1983 Mercury 80 HP Outboard 2 stroke 4 cyl-won't shift into gear

[benjschrock]

We just got our first boat and the engine fired right up. Took it out to the lake and it started, idled for a few minutes and then stalled. After many attempts, we got it to start again and it ran well and we thought everything was great. However, when we stopped, it shut off and didn't want to start again. Finally, we got it started, but it didn't want to shift into gear. It stalled every time we shifted into forward. Eventually we got it to go into forward and we were moving again. However, once we shut it down it would not start again. What should we check? Any ideas on what to do. Thanks!

 

[racerone]

Maybe it is only running on 2 cylinders.---It is critical that you check / confirm that carburetors are clean.----No fuel going into 2 cylinders also means little to no oil.----Could lead to expensive repairs.