VRO or Not

[Fleetwin]

Re: VRO or Not

Bonz-d, I am not an expert on a 1987 50HP Johnny, but question whether the engine is supposed to quit, if it runs out of oil. My '98 Johnny certainly doesn't have that feature. You might doublecheck.

Correct. The system WILL NOT shut down the engine, it will just warn the operator. But, warnings are to be ignored.:facepalm:

I go back to my previous post. Technology is not all bad. The system works beautifully, if maintained and the warning system has not been manipulated.

Carburetor (2-stroke) issues kill more engines today than ever. Our (new fuels) evaporate fast and gunk up carb's more than ever before. You have to stay on top of it.

I am so glad that I went Four Stroke and I/O. I no longer have to be so sensitive to issues caused by junk fuel.

I am still waiting for someone to explain to me how an (OMC) oil injection system failure wiped out cylinders without wiping them all out.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: VRO or Not

Must be my own misunderstanding of something I read while searching VRO as the service manual does not mention shutting down.

As I'd read in the search most all damage found to a damaged cylinder also corrisponded to a faulty carb on that cylinder, at least with the twin carb 2 cylinders and 3 carbed 3 cylinder models. The V4 I didn't really read and follow as closely. But those that did have a pump failure there was visual damage to all cylinders. Again this is just from the reading I've found on the web.

 

[SigSaurP229]

Re: VRO or Not

Little boat, I vote for keeping the VRO. You say its an '89? It has an audible alarm. Lets you know when the oil in the resevoir is at 1/4 as well as overheat alarm and no oil alarm. When you first turn the key to on you should hear a chirp. You can test the alarm by turning the key on and grounding one of the overheat thermo sensors (tan wire, one on each head at the top).

Sig Saur, when you say your motor fried in two minutes after the alarm went off, why even have an alarm? Sounds to me like the system worked. Operator didn't listen.

BTw i have an '86 140hp with the vro still functioning as intended.


Bob

You are right but you can't shut the boat down right next to the dam it doesn't work that way. It has to be moved. So regardless of wether you want to listen or not you have no choice but to move the boat.

You are right fuel pumps do go all the time but when a normal fuel pump goes you don't risk the whole powerhead.

Again I don't disagree with anyone's opinion, everyone is entitled to their own, my opinion is I won't have another VRO injected motor. If your a/c compressor goes on the car it won't destroy the whole engine will it?

 

[rtek816]

Re: VRO or Not

I think that VRO may have saved your life! If you premixed and the pump failed you'd go over the dam right? Damn...That alarm allowed you to get 2 minutes away!

 

[SigSaurP229]

Re: VRO or Not

I disagree, I think that had the VRO not failed in the first place the engine would have kept running rather than seized on all three cylinders. Was kind of amazing it was the toon in my avatar that seized with my family on it. I towed the toon in with my 15' trihull, running the dreaded 50:1 mix on the original fuel pump from 1972. Older style fuel pumps tend to give a little warning by bogging or not staying running before they go bad If the oil injection side of the VRO goes bad you get an alarm followed very shortly by sevear engine damage.

So I guess you can look at it this way,

If a VRO goes bad on the water you stand the risk of seizing a powerhead. So you replace the VRO pump at $387.99 then you have the powerhead machined and rebuilt for $1895.00 Then you are back on the water 4 weeks later.

An Old style fuel pump goes bad on the water the engine bogs and turns itself off. You load the boat back on the trailer or if stuck in the middle of the water you keep squeezing the crap out of the primer bulb to make it back to the ramp. $17.99 and two hours later you are back on the water.


If I remember correctly the VRO was marketed as a safer less maintenance way of doing things.

Even if you do a fuel pump replacement every two years for the lifetime you own the engine on a standard pump (since this is supposedly standard maintenance)

20 years /2 Equals 10 rebuild kits at $17.00 per kit equals $170.00

VRO pump 20years/2 years 10 VRO pumps. at $387.99= $3,789.90

Even if I carry a spare VRO on the water that is more than 10 rebuilds for a standard fuel pump.

