Re: Mercury boat motor trouble-Carburetor?
In the case of my carb'd '99 it is usually that some fuel has gone bad in the carburetor bowls. So far I've been able to fix this problem by mixing a pretty strong mixture of carb/injector cleaner with the fuel and it finally clears it out. Otherwise, you might have to tear down the carbs and clean them out. It sounds like your main power jets are clogged.
this has always been a problem with 2 cycle boats that sit up not used for a while but it has gotten particularly worse with the advent of gasohol that absorbs water. Lately for my other 2 cycle engines like chain saws and weed eaters if I don't use the full tank I pour it out and then start with fresh fuel the next time. Saves lots of headaches.
In your case 3 years is a long time and the previous advice is good to check over lots of things.
