Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): Lawn Mower, brigs straton, craftsman lawn mower

Question
An elderly friend gave me a Craftsman Lawn Mower with a Brigs/Straton engine. Eager 1, 5hp. purchased in 1991, used a few times before husband's death. Serviced in 1995 when she thought a neighbor would cut her lawn. Neighbor didn't come through so mower has been sitting in the garage. Gas tank was empty, but oil was clean.  I put in a small amount of gas, primed the engine 6-8 times. When I pulled the starter cord, gas leaked out of the primer assembly and the air filter became saturated with gas. Did I over prime (the manual says 3pushes)? Do I have an obstruction in the gas line or carburetor problem?  Please advise. Thank you.  

Answer
Hello Paul,
If gas was leaking out of the air intake, then it is most likely that the carburetor is gummer with old fuel and debris. What you have to do is clean out the carb with something that looks like a wire pipe cleaner that is the smallest the <a href="http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=hardware&v=56">hardware</a> store has. Take appart the carburetor and run the wire in through ALL of the small holes in the carb. Then buy a can of compressed air and blow out all of the carb holes. 1 step further is to take plain gasoline and a plastic spoon and continuosly pour gas into the carb, this should remove all debris. Let me know how this works. All of the tools I mentioned can be found at a hardware store.