Evenrude 88 spl shifting and low idle

"Hello
I bought my boat abo

"Hello
I bought my boat about a month ago (starcraft with evenrude 88 spl) and I am happy with it except for two things.one is at idle it shuts off and second, I have to shift the lever exsivly to engage both in forward and reverse. I would like to know if there is a adjustment to fix my problems? Thank you"

"Luis.... I don't know wha

"Luis.... I don't know what you mean by needing to shift excessively. When shifting, it is highly recommended that you snap the unit into gear. Shifting slsowly causes wear on the shifter dog and gear shifter lobes. Please explain in detail what you mean about this problem.

Having the engine shut down at idle indicates a problem.

What is the compression readings of each cylinder? With the spark plugs removed, the spark should jump a 7/16" gap with a strong blue lightning like flame..... a real SNAP! Does it? What is the model number of that engine?

When all is well with the engine, on a flushette, a 20" shaft model should idle at 1000 rpm, a 25" shaft model at 1200 rpm.

Spark plugs should be Champion QL77JC4 plugs gapped at either .030 or .040, your choice."

"Joe thank you for responding.

"Joe thank you for responding. This is my first boat so ill try to do my best to explain. The engine runs good opened up or at slow trolling speeds. But when Im menuvering the boat foward and backward (trailering, docking)it stalls if I dont shift very fast about 60 degrees each way. If im just at idle I have to have the lever which I think is the choke or it stalls. When the engine is warm it stays on at idle for a little while longer before it stalls. Im gonna change the spark plugs see how it works. Which gap do you prefer? How do I find out what model it is? Thanks again."

"Identification plates may be

"Identification plates may be in various areas. The most common place is a small plate on the port (left) transom bracket (bkt that bolts to boat). A later model may have a heavy duty decal at the top rear portion ofthe swivel bracket (bkt that the engine swivels in), between the swivel bracket and the long exhaust housing. There may also be a core plug (Looks like a small quarter size freeze out plug) on the powerhead with the model and serial number imprinted in it.

The idle problem. Get back to me with the compression and spark readings. Copmpression should be approximately 100+ psi and even on all cylinders. If all is well in both of these areas, the most common problem is that the carburetors are somewhat fouled, in which case, they would require removing, cleaning, and rebuilding using complete carburetor kits.

Let us know what you find."