1977 85 hp 4 cyl evinrude 85799S problems at idle and low speed

So the engine was running fine first let me run down whats all been looked at and replaced , it has a new timer base new stator , all new coil packs, new power pack , new rectifier, all the gaskets on the head have been replaced , the carbs have been gone through and cleaned several times, it has good compression on all cylinders , has good spark on all cylinders , have replaced plugs multiple times, new gas tank and primer bulb , new oem fuel pump timing has been checked and correct and link and sync has been done and there may be some things I am forgetting .....now here is my problem , at idle or low speed its sounds like a cylinder or maybe two are dropping and picking up constantly, sometimes enough to stop the engine all together. I am at a complete loss , the only part of the ignition system I have not replaced is the control box , I am wondering if there is some safety feature where it only runs on two cylinders in low speed? I have all the manuals nothing states anything of the sort , could the key switch do this? I'm about to pull my hair out

Obviously it is NOT a carburetor problem if they have been cleaned several times.----------It was not a sparkplug problem either.-----Lots of new electronic parts too and they were not the magic cure.----So stop throwing parts at it !!--------Answer some questions.------Does spark jump a gap of 7/16" or more on all leads ?----Have you checked the reed valves ??----Have you taken the high speed jets out of the BOTTOM of the carburetor bowls , yes or no ??---And post your compression numbers here.

Yes each cylinder has at least a 7/16ths jump, i have taken the set jets out of the carbs and thoroughly within the last month , I did check the Reed valves with a gap tool and they seemed to be fine , and compression is 110 on 1 3 4 , and 115 on 2 ,it runs great at w.o.t , I do have an entire reed block assembly that came off the exact same engine that i could swap out...... it is almost like it backfires , I thought maybe it was a fuel issue so I was trying to screw with the primer bulb and it did its "missfire" or backfire and you could feel fuel or air our whatever tense the bulb up, i disconnected the ignition from the power pack with no change

Its also really hard to start when cold usually have to use starting fluid, will change the reeds this week, see if if it helps any , if anyone has any other suggestions. It would be much appreciated.

So i got off the jobsite early today, was able to get to the reeds , they all seemed to be in great condition compared to the other block I have , there was one set that I could see a little bit of light through so I replaced that set , also the bolts to it were kinda on the loose side , but when the wife gets home ill take it out again to see if there is any difference

So got it out on the lake , at first thing wouldn't want to start at all , wouldn't get above 500 rpms , so i manually throttled it for a while, and right back to the same stuff. At low speeds it is constantly losing and gaining power like pistons are coming and going, and at idle it will pretty much kill itself with the "backfire" sometimes it will regain itself and come back most times it won't, but it will run great and forever at w.o.t , im to the point where either im really stupid. Or its something really stupid. And I don't want to take it back to my local marine because they are the reason for 75 percent of the new parts , its under new ownership and i dont think they know exactly what they are doing , any help, advice, a good location to sink a boat all is welcome and appreciated

Well i guess im just going to take a sucker punch to the gut, i called a marine the next town over too see what their schedule is like , hopefully get a call back today , will let you guys know

Did you check the flywheel key ??----What number do you see on the high speed jets in the BOTTOM of the carburetor bowls ??-----Take the starter apart for inspection and an ohm test from commutator to the shaft( should read infinity ) , as slow cranking means a no start condition.----Checked operation and adjustment of the choke solenoid ?-----This should be easy to figure out!!

Check the carburetor throttle shafts for excessive play in the carburetor body.

I have checked the flywheel key and it seems fine to me , not too much sticking out but it seems to fit the flywheel just fine. Do you know how much of the key is supposed to be sticking out of the shaft? I have never checked the number on the jets that one I will have to get back to you on. As far as the starter it cranks the engine at about 300 rpm. Yes the choke solenoid seems to operate just fine . If I going to take the carbs off I should just clean them again not going to hurt any , I appreciate your guys responses . I have a week or so to try to figure this out before I take it in , i scheduled it to go in on the 7th

The key locates the flywheel for proper spark timing.------The flywheel is driven by the tapers when nut is torqued to 102.5 FT-LBS.

So I am looking at the parts diagram on marine engine and it says there is a spring in the solenoid part 0314026 - Plunger Spring i know i dont have that, would that cause these kind of issues im have backfire at idle , at low speed constant increase and decrease in speed and rpm , but runs fine at w.o.t

Anyone ???? I have the spring "does anyone think that may be the problem" and a carb rebuild kit coming so I can do it this weekend ,