After a long talk with the mechanic at the Grasshopper Dealer, he suggested a "bad ground". He said the more recent powder coating on the coil cases, instead of the older lead based paint, prevented a good ground. He said this contributes to more internal heat and causes the lacquer coated secondary wires to short out. I did have an "open" secondary circuit. I bit the dust and bought another $112 coil, scraped the paint between the coil case and mounting clamp and the engine started on the first revolution. I mowed for three hours with no problem. I had also talked to a rep at the Grasshopper Factory. He said one alternative would be to replace the ignitor $300+ or perhaps the whole distributor $400+. He said the coil is a non-resistor model. I think a stronger & cheaper coil should be available from NAPA or some other supplier. I love my Grasshopper 725, but hate their Denso ignition coils.
