dies at low rpms - it's a total battle

[Fishfearme1174]

2004 Mercruiser 3.0 carb. Hard starting. Will only start cold with advanced throttle. Then will not maintain idle until ran in neutral with rpms above 2500 for about 6-7 mins. Then when attempting to propel forward, wants to die when going into gear but if you aggressively advance the throttle, there's a good chance it won't die and you can achieve normal cruising speed.

Very unreliable and especially a nuisance around the dock.

I've checked the shift cable and appears to be in specification. What else could this be?

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... Sounds like crud in the carb, pull it, clean it, 'n rebuild it,....

 

[achris]

Or simply an idle mixture adjustment is required.

 

[Fishfearme1174]

Thx for replies. I pulled the distributor cap and rotor and both were in poor poor shape. How do I remove rotor?