Assuming it has been sitting with gas in it...I would drain out all of the gas, clean out the fuel bowl on the carb and make sure the carb jet is not clogged. Change the oil and install a new sprak plug (assuming you have spark) and a new air filter.

If it does not run after that, you will need to look more closely at the system that is not operating correctly.

Good luck!

Add the Best Concentrated Fuel Cleaner you can find and let it sit for a hour . Then Attempt to start and keep it running until the cleaner does your work for you ! You people really have to get a grip on basic small engine maintenance 101 lol . Get some Stabil to if you intend to store you gas engines with fuel for prolonged periods "Pass it On !"

I got it from a friend, and hadn't needed to use it. The gas tank is completely empty, so it was empty to begin with or evaporated out. I'm having trouble finding the dam air filter though. >:(

Thanks for your help. If any of you know about the service manual I sure could use it. Thanks.

Hopefully this link still works-

Here is a link that might be useful: Tecumseh 4 cycle service manual

looks like cpdonline is offline. lol

I saw that link in another thread and got my hopes up, but the site is gone. :(

Yours has the snap off carb bowl. What I like to do on these is get all the old fuel out of the tank and lines. Remove the screw in the front of the bowl and flush some fresh fuel through. I try to be less invasive on these, cause I have pulled them and then needed to put the new bowl kit on. My Tecumseh distributor has been out of them for months as Tec is gone. the part # is 730637A and I see you can still find them online if needed. To remove the bowl, you just snap the wire clip towards you with a screwdriver and pull the bowl down- leaving the carb on the machine.

Tree: Since your having a Hard Time Locating the Air Filter , Nix on the Dismantling of anything ! Just follow my advice on Adding a Dose of Concentrated Fuel Cleaner to Fresh Fuel . Give it some time .

P.S. If this does not work , get adventurous per Tom's suggestion . Note the Air Cleaner is upstream of the Carb in a canister (air box) .

I guess it looks like I'll have to get a carb kit. When I put gas in it, the fuel started leaking out from the carb, between the upper section and the lower bowl. Hopefully the carb kit has that gasket in it

Now I've gone and messed up the primer gasket. What can I use as a replacement? The RTV tube says it's not recommended for parts in contact with gasoline.

I would just order one from Sears Parts online, although you may end up buying a rebuild kit.

I'm going to try some gasket material from autozone and cut some myself. It seems like the relevant hole in both gaskets ive seen are just a hair too big for an exact fit. I'll see how precise I can be with a drill.

Thew bowl kit comes w/ the primer kit too.

It comes with the gasket, and the gasket got messed up when putting the parts together.