I just bought a 2002 Bayliner with a Mercury 5.0L engine. It starts easily but dies on acceleration unless I let it warm up for at least 20 minutes. My auto sense tells me the thermostat is probably missing. Could it be anything else?
When you say warm up, what is the gauge reading after 5 minutes and at 20 minutes.
The choke is electric, does it work?
Could also be your engine needs a tuneup and a carb adjust. Has that been done recently?
Thanks Don. I think you're on the right track with the choke. It doesn't close as far as it should and the adjusting plate screws are frozen. I'm going to have to pull the carburetor to get it fixed and adjusted properly.
