Excellent, I'm glad we're all on the same page here then. Perhaps somewhere along the line someone has misinterpreted exactly what it is that I am attempting, namely repairing and returning to service a lawnmower that HAS been shoddily bodged and haywired together in the past. I have no intention of jury-rigging wires and springs (like the PO has apparently done) which is why I have patronised this fine forum in my attempts to repair it and get it running as well as can be expected for a lawnmower that is roughly 35 years old and has no signs of ever having been looked after.
I have purchased the B&S carburettor overhaul kit from outdoorking.com and based on the information I have gleaned from various sources believe that this should cure the issue nicely; I was hoping that the description of the symptoms and condition of the parts in my original post would make it easier for the experts here to have a stab at diagnosing the fault, I did not expect to be told pompously to go somewhere else for assistance....
