Cleaning carb on a 95 1969

"Hello,

I just purchased a

"Hello,

I just purchased a Johnson 9.5 motor recently(model# 9R-69s). I had been told that it's a good running motor, but it's been sitting for several months. I've been pulling on it and can get it to backfire every now and then. I don't have a book and have never owned an outboard before. My question is, if the carb is gummed up how far do I tear the carb down to clean it. I'm hoping this is my problem. Also, The previous owner got rid of the points and put in electronic ignition, of which I also know nothing about.
One other thing is the nob is missing on the slow speed adjuster. I don't know what this does anyway.
Thanks"

"If you plan on working on thi

"If you plan on working on this motor yourself, a service manual, and a parts manual are things that you almost have to have. They may seem like a big expence, but they absolutely save time, money, and can prevent mistakes that can save your motor from the scrap heap. Just make sure you get manuals for your exact model motor(1969 9.5hp johnson/evinrude)
After that it's a matter of going through your motor and testing the systems that make it run. Testing the spark with some sort of device that shows how good the spark is. Compression has to be checked, if you dont have good even compression your motor has no chance of running well. The carburator is best served by a complete rebuild, this eliminates alot of problems which can lead you in a wrong direction.
Once your satified with the basic functions you can move on to other things like water pump, lower end oil/water problems that may or may not come up. Then move on to lesser things as the knob for the low speed adjustment."