14.5hp OHV Model 287707 engine. It had been garaged for about 3 years and it started for 5 minutes in a cloud of white smoke. So researched online... took off the fuel bowl, which was relatively clean, but the float and needle were stuck. I also noticed heaps of fuel in the oil. Unstuck the needle, checked the tip and cleaned it and put it back in and it seemed to operate correctly as I connected the fuel line and could see the fuel stop / start when moving the float. I also checked the float and installed an inline fuel stop valve tap just in case. Also physically checked that the solenoid gizmo under the fuel bowl was working and of course the spark plug. I did an oil change making sure I got rid of as much of the contaminated oil as possible before topping up with fresh oil... and fresh fuel. I started it and it fired up nicely... for 30 seconds... and that was it. I just can't get it to fire up. It will start for a couple of seconds if I squirt carb cleaner into the carb. I have noticed a "popping" sound through the carb when turning over the engine. So from a layman's simple perspective the electrics, fuel and oil appear ok and there's good compression... what's left? Although a few years old this machine has done very little work so I'm keen to get it going. Any ideas... anyone?