Re: 2 different probs. or the same prob.?
ranger6......The outboard you have is a 2 stroke motor as are the majority of outboards. 2 stroke motors burn what is called premix, the gas and oil mix together and the mixture is burned, and provides lubrication as well. The smoke you are seeing is normal,it is burning oil. Hopefully it has a blueish tint to it, that's normal, rather than actually white, white is bad it means you are burning water. The black oil you see is most likely unburned oil dripping down. Which is common on outboards (2 strokes).<br /><br />The lever you are talking about is not a choke lever, it is a fast idle lever. The choke closes over the front of the carbs and is activated by pushing in on the key(you will hear a click in the engine), it is either on or off. The fast idle lever is meant to work in conjunction with the choke to get the motor started when cold. When the motor is running correctly you really shouldn't even have to use it.<br /><br />The reason it starts harder in the water is due to the backpressure on the motor when it is in the water, on the muffs there is no backpressure. When was the last time the carbs were cleaned and rebuilt? To me it sounds like you have a fuel starvation problem that is causing your motor to stall unless you use the fast idle. I would rebuild those carbs and you will probably see a huge difference. Don't run it too much until you do because those lean running carbs will destroy that motor very quickly and you'll have a useless hunk of metal on your hands. Also check all of the the fuel lines, fittings and filters, and make sure you are running some good fresh fuel. Might be a good idea to get a manual for your motor if you plan on doing work and learning. Good Luck and keep posting, people here will help you with alot of problems.