VRO system questions

[charliealley]

I have been messing with Evanrude motors for about 10 Yrs. now. My first was a 85 HP. No VRO, No problems. The boat I have now had a 70 Hp with VRO, notice I said had. VRO failed scrap motor, rebuilt it and threw VRO away, with no problems since. seems many others here share my feelings about premix being far better than oil injection systems. Seems some of you with VRO problems may like to hear from others, and I would be interested in hearing VRO pros & cons from people who have been working on boats longer than me. Thanks, Charlie

 

[seahorse5]

Re: VRO system questions

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/VRO.html

 

[seahorse5]

Re: VRO system questions

The boat I have now had a 70 Hp with VRO, notice I said had. VRO failed scrap motor, rebuilt it and threw VRO away

If the VRO failed, the whole crankshaft, main bearings, pistons, rods, etc. would all be blued and severely damaged, just like if someone forgot to add oil in a premixed fuel engine. The whole motor would have to be thrown away.

But if only one cylinder was damaged, that was not the VRO's fault. On a 70, most likely it was #2 cylinder from overheat or carb restriction.

Read this as it is the real story about the VRO and its operation and the myths that surround it.

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/VRO.html

 

[charliealley]

Re: VRO system questions

Seahorse, you are right. in my case all cyl. siezed before the crank was damaged. the needles had turned color from the heat but the crank was still good. a very expensive lesson to learn about VRO.

 

[charliealley]

Re: VRO system questions

I just read the referenced link. I will agree the vro is to some a scapegoat, But in my 35 yrs. experience wrenching on both notorcycles and boats I still feel very strongly about not trusting them. my personal experience with them are far too many to go into here, and feel like many others that premixing is a far better idea. Since I have been premixing I have never had an oil related problem and for me, that is enough to not take chances with.
Respectfully, Charlie

 

[seahorse5]

Re: VRO system questions

Seahorse, you are right. in my case all cyl. siezed before the crank was damaged. the needles had turned color from the heat but the crank was still good. a very expensive lesson to learn about VRO.

Usually what I see is that the warning horn in the control box or under the dash was inoperative. Whether the motor overheated or the "VRO" failed or there was an oil line kinked, you would never know there was problem until the motor quit without the horn sounding a warning.

Was there any water in the oil tank, by chance? That is another problem that is often blamed on the VRO. The piston pump in the "VRO" is very strong and will pump almost any type of liquid, of course water does not lubricate very well.