Mine is a Poulan 55 with Side Discharge Mulch Front Wheel Drive SelfPropelled Lawn Mower With High Rear Wheels it has a 5.5 Briggs and Stratton the problem is when I try to start it I push the prime button 3 times and try to start it, the engine kicks over for a few seconds and then stops could this be a fuel issue?

The carburetor could have some water inside of it. At the bottom of the carburetor there is a nut, you can remove this nut with a 1/2 inch wrench or a socket. It is usually easier with a 12 pt socket. I would clamp the fuel hose to keep extra fuel from going through the carburetor when you take out the nut. Now take the nut loose and the fuel bowl that the nut was holding onto the carburetor should be loose enough to come off. Keep the bowl steady as you lower it down and you should be able to see fuel on top and if there is water in the carburetor bowl it will be on the bottom of the bowl. It is usually darker than the fuel and is easy to detect. If you find water in the carburetor bowl then I would do a visual check on the bottom of the carburetor to see if there is any corrosion from the water being inside of the carburetor. The usual color of the bottom of the carburetor is a dull grey color. If it is white, or if there is a "milky" color to the fuel in the bowl the carburetor could be ruined. If there is no corrosion, but there is water in the fuel bowl I would remove the rest of the fuel from the fuel tank and clean the fuel bowl before putting it back on. Add some fresh fuel (from a gas station) not from the gas can, unless you have recently gotten fresh fuel (30 days or less). The unit should now run correctly after being primed.