1976 Merc 650- Carb Cleaning

[tallcanadian]

So I took the carbs off of my 650 to clean them. I ordered carb kits, gaskets, sea foam, needle and seat, a few other gems from iboats. I've sprayed the carbs with carb cleaner already and wiped them down. I didn't see any noticeable dirt, is there something particular I should be looking for? Do I need a gasket glue for the new gaskets? Any suggestions or ideas while I have these off is much appreciated. I also bought all new rubber for the gas lines. I also bought a kit for the fuel pump but I won't do that unless absolutely necessary. I took the cap off at the screen for the pump and it is super clean, no debris, no rubber pieces, nothing.

My plan is to reinstall the carbs, put motor on boat, fire up motor, spray with sea foam. I've had issues with rough idle, low compression, etc. I notice there are two clear hoses behind where the carbs attach. What are they for. I took one off and it was plugged a bit. It took a bit of blowing to get the crap out of them.

I want to do this right and only once. Please don't hold back with opinions, etc.

 

[racerone]

Carburetor cleaning will not fix ---LOW COMPRESSION----What are the compression values and have you removed bypass covers to inspect pistons and rings ???

 

[tallcanadian]

There is more to the story. I understand that this won't fix compression, just trying to get a little more life out of this motor before I make a change. It was suggested to me that I should try a carb cleaning and some sea foam to see if I have stuck rings or something similar. From top to bottom 120, 110, 95. Last fall I started the motor for the first time in the 2 years I owned it. It fired right up and ran good but started idling rough after a few minutrs. I had purchase a 1977 Merc 850 for this but ended up with some extensive issues so I was hoping to get this 650 to run for a bit longer.

 

[racerone]

Remove the bypass cover and inspect the pistons and rings;

 

[tallcanadian]

I will do that. I did order in a gasket for that. Should I spray some seafoam in the cylinders before I fire this up? Or just spray into the carbs after I start it?

 

[tallcanadian]

I got the carbs all cleaned up an reinstalled on my motor. What are the screws on the front of each carb? There is one on each carb.