Push mower no hot start

[klassenl]

I fought my ~16 yr old B&S mower all last year. I got harder to start every time I used it. Today I blew out the carb, pulled the plug, checked for spark, threw some gas in the plug hole and it fired right away. I put everything back together, filled the tank with new gas and fired it up. It ran for 5 minutes and then abruptly stopped. Just quit. Now it wont restart. I have fuel and spark. It just won't go. What do I do next.

 

[FredWanaker]

blow the plug hole out and try again. See if it is too lean or too rich.

 

[BillK]

Check the air filter.

 

[Blueshound_GJ]

Replace carb for $10

 

[klassenl]

I measured the resistance of the coil. Only 1200 ohms. The internet says that's low. I'm going to see if I can find a new coil today.

The reason I'm not chasing the carb is because even if I put gas right into the plug hole it get no fire.

Edit: New plug last year and new air filter last year.

 

[Mick56]

Check valve lash

 

[aandpdan]

A coil that fails, or has a weak spark, hot is very common.

 

[BillK]

Does it have one of the safety handles you have to hold to keep it running ? I fixed a mower for a friend where the cable had stretched and was intermittently shutting off the ignition.

Just a thought.