"Hi, this just started happeni
"Hi, this just started happening without any warning. Starts right up, idles fine in neutral, but stumbles and stalls when at idle speed in gear. Can "goose" the throttle and it picks up, will plane and run smooth at 1/2 throttle - ugly technique when I have a mile or so of no-wake zone to navigate from my slip to open water. Bring it back to idle and it dies. Always restarts no problem. Suspected bad gas, so just hand-pumped out the 30-gallon gas tank, changed the water separating fuel filter, sprayed the carb with Gumout, and refilled tank with fresh gas. No change...now what? Does it sound like the carb needs rebuilding? It's only the 5th season for the boat - is that normal?? Is it possible it was bad gas and the carb is now plugged up? I didn't change the fuel filter that's right at the carb intake. If that's plugged, would it cause this problem?? Also, could these symptoms be a timing issue? Probably unrelated, but having a couple of minor electrical problems - noticed at the same time that the tach no longer works. Chalked it up to crappy Bayliner guages as the fuel guage and speedo already died. But if there's an electrical problem - bad ground? - could that affect timing advance or choke?? I know I'm rambling and a little knowledge is a dangerous thing - but I'd really like to know the next logical troubleshooting steps are to follow. I hate to pull the boat and haul it to the mechanic if this is just something really simple. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I have the Mercury manuals for the engine and can handle routine maintenance stuff - dropping the lower unit to change impeller, etc. But I've never rebuild a carb or fooled around with ignition timing (for that matter, I don't have or know how to use a timing light - but willing to learn if that's the direction)."
"Hi, this just started happening without any warning. Starts right up, idles fine in neutral, but stumbles and stalls when at idle speed in gear. Can "goose" the throttle and it picks up, will plane and run smooth at 1/2 throttle - ugly technique when I have a mile or so of no-wake zone to navigate from my slip to open water. Bring it back to idle and it dies. Always restarts no problem. Suspected bad gas, so just hand-pumped out the 30-gallon gas tank, changed the water separating fuel filter, sprayed the carb with Gumout, and refilled tank with fresh gas. No change...now what? Does it sound like the carb needs rebuilding? It's only the 5th season for the boat - is that normal?? Is it possible it was bad gas and the carb is now plugged up? I didn't change the fuel filter that's right at the carb intake. If that's plugged, would it cause this problem?? Also, could these symptoms be a timing issue? Probably unrelated, but having a couple of minor electrical problems - noticed at the same time that the tach no longer works. Chalked it up to crappy Bayliner guages as the fuel guage and speedo already died. But if there's an electrical problem - bad ground? - could that affect timing advance or choke?? I know I'm rambling and a little knowledge is a dangerous thing - but I'd really like to know the next logical troubleshooting steps are to follow. I hate to pull the boat and haul it to the mechanic if this is just something really simple. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I have the Mercury manuals for the engine and can handle routine maintenance stuff - dropping the lower unit to change impeller, etc. But I've never rebuild a carb or fooled around with ignition timing (for that matter, I don't have or know how to use a timing light - but willing to learn if that's the direction)."