1978 merc 80 hp (800 thunderbolt) outboard rpm?

piggpen

Cadet
Joined
Jul 2, 2015
Messages
9
just bought this boat last year... cleaned carbs and got it running after sitting for 2 years ... it ran rough for about a week and i lost spark ... after changing cdi i found it was the stator causing the problem ... changed stator and got unit running again ... now when i start it it will idle but run a little rough , i can rev it to about 4000 rpm in neutral and when i drive it, it will slowly get to about 4000 rpm but no higher .... it likes to chug and spit sometimes when i take off i assume it may be carb issues but im new to boat motors and would like to know what my max rpm should be and maybe what my carb adjustment screws should be set at. thanks in advance
 

Mi duckdown

Commander
Joined
Apr 14, 2007
Messages
2,575
First thing Don't rev motor to 4000 rpm in neutral. I would purchase an OEM manual. it would have saved to a lot of money and still will. Serial number?
 

Chris1956

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 25, 2004
Messages
28,420
Time to check compression and spark. If both are good, time to check link and synch.
 

piggpen

Cadet
Joined
Jul 2, 2015
Messages
9
Link and sync? I'm new to this...what should my max ram be? I will get the serial # soon...the boat is in the water at present time.
 
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