I have a Johnson 50ESL74 with a perplexing issue. It appears to be running (poorly) because it is excessively rich. History of engine is unknown as it came on a 61 Whitehouse I recently acquired. Motor is difficult to start and will not reliably hold idle. Once fired up and shifted into gear motor will not take throttle very well (it dies out). I have been able to get it to idle and in gear and running on the water but it seems excessivly underpowered. I thought it might be a coil issue (old ones were cracked). After coil replacment, some engine improvement noted but still under powered. I cheked throttle movement while underway on the lake and made a disturbing finding. There is an excessive amount of fuel blowing around inside the carb cover while running under load. A carb rebuild is in order, but what would cause a condition like this? I have gotten the motor to run on full power once or twice after it has been sitting for a couple of hrs. It usually doesn't last long, as a misfire or lack of fire condition crops up and spoils the fun. Should I be looking for any specific problem areas when I do the carb rebuild? I think that the float may be sticking. Also, should I look back at the electrial system as part of this issue?
