even though you've run a bit this year, it does sound like a gas issue? change the fuel filters etc..??

I'd knock that idle down 100rpm and see what happens.

The best cure for carbon buildup is good old cold water. Start the motor and let it wam up then take a hose and spray water into the running motor through the carb. Spray a good mist but not so much it dies out. Its good to do this prior to a day your going to be boating alot as you may push a little water past your rings and a good day of running wi make sure it eveaporates off. I do min a least once a year. On my bike, you can see the intake valves and you wouldnt beleve how well water hitting hot carbon breaks it up.

Now THAT I've never heard of........

I'd get a second opinion on that procedure?

I'm sure someone will back it up. Do a search and youll see its a fairly comon procedure. You learn somthing every day.

i'm not knocking it.. it just seems you should know what your doing before trying something new of that nature! somebody could mess that one up a bit!

Hey! That's part of the problem! KNOCKING!

The water trick is a old as the hills...any old school mechanic will tell you that . If done correctly it WILL knock (pun intented)the carbon off the valves and pistons.

I would suggest a spray bottle of water instead of the garden hose. A lite mist is what you want. If you've ever seen the inside of an engine that has had a reversion or leaking exhaust problem you know this way works wonders, steam cleaned even. You want to be careful not to make the engine ingest a large amount of water at one because you can actually embrittle the valves and cause them to eventually shatter. That is extreme amounts of water though. If that engine is idleing 950 in gear it is too high. If it is 950 in nuetral, about right. I'd take a spark plug reading to make sure when working through the rich condtion a lean one was not created. Sounds lean to me.

BT