1974 Johnson 50 Stalls In Reverse, Low Idle, Generally Lethargic

Hi there, I have a 1974 Johnson 50 Horsepower Powershift II outboard. It was serviced last year by a skilled outboard mechanic and ran great all year. I took it out today and it's been giving me all kinds of unhappiness. It starts up just fine, though it seems to idle quite low. When I move into reverse, it shifts and seems to just get bogged down and stalls. If I really give it some throttle into reverse, it'll make it past that hump and run fine from there out. Unfortunately, that's putting me in a situation where I can't safely maneuver in tight situations. Shifts into drive more smoothly, but I felt it was on the brink of stalling in the no wake zones. At full throttle, it'll definitely move but it doesn't hit top RPMs. The overall feel is that of lethargy, like it's just not getting what it needs to stay purring. I'm no motor guy, though I do have a full service manual for the outboard and I can probably find my way around a small job.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Re: 1974 Johnson 50 Stalls In Reverse, Low Idle, Generally Lethargic

Start with the basic checks, compression, spark, fuel delivery. Will it run better if you squeeze the primer buld while it is acting up? What condition are the spark plugs in, are they the correct ones? Can you here any spark jumping to ground? Is the gas fresh?

Re: 1974 Johnson 50 Stalls In Reverse, Low Idle, Generally Lethargic

agree with above. read Ethanol in the TOP SECRET FILE, sounds as if you have a contaminated carb. also could try setting idle speed a little higher.