Take a peak at the installation of the float valve once again. The popular carb versions have a float valve that can hang up if the wire that hooks the valve to the float is on the inside towards the pin. Obviously the float should be level,the proper base gasket used and the fuel clean. Blow through all the passages in the base and top.

Thanks Tomplum. The mower now seems to be running lean instead of flooding since I replaced the float needle. It will seem to run fair while mowing but without full power and with some sputtering and minor surging. Then all at once the RPMs will increase dramatically for 10-15 seconds then drop back down. I have not touched the governor. I'm not familiar with how gas shoul flow into the top of carb but it is spitting sort of at random. Maybe that is normal. I'm told the coil may be bad but not sure how to check it other than view plug spark whick looks OK. Any tips? Thanks again, Bert.

As Tom said blow out the passages particularly in the top of the carb. If it is surging it is looking for fuel (lean). I just rebuilt an I/C 20 carb and it took three attempts to get it right, a little gumout in the two air holes in the top was the fix.

Thanks bushleague. I did use carb spray, sewing needle, one bristle of a wire brush and 100psi air compressor when I tore the carb down. Thought I had it clean but maybe not. If no other easier tips within the next day or so I'll tear it down again. Im not sure about the "two holes on top" you mentioned. Are you assuming the carb is in two halves or still mounted to the manifold looking down the barrel. Also, we may not have the same carb. Thanks again

Did you remove the "mixture screw" from the carb and spray carb cleaner, probe with wire, and blow out that passage? On your carb, that screw is part of the main jet fuel circuit. The fuel pump work recently done may have set free some trash that might be stuck somewhere in the main jet passages.

Thanks Mownie. Yes, I did remove the screw and seem to have a clear passage. Latest on the mower is that it seems to run pretty good until it warms up. Once warmed up, if you let it sit a minute and restart, it surges and runs terrible.Puzzled! Bert.

