Idle

As I have posted before, I have a few minor problems on my outboard that I am trying to resolve. One of the pressing issues is my motor's idle. I have a 2005 Merc 50hp. It runs great but my idle is all screwed up. It sounds like it is not getting enough gas, and it eventually will choke out and die after a few seconds. Here is my start up procedure.

With the boat in the water, I pump the bulb, push in the key to choke, and turn the key. My boat never starts unless I have the throttle (the bar that lifts up, does not put the motor in gear, but increases the rpm, aka: revving the motor) at max. After it runs for a few seconds, I slowly bring that bar to 1/4, if I go any below this my motor sounds weak and will die. To actually move the boat (the real throttle that puts it into gear) I have to quickly drop the bar and put my motor into gear. This keeps the motor from fully neutral idling and shutting down. Once I can give it a little gas, it runs fine.
There is a small knob in my throttle assemble that says friction on it. I think it I turn this knob it will adjust my idle. Any ideas?

I also think it is pertinent to mention that at idle (or close to) my motor makes a back firing noise. It sounds like loud pops. This may or may not be related to the previous issue. I am trying to do as much myself, before I take it into a dealer. All help is appreciated.
David

Sounds like the pop sound your getting is a lean pop/cough.
Could be a minor air leak, just a carb adjustment, or the idle circuits in your carbs are a bit clogged.

Pressurized your fuel bulb and give it a good visual check, looking for fuel leaks.
Adjust idle speed screw, that's actually an air bleed screw, by first, turning it in all the way and COUNT the turns to lightly seated on each carb. It should be near 1 1/2 turns. All screws on all the carbs should be about the same turns.

Now turn the screw out to where they were originally, plus an 1/8 of a turn. Run the engine and see how it runs. If it's still popping, you could need the carbs cleaned.

It's hard to say definitely what your idle problem is, but I'm thinking the most likely would be you need the carbs cleaned.

BTW, do you know that you have good spark plugs? It's always best to do a spark and compression check, before starting any maintenance.

Thanks for the advise. I am sure my spark plugs are fine, they are pretty much new. That was the first thing I tried. I will check for any leaks in the lines, and make sure my bulb is getting pressurized.