Just an update since I didn't get any replies... I put some Isopropyl Alcohol in a spray bottle and squirted it in all the locations on the carb that I had mentioned in my previous post. I then blew everything out with a blower attachment on my air compressor. Reassembled everything, put in fresh fuel and the mower started up on the first pull! Must have been a piece of dirt or something else lodged restricting the flow of fuel, that the air blasted out. Man am I pretty happy to get this thing up and running again and am glad I've learned a little bit about how these mowers are put together. Next up is to tune up my weed eater!
Can you recommend a good carb cleaner and the best way to effectively apply it into the carb, or is disassembling the carb completely and cleaning it all out my only option?
Thanks for the response! I tried this and the engine actually did turn over and ran for a couple seconds before cutting out again. How do I go about adjusting the auto choke?