I have never been one for the touch and feel system. It is nice to warm the engine slightly and use feeler gauges to spec when possible. The measurements are as fine as 10mm to 15mm. If it were the procedure to set the two exhaust valves by perception then the factory would not need to waste money on micrometers or feelers.

If you could start and run the engine with starter fluid then the problem was in the fuel delivery, not the valves.

If you turn off the gas and remove the carb bowl you may have some dirt or water trapped in the bottom.