1984 Evinrude 150--fuel problem?

[sabbett4]

Took the boat out yesterday; ran great until was heading back. Was going between 10-12 mph and kept bogging out and dying. This happened around five or six times. It took about three tries each time to get the motor started and going. Finally, my father starting pumping the ball when it sounded like it was going to die--this seemed to work. During the last ten-minute stretch until the ramp, it didn't die. When I got home, I took the hood off to look for leaks or anything. The only thing I did notice was that the VRO pump kind of "puttered" and a little puff of smoke came out for about two minutes at the beginning. Obviously, I'm not an expert, so I'm not sure if this is normal. The fact that it did ok when my father pumped the ball leads me to believe it's a fuel issue--again, I'm not an expert. Any help on this matter would be great. Thanks!

 

[OBJ]

Re: 1984 Evinrude 150--fuel problem?

The pumps fuel diaphram may be cracked losing it's pumping power. These can be replaced but a OEM service manual would really help out.....well...a later service manual would. The early manuals didn't have a lot of info on the pumps. The later manuals came with a chart as to how to check the pump.<br /><br />Is this a newer pump...that is....does it have alarm tones for Low Oil Level or No Oil Flow?

 

[sabbett4]

Re: 1984 Evinrude 150--fuel problem?

I believe that it's the original VRO pump. I don't see anywhere in my manual that indicates an alarm for the VRO; however, I do see a warning horn that is enclosed in the cover assembly of my shifter--I'm not sure if this is what you're talking about. Looking at the VRO in the parts catalog of my manual, I don't see anything about a fuel diaphram.

 

[sabbett4]

Re: 1984 Evinrude 150--fuel problem?

Ran it again last night with the muffs for about 5 to 7 min...it did the same thing--little puffs of smoke came out three times within the first 20 seconds, but nothing after that. It seems to run fine, but I'm hesitant to put it back in the water.

 

[sabbett4]

Re: 1984 Evinrude 150--fuel problem?

advice??

 

[sabbett4]

Re: 1984 Evinrude 150--fuel problem?

Anybody have any advice on this?

 

[Tom Scully]

Re: 1984 Evinrude 150--fuel problem?

The fact that the boat ran OK with the fuel bulb being pumped indicates a fuel pump issue. As OBJ said it could be a number of things with the pump. Considering the age of the pump I would rebuild the pump, you can order the kit at your local dealer or via the net.

 

[ezeke]

Re: 1984 Evinrude 150--fuel problem?

Here is a pretty good link to information that will help you with your decisions: VRO Article

 

[sabbett4]

Re: 1984 Evinrude 150--fuel problem?

Great website Ezeke...Thanks<br />I've got the original manual for my '85 Evinrude 150, but like OBJ said, it doesn't break the VRO pump down in detail. Any opinion on the best manual to get to help me rebuild this. Also, do I just need the fuel pump kit?--what would be the part number on this? <br /><br />Thanks again for all the advise!

 

[ezeke]

Re: 1984 Evinrude 150--fuel problem?

Just rebuilt mine, so I have some stuff. Email to [edit] and I'll send it to you.

 

[sabbett4]

Re: 1984 Evinrude 150--fuel problem?

Rebuilt the VRO a couple of weeks ago, and was just able to try it out this weekend. I had the same kind of issues, but they seemed different. The motor starts up great and idles great, but when I put the throttle down it doesn't go. The difference this time was that it never stalled on me, it just wouldn't go when the throttle was down. I could get it to run about 10mph. Once in awhile it would seem to "kick in" as I was going, but then it would bog back down. It still seems to be a fuel issue. Back to square one, any help. Thanks

 

[ezeke]

Re: 1984 Evinrude 150--fuel problem?

I don't want to make assumptions so I would want to first be sure that there is no restriction on your fuel supply before the pump.

Did you replace the fuel filter at the pump?

Do you have a portable tank that you could try?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 1984 Evinrude 150--fuel problem?

have you check your compression?

 

[ScottGW]

Re: 1984 Evinrude 150--fuel problem?

I had a similar problem yesterday with my 84 115 VRO, she would idle perfect, ran smooth, but had no power, it turned out that the carb linkage popped off so she was only running off one carb, I know it sounds strange, but it is just another thing to check. I popped her back on and she took off like a rocket. Thanks for that link, it ansered a lot of quesdtions for me, I now think I might be sucking air into my iol system, and I need to get the Q champion plugs .

 

[sabbett4]

Re: 1984 Evinrude 150--fuel problem?

I'm going to finally do some checking today. I bought a portable tank and go that route first. Do I hook the portable tank directly to fuel intake at the VRO pump? I'm also going to do a compression check. Anything else I might try? Thanks.

 

[sabbett4]

Re: 1984 Evinrude 150--fuel problem?

Checked the compression and it was 85-90 on all six; I noticed that one of the spark plugs was corroded and rusty...could that cause my problem? I cleaned them up and it seemed to run fine with the muffs on. Even when I put it in gear it ran fine and didn't bog. I have a hard time believing that it was due to one rusty spark plug.

 

[sabbett4]

Re: 1984 Evinrude 150--fuel problem?

Is 85-90 psi on a 150 ok? I checked the fuel supply and it isn't restricted. Again, I'm guessing that my problem isn't one rusty spark plug...I have a feeling that once I put it back into the water I'm going to have the same results. Any advice on what to try next?

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: 1984 Evinrude 150--fuel problem?

95 lbs of compression would be more normal, but your figures are not bad. It should be fine. You could run a can of engine tuner through the engine and see if you pick up any compression.

 

[sabbett4]

Re: 1984 Evinrude 150--fuel problem?

Could one rusty/corroded spark plug cause my problem?