Craftsman lawn mower don't start

I have a Craftsman lawn mower that does not start anymore. Any suggestion is much appreciated.

 

Does it have spark? Does it have compression?

 

What do you mean by spark and compression? Despite who many times I pull than thing, it just won't start. Where do I look for spark and compression?

 

Is it getting gas?? Gotta start with basics like Cheese is saying. Does it have spark? Pull spark pluck and lay it on metal that will ground it out and see if you have spark. Compression, does it pull over as it did before when it was running? There is a tool out in the world called a compression gauge and you screw it into the spark plug hole and pull engine over as if your were starting it and do it 3 times and see what the gauge messures. If all this is greek to you take it to a repair shop.

 

Without buying any tools and to simply check for compression, just pull it slowly and if it has a fair amount of resistance, it has good compression but if it is very easy to pull over, the motor will never start with such a low amount of compression. To check for spark, take the spark plug out and stick it in the end of the spark plug wire and touch it to the cooling fins while someone else holds down the deadman switch and pull the motor over. If a small blue spark shows up at the end of the spark plug, it should be good. How old is the fuel in the tank? If it is more than 3 months old, you will never be able to start it and it would most likely now be a fuel problem. Try putting new fuel in after checking for spark and compression. If it still doesn't start, I would take the carburetor off and take it apart and see what the insides look like and see if there is any gunk built up on the parts such as the bottom of the carb and on the needle.