I bought my Troy-Bilt Model 11A-542Q711 mower equipped with a Honda GCV160 Engine from LOWE's on 3/24/07, over 5 years ago.?

Honda GCV160, that's the same engine I have on my pressure washer*.

The problem is the fuel filter/pump. (The manual calls it a pump, but everyone else just calls it a filter.) It has 3 lines on it. One from the gas tank, one to the carb and a third that goes down to the crank case. Pressure from the case pushes fuel up to the carb. The one way valve in it has gone bad. (I'll bet you have gas in the oil also, I did.)

The part is less than $20 off the shelf or nearly $30 for next day delivery.

My engine would start and then immediately die. So the first thing I did was pull the carb and gave it a thorough cleaning. Still died. Then I read the owners manual trouble shooting guide**. Bingo!

It has started and run like a top ever since.

* went for a bike ride one evening and saw the washer and attachments on the side of the road. Knowing that the odds were very good there was nothing really wrong with it I went home and got my car. $30 for a $300 washer. Not bad.

** had to take a few minutes to visit Honda's web site and print one out.

Get a can of starting fluid. Take the cover off the air filter. Have the quick start ready to go.

Start the engine. Before it dies of fuel starvation, shoot a little quick start into the intake. If you can reliably keep the engine running with just starting fluid, then the entire problem is in your fuel uptake.

Carburetors need vacuum to run properly. You said you took that carb apart. When you put it back together, did you use fresh gaskets? I don't recommend reusing gaskets, ever.

You say you cleaned it - how well? There are tiny orifices and it doesn't take much to block one. The fuel passage that lets fuel into the float bowl is the diameter of a sewing needle. It doesn't take much to block that - a single sliver of grass is sufficient to make the engine run rich or die of starvation.

You didn't mention whether you have a fuel filter. If you have one, five years is long enough and you should replace it.

If you don't have a fuel filter, splice one into the fuel line and you may be able to avoid a future sliver of grass.

While you're doing things with the fuel line, check the condition of said fuel line. No blockages? Same goes for the tank.

If you're going to do things in the carb, make sure the float and float needle aren't sticking. If they do, they will close off the passage from the fuel tank and the carb will run dry. That's very uncommon, however.

CON'T.- I bought my Troy-Bilt Model 11A-542Q711 mower equipped with a Honda GCV160 Engine from LOWE's on 3/24/07, over 5 years ago. Problem: it stalled like it was running out of gas [plenty of gas in tank] but when i try to restart it just tries to start but then completely stalls. I CHECKED SPARK PLUG AND CLEANED IT I TOOK A PART CARB AND CLEANED IT I DRAINED AND REFILLED GAS FRESH. . still same , wants to start but sounds staved of gas? what can i try next. mower in great shape.

Most of those honda engines have a fuel shut off valve. Make sure it is open. If that is not the problem than the carburetor needs to be cleaned and or rebuilt.

Check for fuel flow into the carburetor, plugged fuel line OR the vent in the gas cap could be blocked. You have the problem isolated to the fuel so once the fuel flows TO the carburetor the problem is is isolated. Replace the carburetor or rebuild it. Get a service and maintenance manual for your engine series.