98 Johnson 225 looper carb running rich, idle adjustment question.

[randybenham]

I've got a 98 Johnson powerhead w/ 6 carb looper. Issues are;

1. engine runs a little rich. plugs are a little wet after running. Not sure if the issue is carbs set too lean or not.

2. after I warm up the engine, make a run to a fishing hole, get ready to move, engine starts, idles fine, but when I go to take off, engine dies. then I start it, have to gun it to get it to open up. sounds like it's trying to flood out. Have actually flooded it, had to wait 10 minutes or so to get it started again, etc. again, not sure if it's related to Issue #1.

If I make adjustments, (I have the seloc manual, found instructions for adjusting on water in gear idling) is there a special tool needed to adjust this screw? I found the adjustment, but it doesn't look like an allen wrench. I'm not sure.

Bottom line, not sure the issues are related, or if it's something else. This powerhead is used, but in very good rebuilt condition. My mechanic did away with the oil side of the VRO pump, and I mix my gas in the tank. every time i run it, I seem to have very good power. boat gets up on plane very fast, and can run to 5500 rpm quickly. engine has great compression. any ideas?

[ChampioNman]

What plugs are you running and how long has it been since you've replaced them. Are you absolutely sure your oil mixture is at 50:1 or maybe closer to 40:1. As for idle adjust, have your mechanic do it, it is a 5 sided tool.

[randybenham]

I am positive that I'm 50/1. I use 1 16 oz bottle to 6 gallons of gas. My plugs are brand new. I used the plugs stated on the seloc manual, and those are the same brand that came off the engine when I replaced them. don't know what else to try.

[SEAHORSE]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by randybenham &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">I used the plugs stated on the seloc manual, and those are the same brand that came off the engine when I replaced them. </td></tr></table>

What brand, number, and gap of the plugs ?

[randybenham]

I use champion brand plugs, QL78yC plugs. I had the plugs at .030 just like the manual said, until I found out they were running a little bit wet. I increased the gap a little bit, .035.

I took the boat out yesterday for a run, and noticed that after the warm up period, ( when the boat's RPM's drop slightly) my idle (in gear) RPM's were at around 950. I found that if I let the rpms drop before I took off, the engine didn't die on me. I may not need to do anything. What should my target idle RPM's be anyway?

My engine still has great power, gets up on plane real quick, and using a 26p prop turns 4800-5000 rpms at full blast trimmed up properly. My speed isn't as high as it could be, mostly due to not having a jackplate on it. I'm mostly concerned with the engine lasting more than speed right now. I do plan on putting one on, but 60 mph is plenty fast. I don't drive much faster than that on the highway, so not that interested in doing it on water.