Additionally with a standard fuel pump most likely the boat wouldn't have made it out of the no wake zone that day so odds are it would have been back on the trailer.



I don't see the benefit to a VRO pump at all other than pure laziness.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: VRO or Not

I don't see the benefit to a VRO pump at all other than pure laziness.

I find that funny as it doesn't seem to take any more/less time to add a pint of oil to a VRO tank than it does to premix 6 gallons of fuel.

 

[Fleetwin]

Re: VRO or Not

This is turning into an argument as all: Oil Injection, or Not, threads do.

The original poster has heard from both sides. We'll let them make a decision based on their needs.

Fair enough?

 

[boobie]

Re: VRO or Not

Fleetwin, as long as the vro is around you're going to have these debates. Get used to them as I did.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: VRO or Not

Kinda like Bunks or Rollers on a Trailer or the great oil debate.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: VRO or Not

My take is this. The 1987 50hp Johnson I'd picked up has the VRO system intact but disabled. Over this winter I'm going to go through this motor more thoroughly including the VRO. The manual I purchased describes very well how to do it. Then from everything that I have read to date gives me no reasonable reason not to use it if everything works.

I am not going to base my decision on fear of something possibly happening. Because if that were the case then I'd have to give up many things. Just on a boat alone there are many things that can go wrong. A water pump can fail at any time. Even new ones do. A carb can fail and run lean w/o any sign. Heck, one can even run into unseen submerged objects and cause horrific damage and not just to the boat.

 

[dingbat]

Re: VRO or Not

I find that funny as it doesn't seem to take any more/less time to add a pint of oil to a VRO tank than it does to premix 6 gallons of fuel.

well....that 6 gallons of fuel will last me about 20 minutes. When your mixing 82, 76, 91 gallons of fuel, twice, sometimes three times a week, your opinion might change a bit.

Easier to fill my 3 gallon oil tank very couple of days and forget about it.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: VRO or Not

80-90gal is a far cry from 6. Also find it hard to believe anybody is filling 80 gal of premix, at least not here in Wisconsin. So does that make you lazy?

 

[V153]

Re: VRO or Not

I do agree the Very Risky Oil stigma is largely undeserved. But there it is ...

I prefer to premix.

 

[allan_safi]

Re: VRO or Not

Hi. I am new to the forums. I have an 88 model 70hp VRO. My vro just let go on the fuel side, sucking air and over revving. To buy a new one in Australia I was looking at $750. To buy a conventional pump was $70. I am changing over to premix. Even if I had a spare VRO pump, there would be no way in hell I would be able to lean over and change it on the water. At least if a conventional pump dies on the water it's 3 clamps with room to spare and you're done. And it's $70 rather than $750 for a spare. If I was you not knowing the history of the pump would remove it and replace it with a conventional pump.

 

[Fleetwin]

Re: VRO or Not

Fleetwin, as long as the vro is around you're going to have these debates. Get used to them as I did.

I agree, i have been having this discussion since they were introduced.

Curious: we rarely see these discussions in other outboard brand categories?

 

[boobie]

Re: VRO or Not

Probably because the other outboard brands don't have that crappy VRO made out of CPS. Anybody know that the first VRO was made out of aluminum but the bean counters at OMC wouldn't allow it ??

 

[little.boat]

Re: VRO or Not

Well I don't have to worry about it now. When I got down to look at the boat. A 200 mile drive one way. The compression was supposedly tested over 110 in all 6 cylinders. I got there preformed a compression test and best I could muster was 45 psi in one cylinder, most were in the 30's. Needless to say I could have kicked the **** out of the guy.

 

[boobie]

Re: VRO or Not

Before you run off into the heat of the day, Try a known good compression tester.

 

[anzomcik]

Re: VRO or Not

To recheck the compression tester, you could have put your thumb over the plug hole and crank it. 45psi will give you a push but 100psi+ you will know, if your tester is in the ball park.

 

[boobie]

Re: VRO or Not

Try a different tester and be done with it. Leave your thumbs around a beer bottle. LOL