You should be observant of the oil condition and level. The carb is a good place to start, but you will find the parts not always in stock and pricey enough for what they are.

Thanks for the suggestion - I've been keeping an eye on the dipstick. If I see the level going up, that I think would indicate that fuel is getting into the crankcase oil?

Is there a level that I want the fuel to come to in the bowl? If I take off the top of the carb to check out the needle and its seat, I just want to be sure that I am getting the right fuel level in the bowl before I go to the work of buttoning everything back up, airbox back on, etc.

See image below

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Thanks! Is it likely that I'd change the float level just by taking the carb apart to clean the needle and seat?

Only if you had something "stuck" that caused the operating tang on the float to bend. But, a very worn out needle and seat can leak despite the float setting. Also, a very worn needle and seat can actually cause the "effective float height" to rise slightly, and this can result in a higher fuel level in the bowl. Whether that slight rise of fuel level would be enough to cause it to spit fuel is not something you could count on. But any increase of the fuel level in the bowl makes it easier for venturi vacuum to draw fuel out of the bowl.

I opened it up today - The fuel level in the bowl was definitely too high or maybe the needle was just somehow jiggled into a bad position in during transit or something. I cleaned up the outside a little bit, drained the bowl and gave everything a good spray with carburetor cleaner and compressed air. Then I replaced the needle, adjusted the float and replaced the gasket that joins the two halves of the carb. So far it seems ok. I only had enough time to get it torn down, replace the parts and test start it and run it in place for a while. So far, so good. I may do some mowing tomorrow.

The rubber on the old needle is definitely not as supple as the new one.

I set the float level so that the float was level with the top surface of the carbureter. Prior to that, the fuel was close to filling the entire bottom half of the carb.

Thanks for all the tips! I hope it runs OK tomorrow.