I have a John Deere Stx38, and as stated I seem to have a problem with my motor. I just started to mow my yard, and a piece attached near where the grass is thrown was bent in and caught my blade (throwing sparks like crazy) I disengaged my blades and turned the mower off and now my mower engine has gone from strong to sputtering and it sputters black smoke at that. I bent the piece that caught the blade out of the way, does anyone have a solution for getting my motor back up to speed? Any help/suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Hi,
With black smoke, the indication is that it is running rich, getting too much fuel mixed with the air. Could be a stuck choke, clogged air filter (quite likely if tilted and gas/oil contaminated) or anything that would interfere with the carburetion.
Peace,
Clarke