Got the carburetors off and I might see one of the reasons it was so hard to start. The center carb has a roller bearing with a seal on both sides The seal on one of the sides went an awful long time with the seal folded over and allowing air to come in...can't be good!

It was not ripped so I carefully straightened it out and put the shaft through correctly.
I do have a question though.
When I disassembled the carbs, on the inside where the throttle shaft goes through, there was grease inside for what I assume was to lubricate the throttle shaft bearing...problem is I don't think it is supposed to be there, it was just a bunch of gray muck.
The gasoline vapors going through the carb had broken it down to the consistency of mucus!
I cleaned it out and I started wondering why it was there. If the cap is sealed and the vapors going through are mixed with 2 stroke oil...why does the carburetor need extra grease in it? I would think that if the oil is good enough for my engine it should be good enough for a roller bearing on a carburetor shaft.
Any body have any first hand knowledge on if the flat slide carbs need to have grease in them?
Thanks
Robin