Trouble with my 25 Hp (DT25) 1979 Suzuki Outboard

Hey Guys,
I have a 2-Stroke what i believe is a 25HP (DT25) 1979 Suzuki Outboard that im having some problem with. Im pretty inexperienced when it comes to outboard motors and im kinda lost on where to start. One issue is that the motor is rather difficult to get started, takes about 10 pulls. The main issue is that I can only get it to start idling if i give it a bit of gas RIGHT after I pull start it and continue to give it gas periodically or it will die. But once I switch it into gear it will start to try and pull for a second and then it dies. Ive been messing around with the idle pin but cant seem to get it just right I dont think. It lets out a good amount of white smoke when its running also. I know that it should be shooting out water from somewhere when its running but I haven't seen it do this, is this normally something I should be seeing when its idling?? I almost think its not getting enough gas when It goes into gear but in neutral it will go forever if I give it gas, just not in gear.

Anyone have any ideas on where I should start with this one? The motor looks very clean and seems to be in good shape from the outside. I got it about a year ago and it ran pretty decent for about 5 or 6 days out on the water, but after my boat restoration project it was sitting in the garage for a good amount of time. I haven't done anything with the oil or the spark plugs etc. Maybe it just needs a good tune up? Any ideas on were I can find out what types of basic things I should do to it as far as basic maintenance? Any help on the problem or a pointer in the right direction would be much appreciated. As a side note, im having some trouble identifying what that plug is in the front of my motor. It runs to the MAG and then to the spark plugs.

Ive attached a few pictures of the engine below. Thanks guys! :mrgreen:

Two things are possible and two things I do when I get a new engine.

Install a new water pump, you might just have a clogged up outlet, but do you know how good your water pump is?
From the way you describe your engine running from then, until now, I'd suggest a carb rebuild, along with cleaning out your gas tank.

Start with a spark check and a compression check, and don't neglect to change the lower unit oil.

Thanks bobg , im not sure about my pump. I guess a carb rebuild and a plug change will be first in line.

Got the carb cleaned, spark plugs changes and I changed out the lower gear box oil. I adjusted the idle pin a bit and it started up with 1 pull and it seems to be running pretty well now. Thats amazing for such a small amount of work. Thanks for the tip!! =D>

How's the water outlet?

If you keep your gas maintained, meaning, keep your tank full and use stabilizer. Your engine will run good, longer.

Now that you've cleaned your carb, you should know if the fuel bowl on your Suzuki carb has a drain plug on it. I'm not sure.
If it does, drain your carb if you're not going to use your motor for a couple of weeks, and disconnect the fuel line. That'll keep the gas from evaporating and leaving behind what you just cleaned out of the carb.

I didn't see an inline fuel filter anywhere on the motor. I'm using a 25 Jonson and I've installed a fuel/water separator for more insurance.

Thanks for the tips. We had the boat out all weekend and the water pump was working very well. It started to take a while to start after the second day out on the water but other than that it ran pretty well.