Tell your brother the probelem isn't vacuum, except that it sucks. You've
got a problem with either the ignition or fuel system. Two things come to
mind as prime candidates:
1) faulty fuel pump. Next time this happens, make sure you have fuel
reaching the carb. One good indicator is the ticking sound from the pump.
A conclusive test would be removing the fuel hose from the filter to see if
there is actually any fuel reaching the carb. If there isn't - and your
pump isn't making any noise, reattach the fuel line and tap the pump with
something (it shouldn't take much). If the pump starts clicking like crazy
- then that's the problem, and you should replace it.
2) faulty ignition. If the problem isn't fuel, make sure you have spark.
The fastest way to do this is to pull a plug wire from a plug, place an
insulated screwdriver in the receptacle to make contact, then have someone
crank the engine while you hold the metal part of the screwdriver near
(1/8" - 1/4") a ground (like the spark plug). If you have a good spark
(i.e., able to make the 1/4" jump), then you've ruled that problem out.
Otherwise, I'd think about replacing the electronic ignition module, or
the coil.
Milo
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