Ok guys I need some help here. I have a 18 foot express with a older 90 merc on it. Boat has always ran great and never had any issues with it.
It sat up for several weeks/months without being used or ran at all. Back in October I took it to my buddy's camp and we went fishing. Headed out and my buddy was driving as I didn't know the area that well. After a few minutes going down the bayou motor starts to cut out. Speed dropped about 10mph, we stopped it and revved it up and it revs fine but once you put it in gear and take off it starts the same thing again. I figured it was carb issues from siting up without running.(I did use some gas with ethanol in it before it sat up, I also used some ethanol treatment In it as well)
I brought it home, and it sat there until Feb/March due to hunting season. Sometime around March I changed spark plugs and put a can of seafoam in gas tank and I ran it several times, for about 20 minutes or so on the muffs in driveway. Figuring that wasn't going to fix my problem but hoping it was just gummed up carbs and that maybe the seafoam would clean it out. I took it out Monday (memorial day), it fired right up and idles fine like it always has, but when you pour the throttle to it, it jumps on plane good but does the same thing. It will run and push boat down the river but there is a steady miss/hesitation to it and it is running 10 mph slower than it does normally.
I have been told everything from dirty carbs from some non ethanol gas that sat up in it to Power pac bad and everything between.
If anyone can help me out before I have to bring to shop and pay a arm and a leg I would appreciate it. I can do somethings myself and would prefer to do It myself if possible.
Please tell me this is something someone else has had issues with and can help me out, and tell me that this is not going to cost me out the behind.
Engine serial # 0G142156
thanks