1996 88hp 88SPL - Will Not Throttle Up.

I have a 1996 88 SPL that was running like a champ earlier this spring.....now, I can get her started no problem, but when I throttle up, she seems to drop at least one cylinder. Also, when putting out of the harbor, after about 5 mins (when she has warmed up), she also seems to drop a cylinder.

I have chnaged the plugs, and checked the timing bushing (which didn't seem to be the problem to my novice eye)....also, the fact that the cylinders will be dropped while putting out without throttling up also leads me to think it may not be the timing.

Does this seem symptomatic of a power pack? or is it a fuel issue? I put in a bunch of clean fuel this spring, but also had some older fuel left in the tank.

Any insight greatly appreciated!!

Re: 1996 88 SPL - Will Not Throttle Up.

Upon some further online research, I think that the Power Pack is partly responsible for the timing, as you throttle up...Is that true?

I am trying to save the couple hundred bucks to bring this in for a pro to fix, but also don't want to spend the ~$80 on a power pack if it is a fool's errand...any thoughts?