[JayJay]

JBrewer posted, "PS: What happens if you shoot a little gas into the carb throat and then crank...does it fire or no?"

Matt Gonitzke posted: "If you had it running its probably not a compression or ignition issue. Make sure it is getting gas and that the carb is set right. Try 2 1/8 turns on the main jet and 1 3/4 on the idle."

I'll piggy-back on what JBrewer and Matt posted; if you had it running, what could have changed?

When fixing starting problems, one must focus on the essential fundamentals:

1. Compression
2. Fire
3. Fuel

The easiest way to eliminate or isolate ignition problems is to feed fuel directly into the carburetor, using either some gasoline, starter fluid, or carb cleaner (I use a short squirt of starter fluid). If it starts "on the juice" then the problem is fuel; if it doesn't start, there is an issue with the ignition.

Given your situation, if it doesn't respond to the starter fluid, I would again follow JBrewer's advice and "lay plug on the head and look and listen while you crank." If you can see spark, then (and only then) you know that the ignition system is working and the problem is the timing. But for the engine not to even start, when you've got a spark and have given it fuel, there would have to be a serious problem with the timing, I would think.

If you don't see a spark with the plug on the head, then you know to start investigating the ignition switch, grounds, condenser, coils, etc.

The main thing is to not let the fact that the engine is not starting throw you into a panic. Think carefully, logically, and completely what could cause the symptoms you're see, which ONE THING makes the most sense to try first, what you expect to see as a result, and try it. After you see the results, and account for them, you can move on to the next item on the list.

If all else fails, walk away from it; do something else, sleep on it and rising to a new day everything will become clear.