Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): Another Lawn Mower Wont Start Question, briggs stratton engine, briggs stratton

Question
Hi,
We've got a push mower with a Briggs & Stratton engine.  The 1 year warranty just ran out about 2 weeks ago.  The other day, my husband was mowing the lawn for the 4th time this season and ran out of gas.  He filled the gas tank back up with fresh gas and then tried to start the mower.  It wouldn't start.  Thinking he flooded it, he left it for a couple of hours and tried again.  It still wouldn't turn over.  So we waited overnight, but got the same results. He cleaned some of the grass out of the engine area and checked the gas, the oil, the spark plug, and the air filter. Everything checked out.  Yet it still won't start.  Please help!  

Just in case this provides a small clue, it did turn over one time out of the hundred pulls or so we've used to try to start it over the past few days.  It lasted about 1 second before it died again.  It wouldn't start before or after that, and we hadn't done anything special to it...just one of the many tries!

The cost to take it to a repair shop around here is exorbitant (to us).  If you think it can't be fixed by us, please let us know how many hours you think it should take to fix it at a shop.  Perhaps it would be cheaper to buy a whole new one (it would be the third brand new mower in 3 years unfortunately).  

Answer
Hi Trinity,

I suspect that dirt from the tank got into the carb, when the fuel ran out.

You will need to determine if the problem is a lack of spark or a lack of fuel flow.  Remove the spark plug, reconnect the wire and lay the plug against the engine head.  Pull the engine over and watch for spark at the plug's electrode.

If good, then try to start it while squirting fuel or starting fluid into the carb intake.  If it starts and you can keep it running by adding fuel, then the carb most likely has dirt, debris or gummed fuel inside.
You will need to remove the carb, disassemble it, clean all the small internal openings and blow it out with compressed air.   Probe each and every hole with a small wire.   A carb rebuild kit wouldn't hurt either.  

To have this done by a shop might take 2 hours at their rate, which may be $50/hour.

Let me know how you make out.
Michael