bad fuel pump on SS14?

Hi
I have an ss14 that has started to stall (or overheat) in the last 3-4 months of use. Changed spark plug, changed oil, cleaned engine, used carb treatment in gas tank, used carb cleaner spray on outside of carb.

Engine used to (last season) run 15-20 min before stopping. Would restart after about 1 hour.
Enigine currently lasts only 4-5 minutes, then stops.When I pull spark plug it is DRY, so I think fuel supply is the issue. I then realized that my fuel pump is currently not working (used to work in past).

My question is: Is my engine stalling consistent with a bad fuel pump? I see other posts here that suggest fuel pump is not needed on these tractors. My gas tank is under the hood, so wouldn't gravity alone provide fuel flow???
I don't want to buy a new fuel pump if I don't need to.. but I'm also suspicious that the carb is faulty--or needs new gaskets...but I don't want to disassemble carb if I don't have to...HELP!!

THERE IS LOT OF THINGS YOU NEED TO CHECK BEFORE YOU START BUYING PARTS. ARE YOU SURE THE IGN. COIL IS NOT FAILING WHEN THE ENGINE GETS IT HOT. DID YOU TAKE FUEL LINE LOOSE AT CARB. TO CHECK FOR FUEL FLOW. NEXT TIME THE ENGINE DIES HAVE A SPARE SPARK PLUG HANDY AND PLUG RIGHT INTO PLUG WIRE AND TEST FOR FIRE. ALSO HAVE SOME STARTING FLUID HANDY AND SPRAY SOME IN CARB. TO SEE IF IT WILL START. TAKE GOOD CARE OF THAT OLD MACHINE. DON'T MAKE ANY LIKE THAT ANYMORE. JIMMY

Thanks Georgia. I am aware of the potential coil issue, but I haven't had a chance to check for a spark yet. I will do so next time it stalls.
Also, I have a new fuel filter, which I will probably install soon. The old one is of unknown age from previous owner. I will check for fuel flow into carb when I replace filter.

I will let you know what happens

If the pump is not working, check the vaccumn. If the reed valve for the crankcase vent breaks, or the spring that holds it down, there will be no vaccumn to operate the fuel pump. Also check the vac hose for leals, particuarly at the ends where they tend to get dog eared. If your coil primary wire is clip on, not held on with nut, that could cause an intermittent connection problem, and often it gets moved when we are looking for other problems, and starts to work again. At the age of these tractors, bolt it tight, don't trust the spring left in a 40 year old spring connector. As Georgia says, there are lots of variables for stalls. Good luck.

I should have said in the beginning that the fuel pump is not the normal vacuum type. Previous owner replaced it with a generic looking cylindrical electric pump about 3 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide.

I did get to specifically check for spark when the mower stalled. The spark was fine each time it stalled.

I replaced the fuel filter also. When I did (after the engine stalled) there was no forward flow of gas when the gas line was vertical--only flow was when the line was held towards ground (checked WHILE turning over engine). So I'm still pretty sure the fuel pump is bad BUT is this causing the stall or is it something else???

When you crank the engine with the fuel line off the carb, the fuel pump should dive a good geyser out of the line. When you hold the line down, you're only getting a siphon action. I've seen some of these work off siphon if you keep the tank full, and stay off hills. If there is no fuel moving, check the power going into the pump while cranking, but not if you just spilled a bunch of fuel from a removed line. If no power, you trace the line back to the source where it is tapped into the power source. Sounds like it may be the pump. Good luck, we are here if you need us.