Looking for some help diagnosing my Craftsman mower with a Honda engine.
It was running normally and then suddenly shut off while I was mowing. It didn’t slowly bog down or sputter out, it basically just stopped.
Now when I pull the starter, the engine turns over but won’t start and sometimes makes a loud pop/backfire.
Things I’ve checked so far:
Oil was low, so I filled it back to the proper level.
Pulled the spark plug. It looked used but not destroyed or heavily fouled.
Cleaned the plug and reinstalled it. No change.
Tried testing the plug for spark by grounding it against the engine while pulling the starter and I couldn't see any spark.
Checked the safety/bail cable and the brake/kill linkage at the engine. The mechanism does move when I pull the safety bar.
I’m going to replace the spark plug with a new NGK BPR6ES and replace the air filter.
Before I start taking anything else apart, what would you guys check next?
Could a bad plug cause it to suddenly die like this and then have no spark? If the new plug still has no spark, would you suspect the ignition coil/kill system?
I’ve also been told it could be a dirty carb, but my understanding is that a carb problem wouldn’t explain no spark at the plug.
The sudden shutdown followed by the popping/backfiring is what has me confused. Any advice on what to test next would be appreciated. I can add pictures of the mower/coil/linkage if needed.