Re: oil tank vs premix
(VRO Changeover Judgement Call) <br />(J. Reeves)<br /> <br /> 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />********************<br />(VRO Pump Conversion To Straight Fuel Pump)<br />(J. Reeves)<br /><br />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 by doing the following:<br /><br />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.<br /><br />2 - Trace the two wires from the oil tank to the engine, disconnect those two wires, then remove them and the oil tank.<br /><br />3 - Mix the 50/1 oil in the proper amount with whatever quanity 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.<br /><br />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.
<br />I spent the $265 to replace it with a new VRO/fuel pump to be able to not have to run pre-mix. Nothing in the world wrong with pre-mix that is mixed properly. My problem is multple users that I would never be comfortable that they mixed the gas and oil properly. With the VRO, I don't have that worry.<br />If you are not getting any alarms, your VRO could very well be functioning properly. If you want to check it out, run 50:1 premix for a while and mark the oil tank to be sure the oil level goes down. When I purchased my boat used, I did that for about 20 gallons of fuel to be sure the VRO was working. I did the same thing for about 6 to 10 gallons after I changed the VRO/fuel pump to make sure the new pump was working. When you are comfortable with the VRO system, just start using straight gas and be sure you keep oil in the oil tank. It does have an alarm if the oil level in the tank gets low.
