It's actually quite normal to need a damper in winter. That's to change the oil\/gas mix. It wouldn't be normal to play in the summer. You need to see if the carburetor is blocked...
First gear forward. I'll show you a way. If your car is cycling in fourth gear, you can put it in fourth gear first (top, step back), then put it in first gear and start again... See if you can... Have time to fine-tune the gearbox...