Hi NormK,
Do you always experience that issue off the bat with every engine/replacement part? Or do you notice it over time? And to be clear, you're talking about when you're starting and when it first kicks you can't pull the starter anymore, it binds, as if the engine had no decompressor?
I recall a mower I picked up a while back, I can't remember which one or if/how I resolved what was wrong with it, but I recall that around the valve on the engine side there was a thin piece of wire wrapped around the stem, as to ensure the valve didn't fully close. It certainly wasn't a 24, but if I had to guess it might have been an old trick used to overcome the issue you're referring to?
Cheers,
pau13z
