Vro to Fuel pump

[lyncraft_mechanic]

well about 2 weeks ago i was out fishing when i noticed my 1989, 100HP Johnson outboard started to skip and didnt like to idle down so when i got home i did a spark test and found a weak coil so i replaced it......... after the installation of the new coil i ran the engine on muffs in the yard and the skip did not go away. I did a compreesion test and found that i was in trouble because one cylinder was only about 80psi and all the rest were between 110and 90psi. I pulled the head the next night after work and discovered the bad cylinder was missing a ring and the piston was all chipped up, i was surprised that the cylinders were actually not that bad a shape so i bought a new cylinder hone and have been spending the last two weeks ordering parts for a complete rebuild of the powerhead. Im blaming the ring failure on the not so reliable VRO2 pump and have decided to go with a regular fuel pump and mix my own fuel. now i know where and how to mount the regular fuel pump but my question is do i have to plug off the nipple that ran the vro pump located on the intake directly below the regular fuel pump location?

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: Vro to Fuel pump

If the VRO was at fault, you would have more than one bad cylinder as the fuel/oil is mixed within the VRO then delivered to "all" of the carburetors. It is more likely that a carburetor has fouled somewhat and caused that cylinder to run lean. Be sure to clean thoroughly "all" carburetors and rebuild them using complete carburetor kits to avoid a repeat of the problem.

Changing over to pre-mix.......................

(VRO Changeover Judgement Call)
(J. Reeves)

The VROs first came out in 1984 and have been upgraded quite a few times. In my opinion, back around 1988, they had perfected them but I think that they were upgraded even more since then. As long as the warning system is operating as it should, I feel quite at ease with them.

Some boaters have voiced their thoughts such as "What if that overpriced plastic horn should fail while I'm under way for some reason, and the VRO decides to fail five minutes later?" Obviously that would result in a big problem which really brings their fears into view.

The word "ease" is the key word though. If one has the slightest feeling of being ill at ease with that setup, then they should take the route they feel more at ease with. A judgement call each individual would need to make on their own.

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(VRO Pump Conversion To Straight Fuel Pump)
(J. Reeves)

You can convert the VRO pump into a straight fuel pump, eliminating the oil tank and VRO pump warning system, but retain the overheat warning setup (and fuel restriction warning if so equipped) by doing the following:

1 - Cut and plug the oil line at the engine so that the oil side of the VRO pump will not draw air into its system. Trace the wires from the back of the VRO to its rubber plug (electrical plug) and disconnect it.

2 - Trace the two wires from the oil tank to the engine, disconnect those two wires, then remove them and the oil tank.

3 - Mix the 50/1 oil in the proper amount with whatever quantity fuel you have. Disconnect the fuel line at the engine. Pump the fuel primer bulb until fuel exits that hose with the tint of whatever oil you used. Reconnect the fuel hose.

That's it. If you want to test the heat warning system to ease your mind, have the key in the on position, then ground out the tan heat sensor wire that you'll find protruding from the cylinder head. The warning horn should sound off.