Push-behind lawn mowers - Craftsman "Eager-1" would not start

Sears Craftsman "Eager-1" 22" 6.5 hp model 377270
reported to be running at accquisition. i replaced plug & gapped to .30mm (other info says .03..

Sears Craftsman "Eager-1" 22" 6.5 hp model 377270
reported to be running at accquisition. i replaced plug & gapped to .30mm (other info says .03, but that can't be right, too thin??)
mower has new air filter, and gas and oil levels are ok. pull cord turns
wheel but nothing else happens. can't find user manual, don't want to go further "blind".
I used to work on my '60s cars and i have all the tools, so maybe you can walk me thru what to check next.
thanks!

Your spark plug needs to be gapped to .025 - .030". Do you know if you are getting spark when you pull the rope? Take a look at the cable that runs from the handle to the motor. Is this cable moving freely or is it slack or seized? When you pull the rope does it feel like there is some compression?
Regards,
Gil.

Thanks Gil-
I'll go regap the plug. So far it hasn't felt like i'm getting spark. I'll check the cable too.
For my benefit, could you please describe what you mean by compression in terms of
my "experience" of it? Description of internal functions will help too.

The cable does want to slack. I did notice that when the deadman is released, the lever
on the side of the engine does not return to the full opposite position. I have to push it.

Hi Kathereid,
Ok. If that cable is not pulling the lever all the way back it might be that the engine kill switch is not disengaging. This will cause the motor to have no spark. Remove one end of the cable from the motor and try moving the cable in and out of the cable cover by hand. It should move through the housing without any trouble. If it is stiff the best thing to do would be to replace the cable although it may be possible to free it up with some penetrating oil. Another possibility is that the cable has stretched and is now too long to pull the lever back all the way. This would also mean replacing the cable.
There should be a craftsman model number on a tag on the mower deck somewhere at the back. If you let me have the number I can give you a part number for the cable you will need to replace. There may also be a number stamped into the cable housing.
If the cable is the problem (it could well be with the age of the mower) then lack of compression is probably not an issue. Compression is the term used to describe what happens when the piston moves up in the cylinder and compresses the fuel/air mixture in the cylinder space. As the fuel / air mix is compressed to the fullest extent the spark plug fires and causes the mixture to ignite. The ignition causes the gases in the cylinder to expand and this pushes the piston back down. Compression is "felt" when you pull the rope as a resistance. If there is no resistance to pulling the rope that would mean that the motor has a lack of or reduced amount of compression.

guess what-
i could tell by the shape of the cable that it seemed to be intended to wrap around a peg
on its way to the engine, something i missed when i unfolded the handle and set it up.
wrapping it there tightened the cable nicely, and does improve the position of the lever.
what you described (dead not disengaged) would make perfect sense with the way it's
been acting, but i JUST PULLED OUT THE STARTER CORD. Arghhhhh!
thanks for the compression explanation by the way, i think i'm ok there.
I have a feeling it will work when i replace it, (the cord) i guess the cover should be easy to remove.
I am happy to accept your answer now and let you go, and get paid. Any final advice about replacing the cord ?
Thanks very much for your top-knotch help!
Kathe.

Well, I'm glad you found the cable problem and I hope that fixes everything for you.
The pull rope has a habit of breaking or pulling out just at the most inconvenient time. Did the rope break or is the rope now just hanging out?
Replacing the rope is a bit fiddley if you aren't used to it. If the rope has broken then you will need to get a new rope from a repair shop - probably a #5 rope. You will have to re-tension the spring which is located up under the pulley that the rope goes onto. Remove the old rope from the pulley. Now turn the pulley in the direction in which the pulley would turn if you were pulling on the rope. (Does that make sense???) Keep turning the pulley (you will feel the spring getting tighter) until it doesn't seem to want to turn any more. At this point the spring will be as tight as it will get. DONT FORCE IT TOO TIGHT OR IT WILL BREAK. Turn the pulley back at least one full turn until the hole in the housing lines up with the hole in the pulley which the rope goes through. Now, push a slim screwdriver down between the "arms" of the pulley and the supports on the metal housing that it is in. The screwdriver will prevent the pulley from springing back and releasing the tension. Thread your rope from the outside through the hole in the housing, into the pulley and through the hole into the center of the pulley. Now tie a double knot in the rope and make sure it is tight. Hold the pulley with your hand so it won't move and remove the screwdriver. Gently let the pulley rewind back on the spring tension. Don't let go of the pulley all together as you don't want the spring to snap back suddenly. As the spring rewinds the pulley it will pull the rope onto the pulley with it.