None of what you have done will cause or cure kickback. Is the blade fitted to the machine- if not re-fit it and try again. The blade acts as a flywheel so it needs to be fitted. Is the blade loose? If so, tighten it. Is the engine oil at the correct level? If overfilled this will cause kickback. Have you hit something with the mower hard recently? Is so, you could have bent the crankshaft (the shaft the blade attaches to) or you may have fractured the alloy flywheel locating key on the top end of the crank- this can cause the flywheel to move slightly and thus alter the timing causing kickback.
pleasant
April 2011