I don't recall working on the carb of this model before, but you said in your OP that you replaced the carb. Since the choke doesn't work at all, I would look for something that you might have overlooked when you replaced the carb.

"My starter rope pulls and retracts OK but dosen't seem to engage the flywheel to turn the engine over." When you say it doesn't seem to engage to flywheel I'm not sure what you are describing. Does the engine rotate when the rope is pulled?

Hey, Saxman, speaking of automobiles, I am so old that I remember thinking that it was a very bad idea when, just before World War II they quite putting the receptacle for hand cranks on cars. With the arthritis I am beginning to have in my shoulders and wrists, my next lawnmower, if I ever get another one, will probably be an electric start. With the electric start feature, you would not necessarily need a blade brake clutch feature, which I have never had on a mower anyway. My present lawnmower, which is equipped with one of those Honda 160 GCV engines, was purchased in 2000, and has been used between 55 and 65 hours a year. I use it year round, cleaning up leaves, etc. during the winter months. I just changed the oil last month, at the 55 hour mark on the hour meter. It has never used any oil in a one year oil change interval, using Mobil 1 5W30 oil, for the last six and a half years. It is a Sears Craftsman mower, with front wheel drive, and other things besides the engine have required some maintenance. I have replaced all four wheels; the two rear wheels split apart, and the two front wheels wore off smooth and lost traction. About the same time I was replacing the wheels, the transmission wore out. I replaced it, $75, with the current replacement design which looked different, but the attachment points were the same and it works just fine. While I had it apart, I also replaced the drive belt. In the past, I would have thrown out a mower that required these repairs, but I am retired now, and have plenty of time to work on my OPE. I want to see just how long this consumer grade Honda engine will last, given once a year oil changes.

Yes. Honda will sell you one.