Decarboned my outboard

[bassin butch]

I started noticing a rough idle on my outboard (115 Merc) as well as an intermittent prolonged starting condition. I thought that in fall I would drop the boat at a Marine service facility as I can't be without a boat during tournament season. This weekend I surfed the net to look for possible reasons for the conditions that I'm experiencing. I came across several pages and posts discussing de-carbonizing spray.

I purchased some OMC product designed for this and followed the directions on the aerosol can. Last Sunday I took the boat out to see if it helped: "what a difference" it made, idle quality is great again, the boat jumps on plane, top speed improved, and the motor audibly sounds different (healthy) . What I learned was: All outboards should be decarbonized after every 50 to 60 hours of operation. I'm sold on this based on my current experience!

Don't know if most of you guys do this or not but thought I'd share a success story as all can benefit.

FYI
Bassin Butch