Rob
I had a tough time getting the lever off my 149 also. I got the set screw out OK but the splines on the inside had gotten messed up so it didn't want to pull up off the shaft. I removed the steering wheel. Then I drilled a hole in the center of the lever on top so that I could put a socket head bolt in to press against the top of the shaft. Put a bearing separator under the lever and hooked it up to a puller. That got it off. When I put it back on I drilled all the way through the lever and the shaft and tapped it for a 3/16" bolt. No more slop. As far as the carb goes like Kelly said, rebuild time.
