1994 Johnson 175

[Jacobsdl]

Hello, first post. I have a 1994 Johnson 175 alarm issue. It is an intermitent alarm that goes off every so often at different speeds. If I shut off the motor and restart the alarm goes away, run it for another 15 minutes or so and it goes off again. A mechanic buddy told me about the VRO problems so I disconected the oil line and went to premix. I removed the entire oil tank, plugged the oil line and taped the ends of the two small electic wires going to the tank. I also put in a new impeller and have a good solid water stream. Any ideas on what can be making this alarm sound?

 

[d.boat]

Re: 1994 Johnson 175

Hello, first post. I have a 1994 Johnson 175 alarm issue. It is an intermitent alarm that goes off every so often at different speeds. If I shut off the motor and restart the alarm goes away, run it for another 15 minutes or so and it goes off again. A mechanic buddy told me about the VRO problems so I disconected the oil line and went to premix. I removed the entire oil tank, plugged the oil line and taped the ends of the two small electic wires going to the tank. I also put in a new impeller and have a good solid water stream. Any ideas on what can be making this alarm sound?

First, you gotta be specific about the alarm. Which one is it:

The warning horn tone sequence tells if a problem is occurring while operating the engine. A rapid on?off sound is a "no oil flow" indication. One beep every 20 to 40 seconds is a low oil level in the remote tank. Of course a steady tone at all speeds is an overheat condition. On V-6's a constant horn at high speeds that disappears instantly when the throttle is pulled back indicates a fuel restriction. Loose connections can also cause erroneous "beeps" and the most common open circuits are battery cables with finger tightened wing nuts instead of stainless steel hex nuts and lock washers tightened with a wrench. Incorrect spark plugs occasionally cause false warning signals, too. Use only the "Q" style suppresser plugs recommended by OMC for your motor. Resistor plugs are not the same thing and may be the source of problems. The factory does not endorse spark plug manufacturer's conversion charts.

Why did the mechanic think the VRO had anything to do with it? Read this: http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/VRO.html

 

[Jacobsdl]

Re: 1994 Johnson 175

It is the rapid on off alarm...

 

[d.boat]

Re: 1994 Johnson 175

That means you didn't disconnect the "no oil" alarm when you converted to premix.

 

[d.boat]

Re: 1994 Johnson 175

Is that the reason you converted to premix? or did the alarm start after you converted? Either way, when you convert to premix, you have to disconnect that alarm, normal procedure for the conversion. Your mechanic friend should be able to talk you through it if you don't know where the connection is.

 

[Jacobsdl]

Re: 1994 Johnson 175

No, the alarm is not the reason I converted to premix, it was preventetive as he advised the VRO is known for being faulty, after reading the article you provided (thank you) I may need to re-think. Any how if I do stay with pre-mix can you provide some advice on how to disconect the alarm? Thanks.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 1994 Johnson 175

you missed the wiring harness to the vro pump.

VRO conversion w/ pump still working

if the fuel side on your Pump is still working it is very simple. unplug the 2 line harness going to the oil tank, unplug the 3 or 4 wire harness, going to the Vro pump. cut and cap the oil line going into the motor. add oil to fuel tank, mix well, then remove fuel line at top carb, catching gas in a container, pump the fuel line bulb until you get premixed gas to the carb. you can tell as it will change color. put line back on carb, and go boating.

 

[Jacobsdl]

Re: 1994 Johnson 175

Thanks, I'll try it. I won't be out on the water for a week or two so I'll update you if that solves it...

 

[Jacobsdl]

Re: 1994 Johnson 175

Hello, I finally got a chance to do some boating yesterday and have some additional findings. My alarm goes off rapidly at high speed and slows down when brought back to neutral, but does not stop in neutral. At low speed and neutral I squeezed the primer bulb and the alarm turned off, so I'm thinking fuel retriction problems. Can you provide a checklist of things to look at easiest to hardest? Thanks.

 

[d.boat]

Re: 1994 Johnson 175

Hello, I finally got a chance to do some boating yesterday and have some additional findings. My alarm goes off rapidly at high speed and slows down when brought back to neutral, but does not stop in neutral. At low speed and neutral I squeezed the primer bulb and the alarm turned off, so I'm thinking fuel retriction problems. Can you provide a checklist of things to look at easiest to hardest? Thanks.

a rapid on-off alarm is "no oil", the sensor is at the oil part of the VRO fuel pump.

A fuel restriction alarm is constant. The sensor is a vacuum switch mounted near the fuel pump.