"She sat in a cold, damp garage all winter". Was that with or without gas in the carb??
Mike

Carburetor cleaning is in order. See this link.

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/lmower/msg061726346162.html

Thanks guys. I suspected as much. Dropped some gas in the carb throat and she fired right up, also. I'm thinking a stuck needle valve in the float bowl, perhaps. A good cleaning and a carb rebuild kit is in order. And yes, It was stored with gas in it. Duh! I was told that gas with all the ethanol in it, is not good on small engines, and tends to leave a film on everything.