Tohatsu 2.5 2T misbehaving

[Skylark]

I have the ubiquitous Tohatsu 2.5hp 2 stroke outboard. It's now 11 years old but has probably run for only about 10 hours. I always drain fuel and flush the sea water cooling after use but otherwise it's had very little attention. It wouldn't start earlier in the season so I cleaned the carb (with help from a couple of forumites) and replaced the plug. In a water bucket at home it seemed fine. Alas all is not well.

It runs / stalls erratically. It will run at half throttle with choke, but sounds like it wants to die. Without the choke, it dies. . At full throttle, you have to play the choke on/off every couple of seconds to keep it running. It then sounds like a F1 car in the pit lane!

Any suggestion as to what needs adjustment / how to adjust?

Fuel is reasonably fresh and it's running a 50:1 (approx) mix.

Many thanks

 

[Lakesailor]

Main jet blocked.
Vaguest possibility that the float level is wrong and the fuel in the float chamber is too low.

 

[TQA]

Glob of goop somewhere.

For some reason this range of eggbeaters are prone to getting globs of goop in the fuel system as others have said the main jet is the likely culprit but the float needle or seat and even the fuel on off tap can get a partial or complete blockage.

I have the 3.5 as a back up and if it is not run for a month I expect a carb clean in my future when I recommission it.

I can get the side panels off all jets/seats/taps blown through and reassembled in about 10 minutes now. I have had practice.