I have a John Deere 265, about 7 years old or so, and I think it has a Kawaski engine. It fires up OK in the summer, but really really hard in the winter. It backfires bad at start up. I've changed the plug about 1000 times, but I think I might have the choke screwed up. Dealer says to put the throttle all the way up, crank it for 5 seconds, let it sit for 10 seconds, then crank it again. Sometimes it works, other times I think it floods. In general, does this sound like the engine is getting too much gas or not enough to fire up the first time (should I tweak it one way or the other) or is this thing just a marginal engine anyway, and this is as good as it gets. Help!

long answer short put the throttle all the way up. make sure your using a lighter oil for the temp its operating in then spray starting fluid in it then start it. its just cranky in the cold because the metal matches the temp.

Thanks, but where do I spray the starter fluid?

in the carb directly or in the plug hole but the carbs simpler.