More likely, you are not properly priming your engine before starting. Typical signs of a dying or dead engine are: It gets harder and harder to tune...especially when the engine gets warm. Due to the lack of compression, the mixture leans out and simply won't suck the mixture through the carb properly. This can make it seem like it is always lean - and it can also run very hot. The further it is gone, the less improvement tuning will make. Also, you will notice that there is less "pop" when you crank it over and less power in general.