Rough Idle--2002 90 ELPTO

mgjtkt

Seaman
Joined
Apr 19, 2010
Messages
60
s/n 0T481102 I have the Mercury service manual but need help. Under syncronising it says to initial adjust carbs to: # 1 set at 1/4 turn out, # 2 and 3 set to 1 to 1-1/2 turns out ( page 2C-9). BUT under the carb section ( page 3B-6) it says to set to 1-1/4 out for all three. Motor runs OK but shakes( badly I think) at idle of 675rpm then smoothes out by1000rpm. It does idle better when the top carb is set 1/4 turn out but I don't want to run it lean and damage something.
 

DavidMoore

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jun 2, 2015
Messages
183
Bear in mind it is a 90 ELPTO, it's never going to idle like a sewing machine. Well adjusted the idle will be reasonable to good at best.

My manual for the same engine states 1-1/2 turns from lightly seated as a starting point on all 3, it states this both in the timing section and in the carb section.
All 3 carbs are essentially the same so having the same setting would make the most sense to me.


I would double check all the carbs are opening together and by the same amount. You can use a drill shank (about 1/8") as a feeler between the carb throat and butterfly valve, all 3 carbs should feel the same. Just don't drop the drill into the engine.

I would crank up the idle speed, say to 700 rpm when the boat is in the water and in forward gear. Should result in the engine running about 800 rpm when in Neutral. You could go slightly higher as long as you can still shift gears smoothly.

Do the low speed mixture adjustment as stated in the manual, then reset the idle speed as above.

New plugs can help too.
 
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