Help with 1992 40 HP Suzuki outboard motor?

Question

I have a 1992 Suzuki 40 HP 2 cycle with oil injection outboard that is not idling right. If it is cold it will crank easily with the fast idle and choke held down, but once throttle is reduced it gets really choppy and backfires some. Usually, once it backfires it dies out. After that, it takes a lot of tries to get it to crank again. Anyway, it won't idle for long, and when it does it shimmy's and shakes a lot. But, once you plane it off and it gets to about 3/4 throttle, it stops running so rough and seems to run pretty well. Just wondering what the most likely cause is for these symptoms so the repair man doesn't rip me off.

Answer 1

Sounds like it needs the carburetors cleaned, after all it is over 15 years old. Also a new set of spark plugs may be needed, because 2 strokes are notorius for fouling plugs.