Intake rubbers are OK too & no fuel spills from the vents or in the case. But dang me for being so blind. At idle the mill was barely taching @1K. A little turn on the idle adjuster to a hair above the 1K rpm and whoeeeee! FIXED!

Ocham's razor strikes again, or Murphy's law whichever you prefer.

I'm guessing that vibration may have backed off the idle adjustment just enough to present itself as a fuel lean problem as Gregger mentioned. Anyone ever have the same experience..is this common?