Temporarily disconnecting VRO - will it damage oil pump?

[ShoestringMariner]

I bought a 1986 Johnson 60 with VRO intact. I’m going to clean/rebuild carbs and run it on premix (it’s what I use in my other boat and all I currently have in my fuel tanks)

I haven’t decided whether to bypass permanently, so wondering if disconnecting VRO to test run will damage the oil pump.

Any thoughts?

How foolish is it to keep running a 1980’s motor on VRO? I see a lot of motors with bad power heads.

Thanks in advance.

 

[racerone]

No need to disconnect the VRO during the test run !!-----But mark your oil tank and monitor oil level while running at 50:1 mix.----Sorry----Questions such as this make it clear to me why 4 strokes are so popular today.

 

[ShoestringMariner]

No need to disconnect the VRO during the test run !!-----But mark your oil tank and monitor oil level while running at 50:1 mix.----Sorry----Questions such as this make it clear to me why 4 strokes are so popular today.

Thanks. I can’t afford a 4 stroke or I’d have one. I want to clean up my act. 15k Canadian to switch over

I didn’t think I’d be able to run it on premixed at the same time figuring it would effectively be running at 25:1

 

[racerone]

Any one who runs a motor with VRO in Canada ( 7 months of storage ? ) needs to accept that running the first tank in the season should be 50:1 mix.----Then if you have confirmed that VRO is indeed injecting oil you go to straight gas.-----Or pay the shop to verify operation of VRO and alarms.---If VRO is working and motor is at 25:1 then it will smoke a bit more but no cylinder damage will occur.

 

[ShoestringMariner]

Any one who runs a motor with VRO in Canada ( 7 months of storage ? ) needs to accept that running the first tank in the season should be 50:1 mix.----Then if you have confirmed that VRO is indeed injecting oil you go to straight gas.-----Or pay the shop to verify operation of VRO and alarms.---If VRO is working and motor is at 25:1 then it will smoke a bit more but no cylinder damage will occur.

Yeah, more like 8-9 months of storage. Only hardcore people have them in the water early/late. Most cottagers put in may 24 weekend to labour day. Some keep in to Canadian thanksgiving (Oct)

after that we start preparing for igloo building.

me, I’m April to November if I can

 

[oldboat1]

While you are testing with a portable tank, it wouldn't hurt to make sure the fuel in the permanent tanks is free of water or other contaminants. Pull some from the bottom(s) and let it settle out in a glass jar (any water will end up at the bottom). Can save a bunch of carb work.

 

[racerone]

The moving part of the oil pump is just a wee piston with an o-ring in a bore ( 3/8" diameter ) and is very rugged.------That part of this wonderful pump rarely fails.------These VRO pumps are not well understood , appear to be complicated and voodoo.

 

[ShoestringMariner]

The moving part of the oil pump is just a wee piston with an o-ring in a bore ( 3/8" diameter ) and is very rugged.------That part of this wonderful pump rarely fails.------These VRO pumps are not well understood , appear to be complicated and voodoo.

Ok good to know. I went digging trying to understand the apparently commonly misunderstood system. I found this in depth article for anyone interested: https://www.performanceoutdoors.net/threads/vro-oil-pump-information.9050/

I was thinking of keeping this motor as a backup but I’m going to loan it out for now. If I keep it, I will likely disconnect the vro as I like only one type of fuel in the boat. My kicker is still 2stroke and I want all fuel cells to be interchangeable.

unless I replace the kicker with a 4 stroke....hmmm

 

[ShoestringMariner]

Any one who runs a motor with VRO in Canada ( 7 months of storage ? ) needs to accept that running the first tank in the season should be 50:1 mix.----Then if you have confirmed that VRO is indeed injecting oil you go to straight gas.-----Or pay the shop to verify operation of VRO and alarms.---If VRO is working and motor is at 25:1 then it will smoke a bit more but no cylinder damage will occur.

Can we come back to this?

what does the dealer do to verify operation?


Part of what I’m interested in is that I’ve heard VRO’s are cleaner running.
Running both seems like a bad idea. (Yes, I know, if I’m so concerned about polluting, I should go 4 stroke...I’m getting there slowly)