Re: 1976/77 OMC 9.9 & 15 carb needle valve bearing

[johnyrude200]

When you say wont idle, do you mean stalling out?

I install those small needle bearings by just putting it on the needle and pusing it in without the larger retainer first. Then I install the needle with the rerainer and it goes to where its supposed to.

If it is stalling try backing the needle out more. Sometimes I have to set them at 2.5-4 turns out. May not be the originalcarb on that motor?

Just fixed a 9.9 and needed to replace the carb because the original was toast.

Well I have a bin full of these carbs – used one withthe needle bearing. However, I found some without and with different main jet orifice jets. One had a #40 with a short inside main pickup tube, another had #51 with a long pickup. I tried swapping the main jet orifice jet and the motor ran erratic. Swapped back and ran coompletely fine.

Further confusing is ME says for 1975, it uses a #51 carb. Well it wouldnt run right with this one on it, even when on a long pickup tube version.

My guess is as good as yours as to why these changes were made year to year. Maybe corresponds to the leaf plate shims and tuned exhaust updates? This was a 9.9 motor and carb, 1975. Perhaps to promote better idle but then again the 9.9’s didnt get these updates like the 15 until ’89?