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1981 50HP 4cyl - Issue with throttle? Choke?

M

michos

Member
I just purchased a bass tracker with a 1981 50hp 4cyl outboard. I took it out today for the first time. It started pretty quickly when I turned the key but then soon died. After a few more tries it finally started reluctantly but then seemed to idle fine. When I took it for a spin, the motor sounded good and felt fine but it topped out at 10-15mph and couldnt quite get up to plane. With the throttle all the way down/engaged, it didnt seem like the RPMs were up very high so i figured it might just be an issue with the throttle cable. After starting, I have to push the throttle almost half way down before it engages beyond a slight troll. Once I got back from the first go round, it didnt want to start consistently. It would turn over and then putter out, then start for a bit but then die when I took it out of idle. Eventually I got it running again but now im wondering if perhaps there is a choke issue as it seems like maybe the motor is getting flooded and that might also cause the motor to top out at a slower speed? Any thoughts? I looked around and didnt see anything that resembled a choke on the throttle or motor. I have no experience with mercury's and little experience with outboards in general.
Thanks!
 
lets start with the choke..turn the key to the on position...not start..just the run position...press the key in like you are trying to make sure the key is seated..you should hear a click from the motor...this is either the choke working or your fuel enrichment solenoid..whichever you have.. i would suspect it has a choke so the click would be the carbs closing...the start procedure for this engine is this...put the shift in neutral...raise the lever on your controls to give it more gas...turn the key to start and push the key in while doing so..once then engine is going run it at 1500 to 2000 rpms til it settles out... then lower your lever...you may have to just touch the choke a bit to keep it running for a min or so..do not hold the choke on..just feather it..

if the motor is running on all 4 smoothly and then just maxes out at a lower rpm i would suspect either a throttle adjustment or more likely a failure to advance timing.... dont go turning screws etc on the throttle adjustments...with the motor on the trailer and not running observe the action of both while putting the shift in forward and advancing it...i dont know whether the advance on your motor is done by distributor movement or not..if it is there is a grease fitting on it if it is binding...
 
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