OK,
So I replaced a bunch of parts yesterday and gave it the splash down. Yesterday it ran well across half the lake but then ran out of fuel (rookie mistake) so I trolled back to the launch. I knew better than to celebrate, got some fresh fuel in it and took it out again today. The email sent to the Chrysler tech explains things quite well:
"I installed the new diaphragm (you were right, there were cracks all over it and an inch long tear on the larger side of the diaphragm) and that took care of the fueling issue. I also installed crimp-style spark plug ends to ensure good spark plug contacts, a carb rebuild kit, new fuel lines, and an in-line fuel filter. It now runs consistently without smoke and there is no oily mess coming out of the exhaust ports or weep holes when it's shut off. It'll run all day long, which I'm really happy about. I still have a different problem, though, and was wondering if you could shed some light on it.
Once the engine is running and warmed up it runs perfectly about half of the time--idles nicely and feels smooth and powerful across the rpm range. The other half of the time, though, it will appear to cut to one spark plug when you idle down from a WOT pass and will not respond to throttle input when trying to speed back up afterward. Max speed when this happens is about 7mph. If you put the controls in neutral and set to high idle it will rev up slowly and sometimes kick the rpms up to where they should be. If you can get it back in gear quickly enough it will run normally but if not it will still run like crap. I also noticed that when this low power issue happens it will not allow you to shut the motor off with the key and you have to choke it to shut it off. When it's running normally the key works fine to shut it off, so is this a wiring related issue? I work as a test technician at a place that builds cable harness assemblies so I can re-wire the cables/harness if necessary but I would rather not if you think it's something else."
If you guys have any other suggestions for me besides dropping it off the transom to its watery grave please let me know
I'm kinda getting to that point, though it was nice riding it around problem-free for a few minutes today.
Matt