Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): B&S 5.5 HP OHV Carb problems, rear tine tiller, rubber gasket

Question
Hello,
Here is the deal, I found a rear tine tiller on the side of the road, crazy what people will throw away.  I got the crankshaft to turn, cleaned out the fuel tank, cleaned the carb - no soaking - so I got the thing running which was great.  It ran pretty good for about 15 minutes, I put it away for the night, got a new belt for the transmission/pto and when I went to start it again to  verify that the transmission and tines work properly it would not run.  So I pulled the carb again and really cleaned it this time, some small wires etc. - but still no soaking.  Put it all back together and it is not getting much fuel to the spark plug.  The fuel line from the tank to the carb is clear, fuel runs freely when valve at tank is turned on.  Seems like when I blow on the carb everything has air moving through it.  It seems like there is not enough fuel getting into the bowl once everything is put back together.  Is it possible that I jimmied the bowl when taking it on and off and now the float will not drop enough to allow fuel to fill the bowl?  If so would a rebuild kit fix this?  Also, if I get a rebuild kit how would I get the small rubber gasket out of the  float needle seat?  If I soak this whole mess is it okay for that rubber gasket in the float needle seat to stay in place?  Here are the numbers off the engine - 120302-0213-E1.  I am not opposed to getting it tuned up at a small engine shop but I would really like to get it running to verify that the transmission is all good, I'd hate to pay for the tune up and then have the transmission not work properly.  Sorry for the length but I wanted to let you know what I have tried to eliminate thus far.

Answer
Have you checked the valve clearance?  Can you get the engine to run if you hold your hand over the carburetor throat opening?  You will proablaly have to open/close the carb throat to keep the engine running.  

Valve service link:

http://engines.myfaqcenter.com/Answer.aspx?p_faqid=3441&body_0$tbKeyword=valve

BTW, that is a cool find!

Eric