I have an engine that was running perfectly three months ago. I crashed the plane it was in and the plane and engine has been sitting for those three months. I repaired the plane and tried to start the engine, but it is so rich it will not start. The needles have not been moved, but fuel gushes up through the carb and spews out all over the place. It looks like Old Faithful. This is an OS .46LA which has an air bleed carb, but it was running beautifully before the crash. Anyone have any ideas? I'm at a loss.

If the fuel tank was re-installed with the tank stopper higher than the carb then gravity will pull fuel down the line and flood the carb.

Nope, the stopper is actually about 1/2 inch lower than the needle valve.

There isn't anything stuck in the muffler that could be blocking the outlet is there? Heard of a similar situation where the carb spewed a lot of fuel and the engine wouldn't start. Part of a cotton towel was lodged in the inside of the muffler blocking the outlet. The owner plugged the exhaust so it wouldn't leak while the engine was sitting and the guy trying to run it (not the owner) couldn't get it to run because the exhaust was plugged. Once unplugged, it ran fine.

Next check the air bleed screw and try opening it a bit. Also check the bleed hole and make sure it's not blocked from the crash.

Was it a nose first crash? Any cracks around the carb where it goes in the crankcase?

Put it on a test stand so that you can see what is going on, it is usually much easier.

The fuel should not siphon to the carb and flood the engine, and the needles are there to be tune on for a correct fuel to air ratio.

Well, guys, I found the problem and it was such a stupid thing that I was doing. I had the plane in a cradle atop a field box. The U shaped portion of the cradle has foam covering around it and I was pushing the plane back when applying the starter so that the outlet of the muffler was pressing into the foam causing the problem. When I finally realized what was wrong, I simply moved the plane forward a few inches and all is well.

Another gotcha to remember for future engine problems.

HA ! Sometimes the simplest thing .

You have to remember them all!