on an engine that old,id replace pointsand condenser,rebuild the carb
,check flywheel key to see if sheared and snug up all the bolts. lucas

http://www.minibite.com/america/malone.htm

I think i gummed up the carb.
When I ran out of gas, I put the rest of the gas in from my 5 gallon
plastic tank that was filled two years ago. I ran it dry again and the
mower has sputtered since.

I did not pour gas into the intake by accident.. I accidently poured in in
the mesh area which was just the recoil area for the hand starter.

I changed air filter and plug. I will put some stabil in and see if that
will solve my gummed up carb issue.