Kohler Command 15 hp Engine sputtered, backfired and died

Kohler Command 15 hp
Recently the engine backfired when I engaged the mower deck, this happened when the engine had been running awhile (30min). I continued mowing and then the engine sputtered, backfired and died, it would not restart hot. I just did a cold start and It started right up.
Thanks for any suggestions!

Bill

 

Welcome. Start with the easy stuff, which in this case means cleaning the gas cap to make sure that it is venting properly. A plugged vent creates a vacuum, just like putting your finger over the end of a straw. If not that, I'd be thinking a failing coil, as they will lose their spark when they get hot and recover it when they cool back down. You can buy an inexpensive spark tester at your local auto parts or well equipped lawn equipment dealer, carry it on the mower with you, and check for spark as soon as it dies, before it has a chance to cool. This is how I would start anyway.

 

aka pedro has you on the right track.

 

Thanks for the quick info, I’ll do it! I checked the gas cap and it’s one without a hole, it felt much tighter than usual when I removed it. I also looked for the coil and it looks like I have to remove the air flow cooling shroud to get to if it needs to be replaced.
Thanks Bill

 

I checked the coil with my multimeter and it had 14.7k of residence so I replaced it with one that checked out with 7k. I cut grass for an hour or so without any issues. The new coil cost about $13 from Amazon and it was a simple task to do the wrench turning! Thanks for your expert advice!