Fixed!!!
Now starts beautifully 1st pull. To cut a long story short I stuck the plug (Non champion) in from my old mower and off she went.
If you want the long story :
Pulled covers off and recleaned float and needle in carb;
Cleaned earth contact;
Cleaned fuel tank, line and filter, added fresh petrol mixed at 25:1;
Checked back of carb to ensure cable pull was seated correct and doing its thing;
Put together and could not get started.
Read some forums a bit more and got worried about compression. Tried cap full of fuel down spark plug hole and no joy. More worried about compression...Removed plug, checked spark. Did basic compression test by trying to hold my finger over plug hole. Pulled cord many times to see that fuel would build up on my finger to ensure fuel line was working - it did.
Went to old mower to get plug and was about to pull cowling off to stick plug in decompression valve hole etc and also test without muffler, when I thought to my self before doing all of the above quickly test with different plug. It appeared to be a better spark with the blue colour I have read about mentioned here and what do you know... First pull. Don't even have to pull that hard actually. Very happy.
If anybody has read this far - I have a couple of other questions.
1. if you left plug connected but sitting near exit of plug hole and pulled cord a number of times would a little ignition happen or does it required the compressed space with in the cylinder;
2. I put some new blades on but when I got home I discovered they are 10mm short - turns out they are for a ute with a bar and not disk. Is this an issue?
Thanks Bob for bothering to help a bumbling office worker who likes to play home mech