OK, lets go back a bit to the opening post.
***"took the fuel pump off for no good reason"***
Well, unless he just wanted to see inside a pulse/vac fuel and lose some springs, he must have had some reason for taking it off. ???
***"It began to spit/sputter and surge recently." "Gas flow into top of carb looks like it is spitting instead of a steady." "I'm not familiar with how gas shoul flow into the top of carb but it is spitting sort of at random." "Maybe that is normal."***
Well, not being able to see and/or hear it makes it challenging to grasp the situation completely, but I will offer some remarks based on the written account.
[SPITTING instead of steady flow] If you are observing this "spitting" of fuel COMING OUT OF THE MAIN JET and into the throat of the carburetor.......at the same time the surging occurs........What you see (spitting) is most likely the result of the surging....not the CAUSE of the surging. Here's why: The fuel is DRAWN out of the float bowl and into the carb throat because of the piston inhaling on the intake stroke. How much fuel gets drawn out of the float bowl depends on several variable factors. The first factor to consider is the position of the THROTTLE PLATE (throttle "butterfly") in the lower portion of carb throat. When the throttle butterfly is "wide open", the piston will be allowed to take a big, deep breath (large volume of intake air). This allows a large volume of fuel to be drawn out of the bowl. If the throttle plate is closed, the piston inhales against the "obstructive throttle plate" and can only get a very small breath, which in turn, can only draw a very small amount of fuel out of the bowl (this takes place at engine low idle speed). Opening the throttle plate is "analogous" to "giving it the gas" because opening the throttle allows a greater volume of air to enter the cylinder, which allows a greater volume of gasoline to be drawn out of the bowl, which thus increases the engine RPM (we hope). OK, so we "open the throttle" and the engine RPM increases for the above reasons. Because the relationship of air/fuel induction volumes have an "exponential" effect on engine RPM. The higher the RPM, the greater will be the air/fuel induction volume. The greater the induction volume, the greater will be the RPM. And the greater the RPM, the greater will be the induction volume!! And so the engine RPM would quickly spin up to, and exceed (briefly) the design limits of the connecting rods, crankshaft and other components. What would happen is not something you want to occur under your butt (RER or ZTR) or between your legs (conventional tractor)!! But that is exactly what would happen if not for the engine speed governor.
Now back to the spitting fuel and some other parameters that affect the drawing of fuel from the bowl.
OK, opening the throttle caused the engine RPM to increase to the setting of the governor. When this RPM is attained, the governor decides to intervene and reduce the RPM a few revs. If the carburetor is offering the correct volume of fuel to the engine, and the governor is operating correctly, the governor will have little trouble finding "the sweet spot" RPM, and maintaining that spot. Under those conditions, the engine RPM will be constant, and the fuel drawn from the bowl will appear nearly steady. Because the engine is running at a smooth and constant, high RPM, the intake strokes created by the inhaling piston are so close together, the induction process seems to be a steady volume flowing into the engine.
If something is amiss in the conditions of the carb or the governor, the governor might have difficulty in finding that sweet spot RPM. When the governor can't "find" the right RPM, it begins to "hunt". When the governor is "hunting", it is opening and closing the throttle plate as it commands "MORE FUEL" or "LESS FUEL" by moving the throttle linkage.
Now, back to this 422702 engine. These opposed twins are somewhat notorious for surging. I have come to the conclusion that this is mainly because of the ever more strict EPA emissions standard requiring the OEMs to build carbs that can only deliver the very least volume of fuel for the "theoretical" operating range of the engine in whatever specific application the engine will be used in. This often means that the maximum volume of fuel that can be delivered by the carb allowed by EPA for the application.....may not be enough for smooth running under all operating conditions that may be encountered in the field. Because fuel is drawn out of the carb bowl by venturi effect, the fuel level in the bowl will have a direct effect on how much fuel can be "lifted" or drawn, by the available venturi effect present at a given time. IF, for some reason, the fuel level is lower than specified, the amount of fuel drawn from the carb will be less than the design volume and will result in a "lean mixture" being fed to the engine. This will lead to another "exponential condition"! A lean mixture burns hotter in the cylinders, causing the overall temperature of the engine to increase. A hotter engine causes the engine to inhale less volume of air (but hotter air) so even less fuel is drawn from the bowl, which results in a lean burn.......
Because the governor can not reach "nirvana", it searches and surges.
There are a few things that might cause the fuel level in the bowl to be lower than specs. Float may be "set too low", causing the needle valve to shut off the fuel at too low a level in bowl. Needle valve might be sticking in the valve seat area. It is even possible that the fuel hose feeding the fuel pump could be "sucking air" which would mean the volume of fuel going to the bowl would be reduced because a portion of each fuel pump pulse contained some air instead of being 100% fuel. If the engine is surging when running at "curb high idle" ( curb high idle means the machine is operating against the governor with no load on the engine. Trans neutral, blades disengaged)try this "unscientific test". When the engine is running at high RPM and surging, spray a bit of carb cleaner (start with as small a shot as possible) into the air intake, if this added bit of fuel seems to smooth out the surging, the surging is caused by a lean mixture. If the surging does not improve with this, or, if the engine surges the same way, whether unloaded, or under a load, the surging may be due to a problem with the governor. Do check the condition of the fuel hose from the tank to the carb/fuel pump. These hoses sometimes get routed very close to some hot sheet metal on the engine. This could lead to cracks in the hose, or even "fuel boil" in the hose.

Thanks Mownie. The reason he took the fuel pump apart is because of running problems before. The rubber gasket in the gas cap fell apart and clogged the outlet from the fuel tank. He likes to tear things apart before looking at the obvious. Anyway, we did replace the rubber gas lines and in-line filter. I did notice that the replacement hose we bought at an auto parts store is a little larger. There are clamps on the line but you can pull the line off of the fuel pump inlet without pliers. No gas leaks are visible, however do you think air could still be entering the line? It did run good for several weeks after installing the new lines, but I know he pulls the line off the pump inlet to prime when he runs the gas tank empty. I'll get some smaller line and try that. I did not change the float level when I replaced the float needle and was very careful not to bened the tab. Float appears level when seated. Does this in any way sound like a coil problem or should I stay focued on the fuel situation? Thanks again, Bert.

