Hello and thanks to any/all helpful information anyone can provide regarding the below issue- I recently bought a 1989 742 with the Ford 4cyl engine. I bought it on the cheap from a homeowner because it was leaking hydraulic oil pretty badly at the time and he could not figure it out. That same day, I took it to a heavy machinery repair shop because I figured I would have them go through the machine and see what it needed and see whether it was worth it to fix, or I could always sell it for around what I paid and move on. It ended up just being a hydro line that was busted, just in a hard to reach spot, which was good. After looking the rest of the machine over, we went ahead with the following work- (Sorry for the long post, but I figured I should include the backstory and recent repairs for context) Items repaired/replaced- spark plug, wires, cap, rotor, points, condenser one lift cylinder was fitted with a seal kit new o-rings for relief and load valves on lift circuit Basically, got a tuneup on the engine and then the seal kit and o-rings on valves because the bucket had a pretty horrible drift and would not stay up. *They also emptied the gas tank because they said it was bad gas and pointed out that the oil cap on top of the engine should be replaced because it looked burnt/warped but left that to me to fix, as at the time there were no signs of issues coming because of it. So, after 3 weeks of being at the shop (they took their time, and i was in no rush) I picked up the 742 today and brought it back to my house. Engine seemed to be running strong, needed choke for about a minute, then could back it off while bringing up the RPMs with the throttle and it was running/sounding good with no sputtering, etc once it was warmed up. Hydraulics seemed decent, but I will say that they whined a bit until i went full throttle, then they ran pretty decent. seem to whine a little while sitting still, and I can very slightly move the hand controls to spots where they will stop whining, so i think this is probably just a linkage adjustment (but let me know what you think). I ran the machine pushing a mound of dirt I wanted back off a tree line in a small field. Everything seemed like it was working pretty well. I did this for about 30 minutes when it began sputtering and then died. I thought it was my electric fuel pump at first, because it is wired to an in/out choke-style mechanism back by the seat and it is easy to bump with your leg (this was a feature the homeowner added which he admitted was not his best design). After seeing that the fuel pump had not stopped running, I tried starting it 2 or 3 times with no success. I then checked the engine, and I have no "proof" so to speak, but it seemed hotter than I think it should be. Not positive, but it looked like there was wiring that may have shut the engine off due to overheating. the only thing i noticed was a slow drip of gas (1 drop every 3-4 seconds) from the hose that runs from the air filter to the carb. everything just seemed HOT. Coolant overflow showed fluid, so I don't think I am low there. I let it sit about 30 minutes and then started it up, and it seemed to run fine again, but I figured it would overheat and i didnt want to cause any permanent damage, so I drove it over to my gravel driveway and parked it for further evaluation. I went back out to the machine a couple of hours later (this evening) and started it up to see if I could notice anything else. One thing i found very strange was that it would only run if the choke was wide open, which was not the case earlier today. I let it run and while it was running I went back to look at the engine and I notice the oil cap that was warped and burnt looking is now showing 2 distinct holes on it where smoke is shooting out.... Would this cause the engine to only run if the choke is all the way out? What would cause this? Is this just a symptom of the overheating issue I am having or could this be causing my problem? My guess is something else is wrong, since this oil cap looked burnt/warped at the shop, so it was probably like this way when I bought it, but I didnt notice it then. (yes, my mistake, I am no mechanic) *We checked the engine oil at the repair shop a week or so ago and the mechanic said it looked good, and was not low. I did not mess with it yet, although I was planning to do an oil change this weekend. Also, I have a feeling that the hydro fluid is low, although they supposedly added oil when it was in the shop. Again, sorry for the novel, but I figure the more info I can include, the easier it may be for someone with experience to provide some helpful insight. Thanks again in advance for any tips on what I need to check to see if I can get this engine running right again.