I have a '03 MTD(Yard Machine)with a Briggs and Strat 313707-0162-E5 engine. Replaced deck belt, mower ran fine first couple of passes in yard and then just died. Getting spark out of spark plug, pressure and atomized gas coming out of spark plug hole when plug is out and I have the engine cranking, checked air cleaner, replaced battery, 3 years old but posts were starting to get corrroded and had to charge every so often.

While the engine is cranking to try and start I'm hearing kind of a "throaty" pumping sound, like the sound of a vacumn pump that I didn't notice before. I'm just wondering if I bumped a wire when I changed the belt and if there is a way I can rule out all the "so called" safety wiring.

Also when I changed the belt I disconnected the brake that was designed to slow down the blades when the PTO was disengaged. The brake was gone and it was metal on metal. I re-routed the tension pulley spring to another hole on the deck. Might be useless info but just wanted to let you know what all I did to the thing before it stopped working.

Thanks,

Troy