'87 225 vro pump

mtngringo

Cadet
Joined
Mar 25, 2003
Messages
23
Well, OBJ, Clanton, Joe Reeves, whomever....thanks for all the advice that has gotten me to this point....<br /><br />After noting that the VRO pump would not shoot any fuel out the outlet when engine is spun, I took the pump off and in to the dealer in Puerto Vallarta. He took a look inside, said, the diaphragm was bad, and put in a new one he had in stock. He said it would work like a charm now, although he didn't test it.<br /><br />I reinstalled it. Darned thing still doesn't pump a drop.<br /><br />To recap....the engine will run indefinitely, and sounds normal, so long as I pump the bulb manually every minute or so to keep the carbuetor bowls filled. <br /><br />But, the VRO is not pumping one bit, even with the new diaphragm. Within a minute or so of my stopping the manual pumping, the available fuel in the carburetors is used up and the engine bogs and dies, just as always.<br /><br />The vaccuum pulse hose that powers the VRO has a very faint pulse. Is this normal? (I haven't found a gauge to measure the pulse and don't know what sort of gauge to look for in any case, I have to admit.)<br /> <br />The pulse hose seems clear and unobstructed when I blow in it. There are no leaks or cracks in it.<br /><br />To make sure I'm not completely crossed up here, the pulse hose is the 3/8 (looks just like fuel line) hose that comes off the block and attaches to the most aft, and downward pointing fitting, of the VRO, right? <br /><br />Is it most likely that A: there is still something wrong inside that VRO pump that the dealer didn't fix? Or, B: for some reason there is not enough pulse to power it?<br /><br />Or something else altogether I haven't even thought of...??
 

clanton

Rear Admiral
Joined
Jul 9, 2001
Messages
4,876
Re: '87 225 vro pump

Take the pulse fitting out of the block and clean,sometimes carbon will restrict the fitting. You need a vacumn gauge with a damper in the hose or the pulses slam the gauge needle back and forth. Kawasaki dealers used to have these in a set of 4, may be you can borrow one. You should have about a 6 lb pulse.
 

Mufasa

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jan 9, 2003
Messages
109
Re: '87 225 vro pump

If the motor runs fine with fuel I suspect the pulse is OK also. The dealer most likely missed something. I do not even bother taking them apart anymore. I have been in your situation with a repaired pump that still did not work. Just get a new one. Make sure the new pump is consuming oil also. I reccomend running a pre-mix 50:1 until you are certain it is working properly.
 

mtngringo

Cadet
Joined
Mar 25, 2003
Messages
23
Re: '87 225 vro pump

Thanks Clanton and Master tech...<br /><br />tried to get the pulse hose fitting out of the block this afternoon...didn't quite get it done. That is a really tight, awkward space to work in. (Boat is in the water, docked.)<br /><br />Will buy a couple more tools that might help me get the fitting out. <br /><br />Something curious...when I blow, then draw (alright, suck) on the pulse hose, it moves air freely, but I hear a little blurpblurp sound from inside the block...as if there's something wiggling in there when I move the air back and forth....does that sound weird or is it normal?<br /><br />Master Tech, I tend to suspect as you do that the dealer missed something...I hate to say it, but he's one of those unfriendly, doin' you a favor to wait on ya kind of guys...<br /><br />This pump is only five years old so it's surprising it would have failed. If I can't get this pump working, I will have to investigate importing one myself...as having the dealer order it takes months to get it, plus the dealer's price here in Mexico is $430 dollars. I think they run around $235 when ordered from the US. (Even $235 seems an absurd price for this simple little plastic and rubber mechanism.)<br /><br />Master Tech, other than the diaphragm, what else can go wrong inside the thing? I'm going to open it up and have another look at it...
 

clanton

Rear Admiral
Joined
Jul 9, 2001
Messages
4,876
Re: '87 225 vro pump

The pulse fitting has a flame deflector in it, I dont think you should here anything moving inside the fitting, there is a new inproved fitting for the pumps, blue in color, used to come with all new pumps. I working on a pump for a 70 hp engine, trying to save a dollar, my engine. I have had pump apart 3 times, vacuum checked all diaphrams, still will not pump, new one on the way.
 

mtngringo

Cadet
Joined
Mar 25, 2003
Messages
23
Re: '87 225 vro pump

Thanks clanton...the fitting is blue...the sound of blup blup comes from inside the block...doesn't seem to come from the fitting...it's similar to the little blup blup sound you hear at times when turning the flywheel through by hand...
 

seahorse5

Rear Admiral
Joined
Jan 24, 2002
Messages
4,698
Re: '87 225 vro pump

From your description, it sounds like the pulse check valves, in the rectangular part just above the pulse line, are bad. Those direct the positive and vacuum pulses to the correct sides of the air motor diaphragm. Most of the time they are damaged from a motor running lean and backfiring, especially when being flushed out on a hose, or when thermostats or idle adjustments are faulty. You perhaps can find another housing to try to see if that is the problem.
 

mtngringo

Cadet
Joined
Mar 25, 2003
Messages
23
Re: '87 225 vro pump

clanton, OBJ, JR, Seahorse, mastertech, and everyone else that helped out...thanks so much again for your patience and the educational tips...thanks to all of you this story finally has a happy ending...today I disassembled the VRO pump and sure enough, the dealer did not reassemble it correctly. Inside there is a slender metal tubing, or sleeve, that runs from one main pump chamber to the other, then also drives a small cylinder in the oil pump chamber. Each end of this slender tube is threaded and has a screw which secures the chamber assemblies on each end. On the end which extends into the oil pump chamber, the screw was out entirely...not even threaded a bit...<br /><br />With this taken care of and reassembled, the engine runs very nicely once again.
 
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