My son has a Suzuki LT80. Lately it runs for about an hour or so fine....then it starts dieing. It'll run for 5 minutes...then dies. Usually I have to put the choke on & hit the starter a half a dozen times for it to start again. It seems to run a little longer if you just leave the choke on....maybe my imagination. And once in a while it'll stay running but just seems to lose all power....then it'll kick in again. Any ideas? Thought I'd see if it's something I can troubleshoot before taking it to a shop.

Thanks!

 

is carb clean? when running leave petcock on prime. see if the petcock is messed up. it has a pump in the petcock that works from a pulsating from the motor. but if you leave it on prime it will flow gas no matter what. after that it might turn into an ele. problem

 

Thanks for the reply.

I did leave the petcock on PRI.......it didn't seem to help at all.

Now I'm not the most mechanically inclined guy when it comes to engines (I can build you a PC or a house though!)
How would I go about cleaning the carb? Do I need to get a Chilton's/Clymer/Haynes manual for that?

 

Check your gas cap to make sure the vent is working. It's a very simple thing to check that may save you lots of time. If it's clogged, your engine will run fine until a vacuum is created. Then it will run sporatically. When it starts running bad, unscrew the gas cap and see if it immediately fixes it.