1985 Evinrude 150XP Problems (Again)

I've got another thread on this motor but this is a different problem and I wanted you all to see it. The motor runs (With the exception of a miss) pretty good out of water and in. It will go in gear (forward & reverse) good out of water. I took it to the lake today, started fine, had to set the idle a little, put it in gear and it shut off, several times. The only way I could get it to actually run was to lift the motor out of the water, shift into drive then lower it back into the water. It spit and sputtered for awhile then it started to pick up and when it did it ran fine til I would start coming back out of it, the miss started back again and the spitting and sputtering...any ideas what could be causing these new problems? I'm so frustrated right now that I could almost stab holes in it, take it back to the lake and watch it sink Lol.

I'm not begging but this boat is kind of important to me because it involves my son getting to do something I never did as a kid. He is on a Bass Fishing team at his High School and I really want/need to take him on these tournaments so ANY info that can be given will be greatly appreciated.

Report the results of a compression test !

Where you located? If within trailering distance to 32754, bring it over.
We will get him fishing pronto.

Checked the compression (with an older gauge) and all 6 pushed out a 30, with and without the plugs. Didn't know which way to check them so we did both. My brother noticed that I have a leaking head gasket so that's one thing that will definitely need to be taken care of. Coil packs, 3 where firing, 3 were not but the other day they were all firing. Lol, I'm to far away for a road trip but I appreciate the offer.

Bought a spark checker today, all coils are showing a very nice spark...not sure where to go from here.

Open all your carb drain screws check for gas, change head gasket
Steve

Checked compression again with a new gauge, all 6 came out at around 80 but I was told to check them with the engine at normal operating temp and WOT, which I didn't do. Gasket came in today so I'll be changing it as soon as the weather breaks. All drain screws leaked gas when opened. Also, I checked the spark at 7/16 gap which is something else I was told, no spark at that gap but I can get down to around 1/4 and I get spark.

No need to open throttles on a 2 stroke like yours for a compression test !-------Slow cranking may be the cause of poor spark and " low " compression readings.

My battery is fully charged and turns the motor pretty fast. I did notice a kinked hose which in the parts diagram here is #18 PULSE HOSE Part #0333385 on this page: http://www.marineengine.com/parts/j...STLCOH&manufacturer=Evinrude&section=Vro+Pump Would this have anything to do with the running of it? I haven't tried to undo it because I figured why fix it if that's not what is wrong...I'm going to look around for maybe an elbow fitting that I can put there and get rid of the hose in between.

So, I've been reading post after post here and other forums trying to figure this out, I came across one that has lead me to think this engine has more problems than what it is worth. On top of the problems it already has, I think I found another...I was gonna attempt a "Link&Sync" and from what I have read, the advance is supposed to slide forward to the rubber stop on the end of the adjustable screw...correct? If yes, then mine is not doing this, even at full throttle the advance only moves to about half way. I's not the arm, I disconnected it and it moves freely. The advance is very hard to move by hand. Any thoughts on this new problem or is it something I don't need to worry about?

As I was looking through the parts list on this motor I noticed something was missing in the carbs. It's the retainer clip that is attached to the needle/float. Is this a needed part or is it ok to run without it?