Bullfrog has a Kohler engine, I thought it was a 15 horse, may be a 16.

Either way - the fuel line runs direct to a float bowl at the bottom of the carb. It had an electric fuel shutoff, but it's disconnected.

One problem I had with it was that it would drain the gas tank if it was sitting for a while, so what I think happens is that the needle and seat mess up over time (like in the old days of non-EFI trucks).

MY ANSWER was to install a cheap inline fuel shutoff valve.

It could be time to drop the float bowl, and see if it has a lot of gum in it. this can be removed with Berrymans B-12 or another similar carb cleaner. A needle and seat kit may help, or the float may be the trouble. (It DOES sound like a sinking float)

If it's gravity fed like mine, chances are the carbuerettor is the problem. There isn't a fuel pump on mine at all, it's a single line that runs from the tank to the bottom of the carb.

It's also about as old as yours is...

Watch the deck for rust around the blade spindle on the left side. Theres a pocket there that can trap water and rust out.

 

I hate loose ends and like to let people know how things work out, even when it makes me look like an idiot.....

I took the lawnmower out last week, put a new battery in it and it started right up. After about five minutes it started the whole fuel starvation thing again. The ONLY thing I thought I had ruled out (since it was brand new) was the fuel filter. So, I took it off and that is when I realized that the outlet and had a nice little twist and crimp in it.

I cut the end off it, reinstalled it and cut grass for over an hour with no sign of fuel starvation. I ran the tank almost dry and the filter was staying full of fuel. I don't see how the blockage on the outlet would prevent the flow of fuel into the filter but in any even, the problem seems fixed.

Thanks again for all your help last fall.

 

I recommend this to anyone who has ever let their rider sit outside for any length of time -

PULL THE DECK and clean it top and bottom, then paint it as thickly as you can with rustoleum or any other brand that prevents rust. If there is rust evident - get rid of it. Use naval jelly if you have to.

It turns out that the deck of the mower is the one part most prone to rusting out, and the least looked at. I discovered mine when it suddenly began to cut crooked on one side.

The spindle mount bolt on one set of blades rusted around it untill it broke loose - and that broke a mount off the spindle itself ($55 each).

I repaired it with strap iron and JB WELD, but if I had known it might never have happened. STRONG ADVICE HERE:

1) Spray off the deck with a garden hose to get all grass cuttings off it after use and make it clean so you can see it's condition. Grass on the deck acts as a sponge to hold water

2) At the first sign of rust or bad paint - clean it and dry it, then shoot a truckload of paint on it to protect it.

3) The BOTTOM of the deck rusts FIRST because of abrasion. Not only grass, but dirt, sand, wood (branches and stuff you didn't see), and rock impacts will take off the paint. The underside therefore needs more care than the top - and should be checked on to make sure rust doesn't go from the bottom UP...

You take care of the deck itself, and that thing will cut forever.

~Wolfie