Seals or boots at the base of the carb can crack over time leaning the engine out. This will result in a lean mixture burning the engine down. Once you have it running, a quick way to check for vacuum leaks to take a unlit propane torch and wave it around the suspect area. The engine will pull the gas in and then speed up. It being a fan simplified the cooling system, but that engine is intended to be cooled with 30 degree air. Not sure how well it will cool when it's 70 or hotter out.
As for your starting problem, I'd first check for spark and then tear the carb down and rebuild it. The ethanol is **** on these engines and I'm having to rebuild our carbs every year.