Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): Lawnmower Engine, briggs stratton engine, briggs stratton

Question
Mr. Jones,
My Briggs & Stratton engine would not start after running out of gas.  It seemed like it was not getting a spark.  In my effort to see if there was a spark being generated, I disconnected the wire from the sparkplug and held it about 1/4" from the plug.  To my surprise the engine started and ran fine.  However, when I connected the wire directly to the sparkplug the lawnmower exhibited the same non-starting phenomena.
Any ideas?

Answer
Very, very weird!

Have you tried replacing the spark plug?  Maybe the electrode gap is carboned up or the plug is not grounding correctly.
How old is the mower? It's possible that the spark plug wire has a hole in the insulation and the spark is grounding againt the engine housing.  When you moved the wire you may have moved it far enough away from the metal housing so it's not shorting out.
Did you remove the plug?
Let me know.
Eric