Re: Do I need to disconnect VRO- '88 Evinrude 120
another question:
I didn't realize there is a VRO pump failure alarm. This is a 20 year old boat, new to me.
Is there a way to test to see if the alarm works? I would be much more at ease if I knew that it worked.
Also, say I keep the VRO, and the alarm works, and I'm out on the lake and the alarm goes off. Would it be ok to pour some oil into the gas tank, to get myself home?
thanks,
Dan L
I tend to come down on the side of keep your VRO/OMS pump unless you just don't think it's working right or don't like it. If you read the Bill Grannis article referenced above, I think you'll find it's a reliable system that just requires some maintenance and periodic check-ups.
I recommend you get a factory shop manual for your engine. The oil system maintenance, connections, priming, alarm checking, etc. are all in there.
You should absolutely run pre-mixed 50:1 fuel in your tanks until all of the following are verified.
First, you should mark the oil tank with a magic marker or marked tape so you can keep an eye on oil usage routinely. I mark it with a line every pint... I started with an empty tank and just marked each quart, with another line 1/2 way between each quart line. It doesn't have to be obsessively precise. I keep an eye on this all the time. Frankly, I wonder why those tanks don't come with permanent marks on them.
You then cruise for long enough to burn 5-10+ gallons, measure the fuel used, and see if it corresponds with the correct amount of oil being used. Should be about 50-60:1. When you fill your tank, you'll be adding oil and you can just keep in mind that every time you put in 6-12 gallons, you should be adding 1-2 pints.
There are two oil related alarms, both can easily be tested.
I'm going to assume you do not have the "system check" gauges that have lighted alarms at the tachometer. Those came out in the early-mid 90s.
Every time you run the engine, make sure the alarm beeper works. You should hear it chirp every time you turn on the key.
First oil alarm: "No Oil" alarm beeps every second or so - pretty rapidly. It gets your attention. This alarm indicates no oil is getting to the fuel pump. The signal is sent from a little sensor in the oil side of the fuel pump.
To test "No Oil", you need to disconnect the oil line right at the pump. You then start the engine (on the hose or in the water of course) and run it. Very soon, you should hear the No Oil alarm pattern. This shows you that the No Oil alarm is working properly. Just a reminder, don't do this unless you're running premixed fuel!
You then re-prime the oil line. Use oil primer bulb to purge all air from the line until you're sure the oil is flowing uninterrupted (catch in a jar), then reconnect to fuel pump using proper ratchet clamps. When you re-start the engine, the alarm should quit fairly soon. This indicates that the system has been primed properly and the oil is flowing.
Second oil alarm: "Low Oil" alarm is a beep every ~20-40 seconds. It's kind of a lazy alarm. This alarm is generated in the oil tank. There is a float that sends a signal if the oil level gets low (I think around 1 quart).
To test "Low Oil" you need to empty the tank down below a quart. As long as the oil pickup filter is covered with oil, you won't have to re-prime the system. When you start the engine (again, on the hose or in the water), you should fairly soon hear the "low oil" alarm. When you start hearing it, then go ahead and add some oil to the tank and by the time it gets to 2 quarts in the tank, the alarm should stop.
Before you do the "Low Oil" test, you might want to take the opportunity to empty the oil tank completely, check for crud or moisture at the bottom, clean it, replace the pickup-filter, etc., and then when you re-fill the tank you can mark it w/ each quart you add. Start by putting in just 1 quart and marking that so you can test the "Low Oil" before you add that second quart. IF you empty it completely, it's not a big deal, but you will have to disconnect the line at the fuel pump in order to properly purge and re-prime the line.
This might sound complicated, and might take you an hour the first time. But as it is kind of a routine maintenance thing, it becomes quick and easy. I just did everything I described above (including full tank maintenance) the other day and it took about 20-30 minutes. Again, all of this is in the factory shop manual, which is money well spent.
There is an actual sticker you can put on your dashboard with the alarm signals that you can get from a Johnson/Evinrude parts dealer, or you could just make your own label. That's what I did.
