After lots of research and dealer visit still need help with VRO unit leaking on top

[WA-Newb]

While trying to troubleshoot my '87 Johnson 120 erratic or surging idle I noticed a small bit of fuel / oil coming out of the top of my VRO. I stopped by dealer / mechanic and asked them about it..he pulled out a brand new VRO unit so I could show him where the leak was but it DID NOT have the same cap / disc thing on the top like mine "DID"...it just had the hole like mine does NOW.

First the fuel or oil mix was coming out only when I squeezed the primer bulb hard so I thought it may be a pressure relief cap or something..still not sure what it is but now the fuel comes out pretty steady (had to unhook the hose to stop it).
While messing with it I broke off the disc / cap and exposed the hole with a pin in it...NOW IT LOOKS LIKE THE ONE THE DEALER HAD.

Can someone please tell me the following regarding two attached photos
a) What is this hole and should there be a CAP / DISC or just the HOLE?
b) If this type of leak is common and easily fixable without spending a bunch of money on another VRO unit.

First it looked like this...and only leaked when bulb was primed (that I saw anyway).


Then I saw it leaking all the time and broke / removed the cap or disc...so it looks like this now.


Help with this is greatly appreciated as I am stuck right now and just got my new plugs (per Joe Reeves) and new DVA meter...(per my stubbornness to learn the ignition tests myself..lol) but am unable to run motor now for testing.

 

[AlTn]

Re: After lots of research and dealer visit still need help with VRO unit leaking on

try maxrules.com...evinrude/johnson parts...vro articles...might be of help

 

[WernerF]

Re: After lots of research and dealer visit still need help with VRO unit leaking on

The pin you can see is part of the oil flow sensor. The small hole leads to the fuel inlet chamber.
Oil is pumped into the fuel inlet chamber (the room above the fuel inlet fitting) creating a pressure pulse. This in turn pushes the pin towards the oil pump side. The pin is probably magnetic (or there is a magnet nearby) and the pin's movement opens and closes a reed contact located on the other side of the pin.

So it can't be a relief hole. I think if you haven't damaged the pin (maybe touching with a magnetized screwdriver will already do so) and you can find fuel-resistant epoxy glue you can simply glue the cap back in place. It's worth a try. The glue surface must be perfectly clean and you need to find the circle's exact position in order to match the broken edges.

Here is a good explanation how the VRO works: continuousWave: Whaler: Reference: VRO Fuel-Oil Mixing
Your photo is the puzzle's last piece.

 

[phillnjack2]

Re: After lots of research and dealer visit still need help with VRO unit leaking on

something ive had with 2 vro's yes it leaked and no i didnt manage to repair it.

another reason to get rid of those pumps and go back to proper pre mix.
the pumps are far too expensive, and the old type pumps are far more reliable.
the continous wave thing must be written by the bloke who invented the dreadfull vro system that omc and brp used.

far too many variables to go wrong.
epoxy glue !!!!! might fix it,but i would be looking more at something like the glue to weld plastic plumbing pipes.

hope you get it fixed either way.
but i would just dump the pump and go pre-mix.

max rules sells the pumps..but he is more expensive then brp


phill

 

[WA-Newb]

Re: After lots of research and dealer visit still need help with VRO unit leaking on

Aitn...just got done reading all I could on Maxrules and have emailed them...thank you.

Werner...I actually decided to take the pump apart and see for myself what was what...bad idea I guess as it now literally sprays gas a foot high when I squeeze the primer bulb and I was very careful putting it all back together so have no idea what's up there.
But what I found interesting is when looking inside the pump I can see the pin hole that goes from inside the main fuel chamber into the metal pin area (where I broke the cap off) so this means there is definitely supposed to be fuel getting to that pin...that makes sense to me.
What doesn't make sense is the cap I broke off was
A) barely on there and seemed like I could wiggle it around or lift it a bit
and B) is not on the new VRO pump the dealer had...you could just see the pin just like in my second photo...plus someone else said they never put a cap on that hole...so I am at a loss here.
That would mean gas would leak out just like mine..I am surprised there is not more info on this online somewhere since I have read others seeing a leak there.

phil..and all.
I am actually looking into getting the standard non VRO pump right now.

This is stressful since I am reading so many different opinions etc. some say I must use two pumps while others say 1 works fine...
some say to use the same line that was used for my VRO pump and just plug in the new pump directly to that...others say plug that line and attach it directly to the intake manifold.

I guess right now I need
a) Part number for the cheapest pump I can use to replace this pump since I still don't know about this motors issues (have never gotten to run it except on muffs) but will not cause fuel starvation or other symptoms which could throw me off on next phase of newbie troubleshooting.
b) Preferably one that will let me plug into the existing lines since I cannot find the three bolts needed for the mount on type of pumps.

Again I have done quite a bit of reading so far and not sure if it has helped me or made my decision making process worse to be honest...lol

p.s. what is brp?

Thanks to all

 

[WernerF]

Re: After lots of research and dealer visit still need help with VRO unit leaking on

The continuouswhaler's crosssection also shows the circle cap. I guess it's there to allow access during manufacturing. Later design improvements obviously got rid of the possible leak.
I think I remember another thread elsewhere about fuel leaking from the cap. But the common opinion about VRO problems is to get rid of it. So experience about fixing VROs can't grow.

brp = Bombardier Recreational Products