hi stevea, i had similar problem lately with similar mower. the problem with this unit , was as you suspected not enough gov. spring tension.but dont mess with the springs just yet . i think it may be a chinese b&s that bruce refers to . i found that the whole throttle/gov. bracket is as soft as butter & also is the leading edge of the mower, so a little bending in this area ,can be done by hand, should restore spring tension, cheers johnno

i may have retired but i havent stopped yet, ive got one shed full of woodworking machines & hand tools(my other love, makin sawdust)my othr shed is mechanics tool chests stick &mig welders metal lathe 9 inch swing screw cutting so if icant buy it i make it,i hope im writing this in the right place,thats all i can think of at the moment, cheers & beers