The carburetor is likely gummed up. I had that happen recently with my power washer afteritsat for the winter with gas in the tank. I ended up taking into small engine repair shop.

Small engines don't do well sitting without use

I'd recommend small engine repair. My fix cost only $63.

Not sure, long ago already. I remember that sometimes he'd soak car parts in gas to clean them. Thank you.

A two stroke engine mixes a specific amount of oil (it comes in small bottle) into the gasoline. A 4 stroke keeps the gas and oil separate as a car does.

If it’s 4 stroke, change the oil. If it still has gas in it, it may well have gummed up the carburetor. You’ll need to clean or rebuild the carb, and put fresh gas in it.

You may need to change the spark plug and air filter for either type of engine, and sharpen and balance the blade.

My husband did the maintenance on the mowers, and he was really good. I remember some of them he had to mix oil and gas, but not sure about this one. I appreciate your comments-that kind of thing is what I need to know about. If the local small engine shop is still open, I can check with them.

Thank you!

one for oil, and one for gas.

Or, you could take it to the small engine shop.

lol

I took a laptop apart last year to get the harddrive out and put it in a harddrive corral. That was my goal, but while I had the laptop apart, thought I might be able to repair it. Still in pieces

with a little maintenance, both should work fine (with 4-stroke machines being a bit easier to repair).

With any luck, you should be able to find a YouTube or other online guide to help you fix the mower with little effort/expense.

I'll take it to the shop. Talked to my daughter this evening, and mentioned it. She thinks they forgot about it. I told her I'd be glad to take it to be checked, and she said I shouldn't. I helped my husband on car repair, but never small motors. He'd tell me what the problem was and how he tracked it down, so I'm good with theory, but not practical

Is not a big one.

If it's not working, who wants it? If it is working, why sell it?

Diagnosing and fixing a small petrol engine is not really hard to do. Spark? Fuel? Air? and so on. IMO if you need the space, leave it out the front with a 'Free' sign on it.

Around here, used stuff is sought after. And mowers sell pretty fast. My daughter said they'd probably take this mower, and I'd sure like to see it gone.

should start with fresh gas and a clean air filter. If not, try using starting fluid spray.

My brother called gas 'the universal solvent'

flooded. Pull the sparkplug out and dry it off, then try starting it again. Sometimes these little motors can be difficult after sitting for a few years.

to whoever gets it. The last time I tried to start a mower, I didn't get past trying to pull the cord. lol