1963 Merc 500 running issue starts right up but wont idle

[Fwagman13]

This is my first boat it is a 1963 MFG with a 1963 merc 500 outboard on it i bought this boat in the beginning of the season and it ran great i took it out on the river about 7 times then it sat for about 3 weeks and when i took it out on the water again it would not stay running it will fire up with the choke and fast idle but once i turn it down it will not stay running almost like running out of fuel i am very new to boats so any help would be awesome also is there any normal maintenance stuff i should check and be aware of thanks again.

 

[racerone]

I would start with dropping the bottom half of the magneto off.---Just a 3/8" wrench and 4 screws.---Then remove cap and clean and set the points at a 0.010" gap.----Very easy , no money spent work for you to do.-Work carefully as these parts are expensive if you damage them.---Or perhaps you just need to open the low speed mixture needles a 1/4 turn or so.