Mower deck LX176 Mower wont work

[Zombiehunter]

Hi guys first time poster here. I recently came into the posession of a LX176 mower with 38inch cutting deck. It worked good for me last summer up until the last mow of the year and then the mower stopped while it was running and wont turn back on. I had prior issues with it where i would pull the knob out to engage mower and I would have to lower the idle on it and then give it full throttle abruptly for the mower to engage ( it did it on a fairly regular basis ) but it always worked so i didn't worry about it too much. ( It was a free mower i found at end of guys driveway i really can't complain. ) Any input would be greatly appreciated, Im not a mechanic by any means but i can do most things on my own or hopefully with help of you guys! Thanks for any responses

Rob