VRO System Check Light/Horn Question

[polo35m]

Hey guys quick question. Running a 2000 150 Ocean Pro. Every 2 to 2.5 minutes the no oil light comes on and the horn sounds for approximately 8 seconds and then goes off but the no oil light stays on. This is very different from other posts I've read where it seems as if the horn either stays on constantly or goes on and off at intervals. When this horn goes off, it stays off while the light remains on. Any idea what this means? It's pumping fuel perfectly as the engine runs perfectly it's smoking so I know it's pumping oil and I even did the clear tube oil test so I know it is pumping oil positively and correctly.. any help is much appreciated

 

[Chris1956]

Hows that? The no oil light comes on and the horn sounds. So far so good.

Now the confusing part. The oil light stays on, but then comes on every 2 to 2.5 minutes?

Not sure I understand.

 

[dingbat]

How much oil is in the oil tank?

 

[polo35m]

I guess I didn't explain it clear enough when you start the engine every single time and I mean every single time, the Noel oil light comes on after approximately 2 to 2 and 1/2 minutes of running and the horn sounds for seconds. The oil tank is slap chock-full

 

[cfauvel]

No-oil
and
Low-oil
are two different condition.

No-oil condition has nothing to with the level of the reservoir.(technically....obviously if there is NO oil in the reservoir then you'd expect the no-oil warning to sound , but that would be LONG after the low-oil warning horn would sound)

The no-oil condition is derived from the electronic section of the VRO.....that piece needs the Tachometer pulse to work, without it, it will never sound the horn (unless the electronics is faulty which rarely happens)

the electronics counts the tach pulses, and if after a certain number it doesn't get a reset, then it sounds the horn.

THE RESET: that comes from a little contact that is actuated from a tiny piston which is moved from the pressure of the oil being pushed through a tiny orifice. for every click of the VRO a shot of oil is injected into the fuel and this tiny orifice passageway, resetting the counter.

I know nothing of the System Check system and their Tachs, but it is NOT uncommon for them to simply poop out and give you wonky symptoms.

The horn too, can go wonky.

Does the horn chirp when you turn the key to ON? if so good (I think all the lights light up one by one as a system check)
Does the horn sound if you have the key to ON and then ground either temp switches' connector? if so good.

To be safe I'd do the following.
Disconnect the oil line from the VRO
remove the reservoir.
Dump the oil from the reservoir into another container. Inspect the reservoir's pickup sock for any debris.
With one end of the oil line into a container...pump air or alcohol through the line to be sure the line is clear.
Refill the reservoir, reconnect oil line at reservoir, other end into a container....pump the reservoir's bulb until you get a nice stream of oil into container....quickly reconnect oil line to VRO.
Try again and see if that resolved the issue (suspect it won't)

Then I'd look at the manual's No-oil Test Procedure and the Oil-consumption Test Procedure to be sure the VRO is sucking oil (which I suspect it is), and that the electronics will set off the no-oil warning horn.


We have some guys here that know the System Check tachs really well and can further diagnose whether it is simply a faulty tach.

 

[polo35m]

Holy cow thanks for all the info and I will try all of it. I did put a section of clear tygon tubing where the oil goes into the vro and it immediately Prime's itself and sucks Crystal Clear zero bubbles. Furthermore I did the test the graduated lines on the tubing and that is working perfectly so I think clearly it's maybe a fault with either the tach or the vro signaling Electronics I guess it's called. I have a spare gauge in fact my original OEM gauge because I put new aftermarket ones on couple of years ago... I'll try plugging the oem gauge in just to see what happens and eliminate the gauge as a possibility as well. Also I never knew this but where are the fuel and oil enter the motor cowling there is a clear dual bracket visible with the cover off where you can see if there are bubbles in either the fuel or the oil and both are crystal clear.
Thank you in advance.

 

[polo35m]

Update. I hooked up my spare, known working, OEM tach and it still has the same exact problem light and Horn both come on after 2 to 2 and 1/2 minutes and the horn sounds for about eight sec. Then horn stops but light stays lit.

 

[polo35m]

I solved the problem and I can definitely say it will be of benefit to others. So when I rebuilt the vro pump I pulled the front of the pump off, which has the 4-wire sensor, which you don't actually have to remove. When I put it back on , the little stainless steel plunger got pushed all the way in and was not correctly counting the pulses per minute and therefore sounding the horn and the light. I wish I would have taken pictures but I didn't have my phone when I did it. It's working absolutely perfectly now.

 

[cfauvel]

ahh yes...

did you read my thread on the VRO?

https://forums.iboats.com/forum/eng...tle-insight-into-the-oil-side-of-the-vro2-oms

 

[polo35m]

Excellent write-up! Nice job