Well, to begin the process of elimination, take a look at your gas tank filler cap. There is a vent hole of some kind in the cap. Clean out the hole with an unfolded paper clip or similar wire type device. These vents will clog for a number of reasons. Varnish and gum build-up, dust and lint, and sometimes the rustyj mud wasp will also plug up the vent with a dollop of mud (after depositing an egg or two in the cavity). You can also test to see if the cap vent is the culprit by running the machine with the cap slightly loose. This will vent the tank. If the problem goes away when running with the cap loose, you can be sure the vent in the cap is not working. Take care not to lose the cap while operating with it loosened. If you want to do something to prevent the cap from vibrating out and falling, stretch an old sock down over the loosened cap and tie a piece of string around the sock below the cap.

If the cap thing don't work You also need to try to see if it's getting spark when it die out. Or have the air filter cover and filter removed and using a spray can of carb cleaner see if it will fire off the carb cleaner by spray some down the carb and cranking it. If it tries to run I would guess it's not getting gas.

If so I would start at the by pulling the gas hose off at the carb. (no fuel pump (gas tank higher than the carb.) gas should run out.) with fuel pump crank it over and see it you are getting gas, should be squirting out the fuel hose you removed, No gas go down stream to the filter, still no gas remove the tank and clean and check fuel line from tank to filter, No gas flowing still, my be the fuel pump or cracked hose some where along the way.

Got gas going to the carb. must be the carb plugged up or float sticking closed which leads me too my guess???? it's probably a gummed up carb. beings it got worse setting over winter. with a 99 to 1 shot a weak coil.

mopower440, if I was you, Id check the coil, sounds like its about to die. I think its getting hot enough to die, then when it does, it cools enough in the few seconds you try to restart it to start working again until it repeats the process again. Hope that helps.

well, i havnt messed with the carb yet, but i went out and started it up and messed with all the electrical connections and wires on it and couldnt make it quit. The ONLY thing i found was the key switch was loose in the dash and i tightened it up. I ran it for an hour and it never quit or even stumbled, could the loose key switch cause the quitting or is it not need to be grounded to the body?

OK, you haven't messed with the carb yet but you have started it and messed with all the connections and wires. No, a loose mounted ign. switch will not cause it to quit unless the switch has a "kill wire" circuit built into it and only if that kill wire post somehow made contact with a grounded piece of the machine due to the switch body turning in its mounting hole. You can still mess with the cap vent test when you feel like messing some more. :^)