Carburetor blocked 20444 mower was sitting long time . wax/ varnish in carburetor. cleaned so gas flows into bowl , bu its not getting up through carb. Is the bolt that holds the bowl on supposed to deliver gas though it up into the cavity below venturi? there are two holes up there. on e that goes traight up into the venturi, where dows the other go?

Briggs and Stratton correct?
Has the mower been sitting for any amount of time? This is typically a carburetor issue. Regular gas that sits in a carburetor for any length of time starts to turn into a wax like substance and clogs the small holes needed for the property amount of fuel to flow through.

If gasoline sits for a long time, it begins to turn to varnish. This might take only 6-12 months.
The varnish will clog up the small passages and jets in the carburetor.
You probably have new gas in the tank now, and the engine starts off of the new gas that you deliver by pressing the start button several times, but after that the gas needs to get through all those tiny passages. It won't. It needs cleaned out.

Not getting enough gas. Check your fuel filter or perhaps a gummed up carburetor. If you leave gas in unit over a period of time and it's in a warm garage, the gas will turn to a gummy varnish like goo. Will restrict gas getting through carburetor. Remove carburetor and then the bowl on the bottom of it and clean all parts with a can of carb spray. Put it back together and if all went well, it will now run as it should.

If mower has been put up for winter and old gas left in gas tank it will drain to carburetor and the float will stick. This will let the gas flow out the float bowl. Remove float bowl and use carburetor cleaner to clean the valves and move the float up and down when it you get it clean the gas should flow float down and turn off when pushed up.
B. J.

follow this steps and fix it. God bless you

Carburetor

If the lawn mower engine stops after a few seconds, the carburetor might be clogged or have bad fuel in the float bowl. If old fuel was left in the lawn mower for a long time some of the volatile ingredients may have evaporated, leaving a thicker, stickier product that is more like varnish or shellac. This sticky fuel can clog up the small jets and ports in the carburetor and it can be difficult to burn allowing the engine to only run for a few seconds. The only solution is to drain the old fuel from the float bowl and thoroughly clean the carburetor with carburetor cleaner. If that isn't effective, replace the entire carburetor.

Carburetor Kit

If the engine stops after a few seconds it may not be getting enough fuel. The engine needs air, fuel and spark to maintain operation. The carburetor has two inputs, fuel from the gas tank and air through the air filter. The carburetor is designed to mix the air and fuel in a consistent ratio so that the engine can run continuously. If the carburetor is not getting enough air or fuel, or if the fuel is blocked inside the carburetor the engine stops after a few seconds. Rebuild the carburetor with this carburetor kit.

Gas Cap

If the lawn mower engine stops after a few seconds and then stops running, the gas cap might be defective. All gas caps have a small vent to allow air back into the tank when the engine is running - otherwise as gas is drawn from the tank it would create a vacuum. The vent can be difficult to see and there are many different types of vent. If loosening the gas cap a little allows the engine to stay running, replace the gas cap. It's sometimes possible to clean the vent, but on most newer engines the vent cannot be cleaned, it should be replaced.

Gas Cap with Gauge

If the lawn mower engine stops after a few seconds and then stops running, the gas cap with gauge might be defective. All gas caps have a small vent to allow air back into the tank when the engine is running - otherwise as gas is drawn from the tank it would create a vacuum. The vent can be difficult to see and there are many different types of vent. If loosening the gas cap a little allows the engine to stay running, replace the gas cap. It's sometimes possible to clean the vent, but on most newer engines the vent cannot be cleaned, it has to be replaced.

Old or Bad Gasoline

If the lawn mower stops after a few seconds, the carburetor might be clogged or have old or bad fuel in the float bowl. If old fuel was left in the lawn mower for a long time some of the volatile ingredients may have evaporated, leaving a thicker, stickier product that is more like varnish or shellac. This old or bad fuel can clog up the small jets and ports in the carburetor and it can be difficult to burn allowing the engine to only run for a few seconds. The only solution is to drain the old or bad fuel from the float bowl and thoroughly clean the carburetor with carburetor cleaner. If that isn't effective, replace the entire carburetor.

Spark Plug

If the lawn mower engine stops after a few seconds the spark plug might be defective. All small engines have an ignition coil. The coil is the device that provides spark for the spark plug(s). If the coil is bad there won't be spark to the plug(s). The coil is essentially a small, induction generator. It is mounted next to the flywheel. The flywheel has one or more strong, embedded magnets. As the flywheel spins, the magnet(s) zip past the induction coil, this action of a magnet passing past a coil induces a voltage. Depending on the design of the coil and the strength of the magnets, a stronger or weaker spark can be created and delivered to the spark plug(s). Each time the flywheel spins around a spark is generated. The best way to test a spark plug is to use a spark plug tester. The spark plug should have a strong, visible spark between the electrodes when the engine is cranking. If it doesn't, replace it.

There are a few things to check 1 is water in the fuel the new ethanol gas has allot of moisture in it .If the mower has been sitting a long might need a carburetor rebuild kit. The spark plug could be fouled or the coil couldnt be getting spark . If it was an older mower it could have a points and contacts problem

Remove carb float bowl. Check float operation. Float down gas flow, float up no gas flow. Clean float bowl. Observe bowl screw, see if there is a hole or holes thru the screw. Clean out with thin wire, bread wrapper works peeled back about an inch. Use wire to clean out center port of carb. Remove mounting pin of float, remove float and meter needle, clean out port up thru carb with wire. Reassemble try to start. Prime at least 3 times, ensure primer bulb is not cracked, replace if cracked. Replace air filter if dirty. Replace spark plug once a year. Fill oil. 30w. Mowers now have a low oil cutoff.

The owners manual is here:
http://www.managemylife.com/mmh/lis_pdf/OWNM/L0090093.pdf
or here:
http://www.hammerwall.com/Download_Manual/38456

A mower that has sat unused for 2 years will have dried gas in the fuel system that will need to be cleaned out of the carburetor and fuel jets with carb cleaner. The bottom of the carb. will have to be removed to tidy / clean up the carb passages. It is important to spary carb cleaner in the threaded area of the float bowl nut as that is where the main fuel jet is located. You should check for good fuel flow from the tank to the carb while the float bowl is removed. Poor fuel flow with bowl removed can be a clogged fuel filter, or fuel tank exit port. This is not a hard task it is just you have to pay attention to where hardware attached along with the gaskets for that hardware.

Two more things you must do is to make sure that the engine is fully serviced with oil and that the safety handle bar is actually moving far enough to dis-engage the flywheel brake safety / ignition switch.

I am pretty sure with a little carb cleaning and fuel purging your mower will be fine. Fuel turns into shellac / varnish substance over a couple of years of sitting idle and you just need to get that cleaned out of the fuel system.

Thanks for choosing FixYa,
Kelly

In most cases it's not enough to just dump the gas out of the float bowl. The problem is that the gas has turned to varnish and varnish is sticky. It will put a nice coating over all the the interior of the carb. The only way to clean it is to dismantle it completely. This means removing the float bowl and float. Along with the needle.The important thing is that both the float and needle move freely and both the high and low idle screws are clean. Depending on the type of fuel filter you may also need to remove and clean it as well. If it is not an inline filter it most likely is located inside the tank. As long as your careful not to tear the float bowl gasket you shouldn't require a rebuild kit for the carb.
Hope this helps.

Mr. Fixit...excellent advisement...really appreciate it. It got my grass cut today. Big yard! Problem is, when I finished, now I have the same problem with it not running...what do you think: take the Toro to the junk yard or what? Thanks!