I just bought a house and there is a lawn mower there. I started it up and it worked fine going around the yard a couple of times, but then it stopped working, so I thought it just ran out of gas. I put gas in and it restarted fine but then after a few seconds it stopped again. The gas I put in it was old gas. Could that have ruined the engine? Would it be better just to get a whole new engine or should I try to fix this one?
Another thing I did was fill up the oil, however, it wouldn't fill up at all. After dumping about 1 1/2 quarts in it never filled up. I then noticed that the top of the mower was covered with oil. It looks like there's a leak where I fill the oil. Should I just get a new mower, or is it something simple? If it is simple then how should I fix it?

no, its not ruined. you can always fix a gas problem. just take the carb off, and spray it down real good with carb cleaner, inside and out.. just be sure not to lose any of the seals or gaskets inside.

as for the oil leaking problem, where exactly is it coming from?? is there a hole in the oil filler tube or is it leaking out of the engine block somewhere?

Thanks, I'll try that. I never could find where the oil was leaking. I'll check to see.

what kind of motor is it, or what kind of mower if you don't know that? tecumseh and briggs both are known for leaking o-rings at the filler tube/block junction. also you need to clean that carb reallly well, inside and out, as well as replacing the air filter and probably the plug.

Usually a oil filler tube has a O-Ring where it connects to the crankcase. If its leaking at the bottom of the tube you will need to replace the O-Ring. If your engine is stalling its because its not getting a spark , gas or air. check the spark by unscrewing the plug and holding it close to the engine while cranking it. To check the gas, your carburator should have a bleeder valve usually by the bowl section off to one side. to check if it not getting enough air take off the air filter and try running it for a short time that way.