Re: 1985 Johson 175 with oil coming out of the exhaust?
ok, I said "water should come out", but really I should have said "water might come out" through those ports -- the ports are there to give some relief from the backpressure on the underwater exhaust, to facilitate starting. not seeing water there really means nothing -- sorry about misleading ya. most of the engine cooling water exits through that series of holes just above the A/V plate.
but yeah, idling a lot leaves unburned oil that drips out -- you'll also get carbon buildup on your cylinders & pistons, which isn't unusual for 2-strokes in any case but especially idling or trolling a lot. She needs to be took out & run hard ever once in awhile.
if you're not using surface gap plugs, it'll help to open the gap up to .040 until you get that bracket situation cleared up. And add seafoam to your fuel.
click over to the 'engine faq' section of iboats & find the thread about "Decarb" -- couple different methods of cleaning carbon out the cylinders.
