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Oh nodid the powerhead just fry 1997 Johnson 225 OceanRunner

W

waternut

New member
"I am hoping someone can lend

"I am hoping someone can lend some words of wisdom. I was recommended by my mechanic to change out the VRO pump ($400) as the motor would start but not idle (would basically shut down after a minute or so). It was observed that there seemed to be a bit of a fuel leak at the VRO and that was the reason for changing out the original VRO pump which I understand mixes the oil and gas. Please note I would use the motor often and occasionally would notice a bit of a fuel sheen at the dock. Up until this weekend the motor/boat had sat for about 5-6 weeks, not sure if this would have anything to do with it or the potential of ethanol dissolving rubber issue. Anyway, the new VRO was installed dockside, the motor fired up, a bit of smoke came out, he advanced the throttle and everything seemed ok although no other tests were done. I was given the ok to take the boat offshore which I did. It seem to run fine on the way out but on the way in I was running at ~5800 RPM and the motor began to lose RPM and I slowed it down to about 2800 RPM, waited a minute, and then slowly advanced the throttle. At about 4200 RPM, the motor began slow down very quickly and I immediately throttled back to idle and shut it down. I then waited a minute and tried to start it up and heard a rather strange "clunk" and that was it. Turned everything off and was towed in...I now wonder if the new VRO pump was ever really working as the oil tank level seems to be near where I started and I know this motor can definitely burn some oil. How bad do you think it is? Thanks for any advance and obviously I will be in touch with my mechanic tomorrow."
 
"If the new VRO was not primed

"If the new VRO was not primed, there would be air in the oil line which would obviously create a lubrication problem. However, you should have received a warning horn alarm (beep every other second) if that took place.

Does your warning horn function? You should receive a short beep every time you turn the key on. If you do not, check the horn by having the key in the ON position (engine not running), then ground out one of the TAN overheat sensor wires that you'll see protruding out of each of the cylinder heads.

Check the VRO wiring (exits at the rear portion of the VRO) to see if it is indeed plugged into the wiring harness properly.

NOTE: It is always best to use a fuel tank that contains premix fuel and oil when/after installing a VRO pump. This allows you to run the engine with proper lubrication while testing the VRO for proper oil usage.

Unfortunately your explanation of the problem does not sound good. Keep us informed of what happens."
 
"Joe, I watched the install of

"Joe, I watched the install of the new VRO and do not believe it was primed. This very well may be the heart of the problem. I know my warning alarms do work as they do come on when I turn the key and that is what surprised me yesterday as no alarms were sounded as I lost RPMs. So, the alarms did not go off, is it possible that not much damage occured? I guess it is possible they did not rig up the VRO wiring correctly? I wish I had your advice prior to running the motor but of course I was trusting in the judgement of this mechanic and he did not recommend anything else to be done, simply the boat was good to go."
 
"(VRO Horn Warnings)

"(VRO Horn Warnings)
(J. Reeves)

NOTE: I retired around 1991/92. Possibly some of the later V4 engines and others may also incorporate a fuel vacuum switch that would enable a fuel restriction warning to sound as mentioned below, an unknown factor to myself.

1 - A steady constant beep = Overheating - The V/6 engines, possibly some others, have a fuel restriction warning which is also a steady constant beep.

2 - A beep every 20 or 40 seconds = oil level has dropped to 1/4 tank. (Late model engine = Every 40 seconds)

3 - A beep every other second = VRO failure, air leak in oil line, oil restriction, (anything that would result in a lack of oil being supplied to the engine).

NOTE - If the warning horn is the black plastic (overpriced) three wire type horn, the warning horn should beep once when the ignition key is turned to the ON position. If it does not, it is either faulty or someone has disconnected it (a stupid move!). At any rate, if it does not beep which indicates that the horn is non functional, find out why and do not run the engine until the problem is corrected.

