Turns out it was the carburetor solenoid. The guy who fixed it said they often overheat and go bad. It was a manufacturing defect because of the close proximity of the muffler causing it to overheat. The replacement kits that you buy include a heat shield for that area. Makes sense. Too bad as this would have been the piece of the puzzle that I would have gone to next to replace. Thanks for everything! I learned a lot!
