VRO pump gone bad

[n_e_t_o]

"Hey all,
Motor is a 1988 120

"Hey all,
Motor is a 1988 120 Looper VRO V4. We have owned it now for almost 2 years. Based on information from this site, the VERY FIRST thing we did (2 years ago)was remove the oil tank, and bypass the VRO system, and we mix our own oil in the gas tank. We have used it darn near every single weekend since then for 2 years and has run flawlessly. We DID NOT change the VRO/Fuel pump at that time, although some recommend that you do...saying that it would go out if not...which I think it did!

Today, we took it out to the lake, it started normally and idled in the marina while I parked the truck. I get picked up at the dock and we idle out the wakeless buoys then roll on the throttle. It accelerated normally and once up on plane I backed off to just under full throttle as I normally do. It ran great as usual, 4000+ rpms or so for about 20 seconds...then died like it ran out of gas. We have an auxilary motor on this boat (one tank, with a switch that goes to the main motor or aux motor), and we thought that we had not switched the fuel switch back, as that was the symptom...it just seemed to run out of gas. Bulb was VERY FIRM and could not pump it anymore. Pulled the fuel line from the engine side of the filter and pumped the bulb, fuel squirted out just fine. We then disconnected the fuel line from the TOP of th VRO pump, and we hooked the fuel line directly to it, pumped the bulb and the motor started right up. Will idle as long as we pump the bulb every now and then. Tried to go fast that way but we killed it...either not enough bulb pumping or too much. Anyway, while idling it has a definite TICK TICK TICK from the VRO pump (almost a CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK).
I'm thinking the fuel pump went out. But I'm worried about the TICK TICK TICK. Also, (I haven't searched yet), seems there are 3 pumps available: Original type, which is not desirable (brown fitting...what we have), the UPGRADE VRO pump, and a PLAIN FUEL pump.

Since we mix our gas and oil, do we want to buy the PLAIN fuel pump? I would appreciate some help in what to order for this. Also, any chance it is something other than the fuel pump? Anything that can get restricted between the pump and the carbs?

I have the SELOC manual, but haven't dug into yet...just got back and wanted to get the best information from this site!

THANK YOU ALL in advance...I hope you can help me!
Randy"

 

[n_e_t_o]

"Update: I followed the proce

"Update: I followed the procedures in the SELOC manual, and the fuel pump is pumping fine...and I found WATER in the fuel! That explains the firm bulb and the engine dying. The carbs were full of water!
Next question: How do I get water out of my 30 gallon gas tank!?!? Is there an additive that will atomize it and I can just run it thru the boat, or do I have to drain. When I drain, can I seperate the good gas from the water and put that fuel back in? or best just to dispose properly and refill with fresh fuel?
Thanks!

Randy"

 

[mickjur]

"I hope I am in the right plac

"I hope I am in the right place. I have a 1881 johnson 140hp VRO , I went to change the gearbox oil , when I undid the bottom screw a small amount of water came out ( approx 30 ML ) is this a problem , thanks for your help"

 

[daviet]

"You could install a water sep

"You could install a water seperator in your fuel line and keep dumping the water, kind of a pain if you have lots of water. If you have a lot of water in your tank you will most likey have to pump tank dry. If it were mine it would have a seperator anyway."

 

[dcramer]

"Pump a bunch of fuel out into

"Pump a bunch of fuel out into a container. The water will seperate out rather quickly. Keep pumping the tank until you aren't getting much/any water out. Let it settle, then pour the gas off for re-use. Let the last bit of gas evaporate off the remaining water, then dump it.

The tick tick tick is the VRO pump resetting at the end of each cycle. This is the point where the gas and oil would be mixed, and the pump diaphragm returns to the end of the chamber to begin another cycle of discharging to the carbs, and drawing from the fuel and oil tanks. Normally a cycle will last half a minute or so. With no gas to pump, it cycles more rapidly. The tick is less audible when the pump is full of fuel."