Oil Leaking into Fuel Line when Stored

[rustyscrew]

I have a 1994 Evinrude 120hp. I am having trouble with it accumulating oil in the fuel line (and possibly the carbs) when it is being stored for a week or more. Symptoms are an extremely smokey and rough start that I can get through and then it runs fine. BUT it can take awhile and it is really nasty.

I have an inline plastic fuel filter just inboard of the VRO and I can see it turn black once it the engine sits for at least a week. I just drained the carbs and installed a new fuel filter and some new fuel lines because I thought perhaps an air leak in the line might cause this. The verdict is still out, but I am curious whether anyone else has experienced this.

It sat for about 4 months and when I drained the carbs, the port side lower carb bowl was filled with a really dark oily sludge. I was surprised to see it on the carb side of things.

I am curious if I should suspect a bad seal in the VRO and if so, is the seal replaceable?

thanks in advance.

 

[SparkieBoat]

Re: Oil Leaking into Fuel Line when Stored

you cannot rebuild the VRO side of your pump, only the fuel side. I am a premix guy, so I have plugged off my VRO. If you are going to let your motor sit for over a few weeks, I would disconnect and cap off the fuel and oil lines, then drain the carb bowls. I would also use a good gas stabilizer additive in my fuel.

 

[boobie]

Re: Oil Leaking into Fuel Line when Stored

Check the cap on your vro oil tank to make sure it's venting and the tank is not building up pressure. You may want to loosen the cap when the mtr is sitting for awhile.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Oil Leaking into Fuel Line when Stored

Is black the color of the oil you use? Maybe the fuel lines are breaking down, and you see bits of disolved rubber?

If a 2 cycle motor (premix or not) is left for a week or son, it would be normal to have heavy smoke upon startup, as some/all of the gasoline will have evaporated.

 

[rustyscrew]

Re: Oil Leaking into Fuel Line when Stored

Thanks for the comments. It is definitely 2-stroke oil and not the hoses breaking down. I am used to dirty first starts, but this is off the charts.

Either I will go to premix or install some valves to "disconnect" the fuel from the VRO.

Thanks SparkieBoat for letting me know whether I can rebuild the VRO. That saves me plenty of time!

 

[rotinknee2]

Re: Oil Leaking into Fuel Line when Stored

I have a 94 or 95 Johnson 115 with the VRO and i wanna go to premix and instal a cut-off valve for the file so i can run it out of gas after every trip if this is possible what steps do i need to take to do it properly.... any help would be greatly appreciated....

you cannot rebuild the VRO side of your pump, only the fuel side. I am a premix guy, so I have plugged off my VRO. If you are going to let your motor sit for over a few weeks, I would disconnect and cap off the fuel and oil lines, then drain the carb bowls. I would also use a good gas stabilizer additive in my fuel.

 

[Haffiman]

Re: Oil Leaking into Fuel Line when Stored

The VRO by itself may not fill up the carbs with oil except under two conditions:
1: It is a pressure build-up in the VRO oil tank due to faulty ventilation of cap.
2: The oil tank is installed ABOVE the engine and as such a siphoning situation is created.
The 'oil pump' in the VRO does not have any type of seal to stop oil flowing to the fuelmix chamber in the VRO.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Oil Leaking into Fuel Line when Stored

Rotin, It is not recommended to run multi cylinder 2 cycle OBs out of fuel. You risk engine damage as one cylinder runs out of fuel and lubrication first, and motor continues to run.

 

[rotinknee2]

Re: Oil Leaking into Fuel Line when Stored

I did it for years on my older Johnson 150.

 

[SparkieBoat]

Re: Oil Leaking into Fuel Line when Stored

Chris is correct..you do slight damage to your engine every time you run it lean..may not show it during the life of the motor but that does not mean it is a good thing to do. use the carb bowl drain plugs.

 

[rustyscrew]

Re: Oil Leaking into Fuel Line when Stored

The oil reservoir is above the carb. It has been there for about 5 years though and this is a problem new to the last year. Lowering the reservoir might help the situation though. I just checked and the oil is still leaking into the fuel line even after replacing the spin on filter mount and some hoses. Hmmmm. Positive pressure on the oil side. I should check on the venting cap. Thanks.

The VRO by itself may not fill up the carbs with oil except under two conditions:
1: It is a pressure build-up in the VRO oil tank due to faulty ventilation of cap.
2: The oil tank is installed ABOVE the engine and as such a siphoning situation is created.
The 'oil pump' in the VRO does not have any type of seal to stop oil flowing to the fuelmix chamber in the VRO.

 

[boobie]

Re: Oil Leaking into Fuel Line when Stored

Check post # 3.

 

[rustyscrew]

Re: Oil Leaking into Fuel Line when Stored

Ahhhh yes. Missed that one. Well that would be an easy fix. Fingers crossed big time. Thanks!

Check post # 3.