

I went to mow my backyard tonight which is about 3/4 of an acre and the grass was pretty long. I'm sure it was 14 inches or more in some places. I took it slow and only used half the deck to cut. It went great for the first 30 to 45 minutes but then it seemed like the engine wanted to stall. It was not lugging or anything, but if I would ease up on the throttle or turn off the PTO it would come back. This would happen even in areas where I already cut and mostly liked to do this if I turned left but did it straight and turning right as well, but almost always if I turned left. It would happen even if I would just ride around with the PTO off so I know this is not related to the deck putting strain on the engine.
I thought I might be low on gas, but I could see that there was some still left in the tank. I still went to the gas station to fill my can and dump some gas in. After that, it ran well for about 5 minutes then started acting up again.
It looks like I have to get a new air filter and clean the pre-filter and the oil looks ok. I did not see any black smoke or anything unusual and the battery connections were tight. Any ideas what could be causing this issue?
The other problem is that the battery light came on. I am not sure if this is related. It came on then went out when I first started to mow. After I put more gas in it came on, went off then came on and stayed on. I tested the battery and it was 12.12V after mowing my yard and was 14.13V while running. Any hints to what I should be looking for?
Also, can I get a replacement air filter at Autozone or another car parts store? The dealer is 30 minutes away.
Thanks for any and all help.
Edited by mark843, June 09, 2012 - 08:41 PM.