seagull 40 plus running problems

[whymusti]

hi there i have just bought a old seagull 40 plus as my 1st outboard for my dinghy but unfortanatley it starts fine but heavily mis fires blowing clouds of vapor out of the carb and continually cuts out when in use and will only run withe the choke partially on and dies instantley if choke is taken off could enyone out there please help me as i am desperate to get it working and hope i havent bought a dud as i know nothing about marine engines and this is my first attempt at boating thanks gavin

[Michael]

Hello,
It sounds like a fuel starvation problem. Suggest cleaning the whole fuel system from tank to carb and to make sure the carb is perfectly clean, especially the jets.

[Waggles]

Agree with Michael, but would add that I strongly suggest a new properly gapped plug if you haven't already, and to clean and gap the points

[whymusti]

thank you bothe for your helpful advice i have orderd a champion d9 sparkplug and will remove carb and clean tonight i will add another post and let u know if i have eny joy thanks again

[whymusti]

thanks for your advice my seagull 40 plus is now 45yrs old n running sweet again fires up withe ease just not sure of the correct plug gap and im amazed it actually works so well just need to test it in water again fingers crossed