I get 41-42 and still ain't turn'in the correct rpms.
Only around 5100.

Did you pull the carbs and clean em? If not do so soon. 3 years will have alot of gunk in them if they sat with any fuel at all in them. Also check to make sure your timing is advanceing properly. The MERC's are known to not reach full timing once they have sat for awhile. The plastic on the pickup harness gets hard and will prevent it from advanceing all the way. Make sure all of your linkage is clean and free and well lubricated, put some new plugs in it, and make sure the carbs are clean.

The 135 is the same engine as a 150 internally, just different carbs. And a 135HP should be propshaft rated as they didn't come out until the mid 80's when they switched the rating's. An early 80's 150 became a 135 in the mid 80's, and the 175 became a 150. The top end numbers should be pretty close to that of a 150 as that 135 has good torque for it's size. Make sure you hit the right RPM's at WOT as they are affected by propping and engine height fairly easily.

Nice havin a Merc God around,
AIN'T IT?? :clap:

I didn't clean the carbs so I guess I'll give that a shot. Do I need to take them apart or just blast the insides with carb cleaner? The engine is a 91 btw. I was at 3000 rpm's at 14 mph but the tach died before I could get it up to speed. I guess it got into the 5000+ range at WOT.

It's always best to pull them off to clean them, but at the minumum remove the brass drains from the carbs and spary carb clenaer through the jet inside. If you see any green or black build-up on the brass drain screws, then you really should pull the carbs apart and thoroughly clean them. BS is ALOT better on the MERC's than I, but I tend to get by with all engines:fam:. A timing light and a few other tools is all that is really needed to do MOST repairs on that engine. Them old 2 strokes may drink gas, but at least you don't need a $3500 laptop with all of the software to work on em.