18 hp vanguard choking out

How do I keep the engine from choking itself out when I mash the gas?

Sounds like a carb problem, clogged and or dirty. id disassemble it, clean it, and re assemble and go from there.

I just recently cleaned the carb on it and it's still on the factory throttle setup with the governor. Is there an adjustment for the governor arm so that when I hit the gas to full it won't choke out then pick back up? It's a mikuni carb so if I need to adjust anything how would I adjust the carb? I seriously need help lol this motors a lot harder to me than a 12.5 I/c

define "choking out". if it chokes out, there will be a degree of backfiring, black smoke, and the smell of raw, un-burnt fuel in the exhaust. try leaning it out the main jet just a little, also make sure the air filter is clean

Whenever it's warmed up at idle and I hit the gas to run full throttle there's like a second worth of hesitation before it revs up

The governor makes it hesitate slightly. Mine does it too when you mash, and so does my truck. Its just how carbs work.

Although this has been said before, I'm gonna say it again- make sure the carb is clean, fuel flow is unrestricted, and intake gaskets are in good shape. It may be slightly lean. Now-

On the flip side- no matter WHAT you do to a factory carb, do not expect lightning throttle response. This design of carburetor once powered dinosaurs, I swear.

They only have two circuits: The pilot (idle) circuit, and the high-speed circuit. It doesn't take much imagination to figure out that there's a LOT of range in between idle, and WOT. Yet, this is what we have to work with. There is nearly ALWAYS a lag between idle and WOT, when the throttle is opened abruptly. Depending on multiple factors, it may or may not be particularly noticeable.

Performance carbs are different animals. To illustrate an example- the Mikuni VM series often found on motorcycles, have FIVE circuits which overlap each other- MUCH better throttle response, but a pain in the @ss to tune. Everything comes at a price.

Wow that's very helpful tips! Thank ya! :p

Are you saying that the throttle linkage is actuating the choke at full throttle? (some tractors have the choke above the bunny rabbit on the throttle control).... If this is the case, you can either eliminate the choke linkage or limit the throttle cable travel.

OR are you saying that it just dies when you stomp on it? This would be an indication (like Doc said) of an archaic carb that only has two circuits and no accellerator pump.

We know your idle is lean because of the vid you posted in the other thread. So, get it to idle correctly first, then adjust the high speed circuit. (Most tuners will do this twice because the circuits do influence eachother slightly).

Good luck and keep us posted!   

I'm not exactly sure if it's setup to open the choke slightly or not. I did tune the high rpm circuit and the low circuit and it seems to have cleared up a little