Went to run my gd this weekend and it would crank up fine but once i started givin it a little throttle it would bog itself down and flood out. When i would choke it, it seemed to run better until i dropped it down in the water then it would choke out. After i would let it sit for a minute it would crank back up like a engine will typically do when its flooded but once i put some gas on it, it would flood out again. The motor is a 23hp vanguard gdsd. Im not a big mechanical guy just wonderin some suggestions on what it might be. I ran the motor two weeks ago and it ran like a top but i forgot to run the gas out of it so it sat with gas in it for two weeks. i dunno if that and this 100 degree MS weather has had anything to do with it

Maybe floats stuck

Just pull the carb, drop the bowl, pull the jets out, & clean everything real good. Then put pack exactly how it came apart

agreed with team camo... my 23 did the same thing cleaned the carb and put back together and shes running better than new....also change or put a filter on your fuel line a small micron type to catch the little particles in the fuel....i was using the card board type and still getting trash from the local pumps in my carb...you can pick one up at academy its silver and clear works well...be careful if you pull the pin on the float a little fyi its brittle and the pin only goes one way....out and the same back in i learned the hard way...IF YOU DO BREAK THE PIN BRACKET JB WELD WILL GET U BY BUT LET IT SET FOR 48 HRS

Well I figured out what the problem was.. turns out these vanguards don't run on water.. With all the rain we had a few weeks ago in MS I apparently filled up my gas tank with water. After cleaning the carb and trying the motor it kept doing the same thing so i figured i change out the fuel filter just to see. When I pulled the filter and drained the gas into a bottle i got about a 3:1 water ratio. I'll try posting a picture.. but after I learned that I got a new gas can and put fresh gas through it and it ran like brand new. Thanks for the advice, I reckon the good thing is i got a clean carb out of the deal and it was a cheap fix

Cool deal glad u figured it out...yeah those motors don't like running on water something about the octane just ain't right lol