Exhausted all ideas, still not cranking

[erikv11]

No, lawn mower syndrome will not heal by itself. I would definitely check that out, especially since the post said "almost started a few times."

You floor the pedal (throttle wide open), then crank for way too long (like a minute or more) until it chokes and coughs and starts. Alternatively, put a teaspoon of oil in each cylinder then do the same, it should start pretty quickly.