50Merc-4Stroke Idle problem

[whopper]

Motor starts great. Idles at 1000 rpm- After 15 minutes idle shuts down to 625rpm and dies. Idle screw adjustment does not solve the problem. If the idle is set up, I troll too fast.Who out there knows of a good merc mechanic that can fix this problem? I live in westcentral Minnesota and am willing to take it as far as the cities to have this problem fixed.The other screws above the idle screw have not been touched. Any ideas as to what is wrong? It runs fine in high gear. Has anyone out in walleyeland had this problem?

[Mark Berle]

My dad has the same unit and it basically did the same thing. We tried Seafoam and all the idle problems went away. We now use it regularly but at a reduced rate. Its basically a new motor now and it only costs $5.00/can for 16 ozs. At an ounce a gallon it adds 30 cents per gallon of gas. After your motor is "cleaned out" you can reduce this to half the amount. The gas jets in these four strokes are very small so I guess this seafoam cleans this out. I'll bet the gas mileage is better too. This four-stroke is twice as fuel efficient as the old two stroke. So spending a little more on seafoam is worth it. We used to hate the motor but now love it.

[NPAA265]

First item I would check is read your manual on eratic idle speeds in the trouble shooting section.
Second item would be drain the crankcase of its oil. Most often the usual problem with a 4 stroke is bad oil. This causes the engine to run in a safe mode (under 1000 rpms) In your manual it should have information about contaminated oil.
Your oil light should flicker on /off in operating mode if its contaminated.
Put in fresh 4 sroke merc oil.
Never leave your gas line attached while traveling.
And the best mechanic in Mn is Pierz marine in Brainerd. Give them a call first tell them what its doing , they might tell you over the phone how to set your motor. Or they will tell you to bring it in, they are busy at this time of the year.

Still the best brand made. Be patient. dn npaa265

[dcrods]

If you want the best Mercury mechanic in the world, See Todd Wing at Universal Power / Marine in Rochester,Mn.

[Leadhead]

I've had my 4 stroke for 5 years now and can say its the best investment I've made. My manual reccomend that after a certain amount of hours to have the Valve clearance checked. I also had idle problems with mine after about 100 hours of use. I took it in to my dealer and he went through and adjusted the valves after the break in period, they did need adjustment. He also had to adjust the carbs witch he said was a real pain because you start with the top carb, then move to the next carb, then go back and check the first carb. He repeated this process with all 4 carbs and I haven't had a problem since. I idle perfectly at 850 to 900 rpm's all day long..Check your manual and it'll let your know the reccomended service times. If you'd like to contact him, Look up

McCurdy's marine in Kenosha Wi..
I'm at work otherwise I'd have a number for ya.
Ask for Bruce McCurdy and let him know Ed Brown sent ya..

[Leadhead]

I've had my 4 stroke for 5 years now and can say its the best investment I've made. My manual reccomend that after a certain amount of hours to have the Valve clearance checked. I also had idle problems with mine after about 100 hours of use. I took it in to my dealer and he went through and adjusted the valves after the break in period, they did need adjustment. He also had to adjust the carbs witch he said was a real pain because you start with the top carb, then move to the next carb, then go back and check the first carb. He repeated this process with all 4 carbs and I haven't had a problem since. I idle perfectly at 850 to 900 rpm's all day long..Check your manual and it'll let your know the reccomended service times. If you'd like to contact him, Look up

McCurdy's marine in Kenosha Wi..
I'm at work otherwise I'd have a number for ya.
Ask for Bruce McCurdy and let him know Ed Brown sent ya..