Captain Quint
New member
I am restoring a 1996 Wellcraft Excel 26 SE, with a Mercruiser 454 Bravo 2. I have repaired or replace most of the integral parts of the engine short of the block itself. I have been able to start it, but it would run rough. It seemed to be starved for gas in the carburetor, I would have to constantly keep throttling it to keep it running. It has fresh gas, fuel line, starter, fuel pump, spark plugs, and batteries. I recently ran fuel additive through it to remove any bad fuel and lingering clogs or build up. It seems to have worked, because this last time I started it, she started well, ran good for a bit, but because I started it like I did before, it flooded out. Now that the fuel system seems to be working like it should and not struggling to just get the fuel in the engine, I need to change the way I start it. My question is what is the proper procedure for starting, warming up, and idling this engine? What adjustments to the throttle, carburetor, or the manner in which I start it, depending on how it starts, runs, or idles do I need to make to get her to run like she should?
