I have a 1973 Ariens 7 hp, 22" two stage in fairly good shape. Last year it had a new carburator and it has been running great and then just stopped running great. There is no throttle control, it is running at a low RPM speed and will not responf to the speed control, except to shut down. The cables are moving up top coming out of the speed selection lever and I can see the cable responding at the end of the cable where it connects to the carburator. I would really like to fix this if it is something I can adjust. The small engine repair shops are busy now and do not want to work on this old machine, would really appreciate any help anyone can offer. Thank you, Steven Perlman

Check the butterfly on the carb where the cable goes make sure its moving.
If it has a choke make sure its opening after starting.
Luck

Thank you DG, I will plan to try and check both of those things tomorrow. WizardSmp