need a little help please- quick question

[RooSmith]

i have a 1973 johnson 20hp tiller handle on a 14ft malibu it leaks a oily gritty tar fluid from a hole on the foot, its near the exhaust port i heard this is normal to get some but lately it has been leaking a lot more than normal and when i start it sometimes it backfires, i have cleaned the carb and changed the plugs, the motor is running rough kind of surging in power after mid throttle does anyone know what could be causing this and what i can do to fix this problem.

Thank you to everyone on this site it is a great site and very informative don't know what i would do without it

 

[bktheking]

Re: need a little help please- quick question

Couple of things come to mind, running 50:1 mix? Cleaning a carb doesn't always solve a fuel delivery problem, there are gaskets, packing , a float, worn needle and seats that could potentially cause issues. If not done already, install a new carb kit.

The other side of the coin is ignition, weak spark will cause idle issues, rough running and incomplete combustion.

And as my sig always says, check compression.