I had a problem starting my JD 165 after doing the same things you have described. I ended up taking it to my mechanic and he noted that it had significantly reduced compression. I don't know the hours it had on it, but since it is a 1988, I'm sure it was in the hundreds. You might want to see if your unit's compression. Let us know if you get it running, or if you find out what the problem is. Good luck.