Re: motor runs rich i can smell fuel
I hope some guys who know more than me will get on here and help you, but I do know this: running a 2-stroke engine too lean will melt it down in a hurry. I think my first question would be is smelling gas your ONLY indication? If so, I'd check long and hard for ANY fuel leaks before I started adjusting on the carbs trying to lean it out. The next thing I'd do is make sure all my plugs are firing, if you have lost a cylinder for any reason, you are going to smell that unburned fuel. In fact, if you don't know when you last replaced the plugs, I'd start there.
To answer your question, yes you can lean it out. Best bet is to buy the Merc service manual and read up on the carbs so that you have a good understanding of what you're doing, then do a lync and synch to make sure carbs are set corredctly and timed correctly.
BUT, I'd be willing to bet you have a problem other than the carbs needing to be leaned out. Could be a multitude of other things. A common problem on these engines is the fuel pump diaphragm leaking. That could be why you smell fuel.
Essentially what I'm saying is this.: If you run it too rich, you will foul plugs (cheap fix). If you run it too lean, you will burn it up (expensive fix).