***"There are clamps on the line but you can pull the line off of the fuel pump inlet without pliers." "do you think air could still be entering the line?"***
We may be getting somewhere now. Yes, If a person can pull that hose off without pliers (implies the "clamp" is a spring band type), there is a very good chance that air is able to be drawn in at that location when the hose heats up and expands (when engine gets warm) plus the fact that engine vibration may also enable air to enter worse as the loose fitting hose sort of "dances" on the fitting. Smaller hose may be just what is needed. The automotive fuel filter may also be suspect!! It's not because it is bigger, or because it's automotive (that does not matter). What does matter is whether the filter media inside is "coarse enough" to allow fuel to be "sucked" through the filter instead of being "pushed" through. Years ago, automotive fuel filters were intended to be used with "diaphragm fuel pumps" that PUMPED the fuel through the filter at very low pressures (typically 7-9 PSI). The filter had to be "coarse enough" to pass sufficient volume of fuel for the engine's needs, in spite of the very low output pressure of those old pumps. Fast forward to the automotive scene today. Engines are typically fuel injected, with fuel rail pressures running 36-44 PSI to meet the needs of the fuel injectors. Couple to that the requirement for the filter to trap MORE and SMALLER particles and you have a filter media that would cause the old fashioned diaphragm pumps to wither. The tiny pulse/vac pump in the Briggs carb is also a diaphragm pump BUT it must "pull" the fuel through the filter instead of pushing it. If the filter (on the tractor now), just happens to be intended for a fuel injected vehicle, it does not stand much chance of PULLING fuel through it. That would require the fuel pump to develop a high vacuum (negative pressure) to get any fuel through the filter. This high vacuum would increase the liklihood of air being sucked in through the loose fitting hose too.
***"Does this in any way sound like a coil problem or should I stay focued on the fuel situation?"***
DOES NOT resemble a coil or other ignition problem at all to me. You still didn't say whether the surging happens when the engine is loaded, or just when not loaded, or at all times. If you can observe the governor linkage while it is surging, I think you'll see the linkage moving back and forth as the governor hunts. If this were an ignition problem, you would also hear some loud bangs as the "out of time" sparks caused afterfire and backfire to occur. Also, if the magneto coil was acting up due to heat, the complaint would most likely be that the engine would not start when hot, not surging.

Thanks Mownie. I'll go first thing in the am and buy smaller line. The fuel filter is the correct one. I purchased it at a lawn mower shop but purchased the line at O'Reillys Auto parts. The engine surges under load or not. It seems to run fair when first started, but it worsens as it heats up. Glad to hear it may not be the coil. My neighbor can barely walk and draws SS income only. The coil for that mower is $50.00+. He has no auto and that mower is his only means of transportation around the neighborhood. The good news is Medicare through the VA is supposed to deliver a 4-wheel electric scooter within a few weeks. Then he can quit using the mower for transportation and limit its use to cutting grass. Thanks again and I'll let you know the results of the new gas line. Bert.

***"that mower is his only means of transportation around the neighborhood."***
I see a sequel to the movie "The Strait Story" in the making. You might want to begin taking pictures and video to confirm later, that without your help, he would not have had a mower to ride at all. Your character might even get a part in the movie......it all depends on how the producer interprets you as an "accessory to the fact". I looked back at the specific post about the fuel hose and I guess I presumed the filter was gotten where the hose was bought as well. OK!Yes, please post back the result.

Mownie, I replaced the entire fuel line with better fitting hose from tank to fuel pump to crankcase. Also double checked fuel filter recently installed. Started mower and it ran good about 5 minutes. I rode it about 100 feet and engaged blades. Immediately started spitting/sputtering/backfiring. It will only run good a few minutes any only when cold starting. To my surprise, I pulled the two spark plugs and noticed one looked a little rich (starting to turn black) and the other was soaking wet with gas. I'm back to square one! I thought the "surging" was a lean problem but obviously It's running rich. I wanted to touch on the electrical again. I noticed when under load or not there is some backfire and a "pinging" sound. The governor linkage does move back and forth as this pinging and backfire occur. As I posted before, both plugs fire when removed and held against the manifold, but I'm not sure that is an ample test for the coil. Any ideas? Thanks, Bert.

Does it "clear up" if you disengage the blades? Is there a "working" seat switch on this machine (if working, the engine will die if seat is vacated when blades are engaged)? The one difference I see in your description today is the word "backfire". The fact that you now include backfire in the description could indicate that this machine's seat switch (if present) may be "opening & closing" due to vibration or misadjustment. The seat switch would not affect driving with blades not engaged. The intermittent contact of the seat switch could account for the backfiring and the plugs being wet with fuel (because they are not sparking regularly, and because once they get wet, they don't fire well either.
Also, if it runs OK driving with the blades not engaged, does it also run OK if you load the engine by running "up a hill"? I realize you might not have a hill to answer that with.

