Mercury motor idling higher now, any thoughts

[midnight1957]

I have a 1996 Mercury 4 cylinder 2 stroke 40 hp motor on my pontoon.
When I put it in the lake the first time this year and the first time since I bought it, it would idle but when you put it in gear it would usually die.
I removed both carbs and soaked them in carb cleaner overnight along with adding a can of Sea Foam to a tank of new gas. Today I started it at home with the muffs on and now it idles higher than it did before although I didn't move any of the idle adjustments. While testing it at home today it would go in gear and never cut off.
What are the correct rpm s for my motor and since there is no adjustments on the motor except the screws above the jets where do I adjust them? Also the idle screws just above the jets doesn't seem to have any affect when I adjust them except when I turn them all the way in it will try to stall.
Is there anything I have overlooked and is there any idle adjustments on the linkage on the side, I saw several adjustments there but none of them seemed that they would affect the idle.
Please help, I am looking to take her back to the lake as soon as possible.

Thanks,
Wade

 

[milehighboater]

Re: Mercury motor idling higher now, any thoughts

I wouldn't do any idle adjustments when you are running gas with sea foam (or any other fuel additive). If the motor is idling a bit high ~900 RPM take it back to the lake a run around for a bit to run the rest of that sea foam through it. Fill her back up and run for a bit more to make sure the fuel in the carb bowls was used up and then do the adjustments while the motor is warm. As far as the idle adjustment I beleive it is the rod that connects the carbs together that works the butterflies, Go though the manual for the proceedure, if you don't have one maybe someone will chime in with the idle adjustments and carb syncing proceedures. Try to search the forum though I know I have seen it before.