Merc 1986 4 hp stalls when going intoo gear, help please

Hello folks,i have a mercury 1986 long shaft 2 stroke engine i use on a small tender, i have always had to use a bit of choke to keep it running, but that said, it has never let me down, it appeared to be fine etc etc. i had a conversation with a mechanic and asked him if i could solve this issue of needing a bit of choke. he said it was probably down to a leak in the fuel line, admitting air to the mixture and causing it to run lean, therefore giving a bit of choke would solve it, he also said the way to test it was to spray wd40 near the carb when it was running. the top of the engine houses the pull cord, so i cant lift the top off to try the wd40 bit. however, i have removed the carb and the fuel pot, replaced the gaskets and refitted with hylomar, tried it in a tub, runs perfect. took it to the beach, launched the boat, got ready to go, put it into gear and she died, tried it again and the same thing happens, allowed it to get warmed up, gave it a bit of choke/ no choke/ extra revs etc etc. it will not run when put into forward or reverse gears, it just stalls!. (the carb has recently been stripped down and the needle cleaned with carb cleaner etc, this stalling problem has only occurred after my attempt to cure a fuel leak, i think existed!) any help would be greatly appreciated

Re: Merc 1986 4 hp stalls when going intoo gear, help please

Did you remove the adjustment needle(s) in the carb when you cleaned it? If so, did you return them to the standard setting?