1979 Evinrude 85 HP - Timing

[the one]

Hi, I have a '79 Evinrude 85 HP that I bought recently, and I took it out on the lake for a bit. By the end of the ride, it was ideling very fast in nuetral, and would not calm down unless I put it in gear. The guy I bought it from said his son was messing around with it back by the throttle cable. How do I adjust the timing? What could be wrong with this thing, and how can I fix it???? Thanks for any advice!

[OBJ]

Welcome to iboats the one....Sounds as if the "boy" was messing with the adjustment on the throttle cable. Don't think the timing is an issue yet until we confirm the control cable is adjusted right.Right where the control and shift cables go into the lower pan, they are anchored at the carb air silencer. You will note that each cable has a thumb wheel.Losen the control cable anchor and pull the cable from the slot. Pull the cable to the front of the engine and adjust the thumb wheel till it fits back into the anchor slot. The controls should be in the neutral position while this is done.Retry the engine on the water. It maybe that whoever was adjusting the cable may have been doing so to get the idle up. Which may mean there are other issues to contend with.Let's start here and see where we go. Keep us posted....thanks.

[the one]

thank you so much!!! i will give it a shot, and keep you posted.