Some very good ideas.

LM, thanks for the good post. I'm looking forward to trying this when
I get a chance in the next couple days.

There are no lights/battery/generator, so that part is ruled out.

On May 26, 11:25 am, "Ulysses" wrote:
Is the blade tight?
The blade is definitely tight.
Have you checked to see if the ignition coil is out of adjustment and jammed
against the flywheel?
I haven't. Definitely worth checking. Thanks.

Also, no one else ran the mower since I have. No one but me has
access to the power equipment.

I can remove the flywheel brake and see if that helps. I ruled the
brake out because it is a pad brake (not a strap brake) and I can see
the pad move completely away from the flywheel. If I end up needing
to remove the flywheel itself at some point, I'll need to get a
flywheel puller and holder. They don't seem to carry those at the
local home & garden store.