I have checked and don't even see a seat switch. My neighbor said at one time the mower would die if weight not on seat with blades engaged, but now it will keep running (poorly) regardless if weight on seat when blades engaged. No, the engine does not clear up if blades are disengaged. As mentioned, yesterday it ran good sitting still for 5 minutes then I road across his yard 1/2 to 3/4 throttle and it still ran good. I engaged the blades and it went south. From that point on it ran bad with or without blades engaged. This morning I was not present and he said it started up and ran OK until it warmed up. That's when I pulled the plugs and noticed that one was soaking wet and the other somewhat black, but not soaked. There are no hills to climb anywhere near here. I will try to locate a seat switch but as you said, it shouldn't matter if blades are disengaged and still runs bad. The suspect behavior now seems to be that it engine sounds good until it warms up and then runs terrible until it cools down completely and is restarted. Sorry I didn't mention the backfiring. It was rare in the beginning, but seems to be getting progressively worse. I will start it tonight after dark and see if I notice any spark arc around the plug wires, etc. This is about to drive me crazy! Thanks again, Bert.

Follow up. I started the mower at night and saw no obvious arc from the plug wires. Mower ran great with and without blades engaged for about 5 min. Turned it off and restarted. It spit and sputtered and I could smell gas odor from exhaust. What gets me is that I replaced the float needle and that the float moves freely and is level when seated. Float had no gas inside it which indicates no hole in float itself. One other thing. The mower does have a safety switch which will turn the mower off if weight not on seat and IN GEAR. It does not have a saferty switch to turn mower off if blades engaged and weight not on seat. I noticed while sitting on mower running if I put mower in gear sparks flew from the gearshifter when it rubs the frame. I reached under the back of the mower to disconnect the in-gear/safety wire and it shocked me. I left it unplugged but mower still ran poorly. Puzzled! Bert.

For test purposes, run it with the kill wire disconnected. If you are looking for the possibility of bad plug wires, hit them w/ a spray bottle full of water to see if that creates a miss. Know also that the coils do fail often enough on these. At times, the CD in the coil pack that times the spark can get erratic, doesn't quite hit them off at the right times and you may find that you have better spark at times than others. One could try cleaning the mount and flywheel. A new coil will set you back $50 or so. Not really a surge type result but they can improve for a spell if you choke it and the engine will finally die when they are near the end.

OK, we know it's a 422702, but what is the type number.
Also, it's about time you tell us what brand tractor with model numbers and all that. How about the choke butterfly, is it connected with a separate cable to operate it or is it just a different, deeper selection on the throttle control console?

Type 121401 code 9406085b. Independent choke cable. Choke works fine. It's some Murry knock-off. Sticker has been removed from hood. We are talking about a briggs engine. Bought a spark tester and found that only one cylinder fires with the tester. The cylinder I previously mentioned with the wet spark plug does not fire on the tester. The plug fires, but the tester doesn't on this particular cylinder. Coil? Thanks guys.

OK, the 422702 is wrong, likely is 422707.
It sounds like the plug wire to the dead cylinder may be shorting to ground in preferrence to jumping a spark in the cylinder when combustion chamber pressures increase when the engine becomes loaded. This is a "single discharge" magneto, meaning both plugs fire at the same time from a single coil (wasted spark on opposite cylinder). When the load is applied, an arc jumps out of the plug wire and kills BOTH plug circuits for a moment. This "killing of spark" is likely why the engine seems to be "surging". The errant arcing might come and go due to vibration or other factor. I believe that once the "dead cylinder" plug becomes wet, it can no longer fire anyway, so it continues to be dead, while the opposite cylinder fires erratically as the arc to ground comes and goes. Pull the shouding and LOOK WITH YOUR EYES (instead of feeling with your fingers, fingers will erase evidence) for a white, powdery appearance somewhere along the plug wires. Look closely at any place where the plug wire is in contact with metal. Check inside the now removed shroud for "marks" indicating contact on those surfaces too. Even if you do not find the visual trace I suspect, you have just about proven that it is ignition related.

Here is a link that might be useful: Briggs IPL

Thanks Mownie. You are right, it is a 422707. I have it written down in front of me but apparently can't type. I'll check behind the shroud. I started the mower 2 nights ago in the dark to look for errant spark but visually did not see anything. I'll pull the shroud and take your advice. I agree, when the plug gets wet it probably no longer fires. I'll let you know. It's raining now so it may be this evening or tomorrow. Thanks, Bert.

Don't notice any arc marks behind shroud. I guess he will have to buy a coil unless someone has another suggestion. May have to wait until he receives a SS check. I will follow up with the result. Thanks again.