97 4 stroke wont idle????

just picked up a 1997 mercury 50hp 4stroke 50elpt serial number og333420. got from an goverment auction and has sat 3 year without use. drained gas and filled up with 93 octane. changed plugs, oil, and lower unit oil. started it yesterday for first time and had it running and pumping water but would stall out at idle . 2day its not pumping water and still wont idle . probably need new water pump but i have no manuel or part number. any help with part numbers and what else i should do would be appriciated. thanks! also does water pump work when not in gear?

Re: 97 4 stroke wont idle????

boy im stuck havent worked on these in years . some guidence would be appriciated.

Re: 97 4 stroke wont idle????

The idle jet holes are small as a pin head and may be the first to clog stopping your idle. Take the carbs apart and you will find junky flakes of dried scale in the bowls from sitting so long. Drain all that old fuel and then look in the bottom of your gas tank and you may see red syrup type blobs in the bottom stuck there like glue. I took my carbs apart and cleaned them with out having to buy any new parts at all. Boat runs perfect now!! The 4 strokes are bad ***--just have very small orifices in the jets , thats partly why the gas mileage is so increadible with them. Your mechenic will proably want 900$ or so for the job--he will do it in half a day. Or you can do it yourself, It took me 1 day to do all 4 carbs on my 75 horse