My son inadvertently installed the battery with the cables reversed on my 71 Johnson 60ESL71C. <br />I know this fries the rectifier, and after correcting the condition, checked the charging output and it was dead. Replaced rectifier, and it now charges well. Used the boat last weekend without incident. Ran very well for a couple days. However I now have had a slow progression of performance issues, first it started bogging out at WOT, but only then. Today, it's gotten to the point where it will only idle, any throttle under load ( in gear) kills it. I can however rev it up in neutral ok. I am thinking the reverse battery cable incident has damaged the amplifier, is that something that would get killed by this?<br />Is the amplifier a go / no go type of component, where a failure means it won't run at all? Or can it simply degrade or be damaged enough to deliver a weak spark and run badly? Checked spark plugs and they are wet with fuel. ( new plugs didn't help). <br />Fuel pump is recent, and screen is clean. No fuel delivery issues that I can see, short of a carb teardown to check those. <br />Battery is new ( and properly charged) and connections are solid. I know a strong battery is needed for this type of ignition and it's always been well maintained and never discharged.<br /><br />Any ideas appreciated.<br /><br />Thanks / Craig