When time permits, visit my store at: http://stores.ebay.com/Evinrude-Johnson-Outboard-Parts-etc?refid=store

(Priming The VRO Pump)
(J. Reeves)

When hooking up or installing a VRO whether it is a new or original VRO pump, it must be primed in order to dispel any air that might be in the oil line.

Have the Oil line attached to the engine fitting BUT detached from the VRO. Add a piece of fuel hose if necessary to the oil line so that it can be aimed into some sort of container.

Pump the oil primer bulb, catching the oil flowing out of the line into the container until you are absolutely sure that you have rid the oil line of every bit of air that might have been trapped there.

Now, connect the oil line to the VRO and secure it. When the oil line is secured, apply pressure to the oil primer bulb ONE TIME only. That's it.

When time permits, visit my store at: http://stores.ebay.com/Evinrude-Johnson-Outboard-Parts-etc?refid=store"
 
"Well, my mechanic inspected e

"Well, my mechanic inspected each spark plug and determined one cylinder is the culprit as the spark plug has metal dust attached to it. The other plugs were somewhat observed to have been running lean but there was some oil in the manifold housing so that most likely removes the failure of the VRO pump as the issue. He mentioned water must have gotten in the engine somehow (maybe through the head gasket or the fuel tank-there is no water/fuel separator) and blown one cylinder. He removed the manifold and confirmed the issue (uuuggghhhh).It seems that I now have a blown powerhead and need to consider what to do: rebuild all 6 cylinders, rebuild the 1 broken cylinder, consider purchasing a new powerhead, consider purchasing a used motor, etc. Thanks for the help and wish I had better news."
 
Has anyone had experience usin

Has anyone had experience using NWFL Outboard Machine Shop for rebuilding a powerhead? Thanks for any information. Their work is warrantied fully for one year and then half for years 2-5. I am considering a rebuild of my Johnson motor.
 
"Bill, thanks for the tips, th

"Bill, thanks for the tips, the group powerhousemarineinc.com seems to be very good. Still have alot to consider but thanks again."
 
"Patrick,
Sorry to hear of yo

"Patrick,
Sorry to hear of your powerhead issue. I had a very similar failure back in July of this year. I posted under "Evinrude 200 Burnt Piston" (i think) if you want to read. But here is what I eventually did.
1. Pull the heads. This is easy, and can tell alot more regarding damage than just examining spark plugs. My number one piston had a burned hole in it.
2. I, too, investigated NWFL as a powerhead replacement source. I felt that they were priced too high. My engine is a '96 E-rude 200 and they wanted $5000.00 to provide a rebuilt powerhead.
3. I looked for, and found, a used engine in Miami EXACTLY like my blown engine. I purchased the engine after going directly to the shop and assessing it mechanically. I heard it run, I checked the compression (115 on all cylinders), and finally came to the conclusion that the powerhead was a good used powerhead. I took it home, and swapped the Miami powerhead onto my existing lower unit. Now, this is a big job that requires tools that I have, so it may not be for you.
4. The newly repaired engine started right up, just as it did in Miami, BUT IT RUNS HOT. This made no sense because it did not run hot in Miami.
So, I am zero-ing in on the possible cause of the original powerhead failure as being cooling related. I put a new water pump in, and still hot. So I feel that there is a water restriction internal to the midsection in the water passages that channel cooling water up to the powerhead.
That will be determined this weekend. This may sound crazy, but I think a mud dauber wasp has built a mud nest inside the water passages in the original lower unit!
5. So, whatever you do, realize that you need to know exactly what caused the failure, or you may burn up the new powerhead when you use the old carbs, ignition system, etc. from the burned up powerhead. In my case, it looks like my problem lies in the original lower unit, as it is a part that was retained when fixing this thing.
6. I read your narration about the VRO replacement and the "water in the cylinder" and I think you should have a second opinion from a different mechanic. Point blank, right between the eyes, I doubt he is telling you right. Maybe to cover up the improper priming of the VRO pump.
7. I am very satisfied so far with my decision to repair my motor in this fashion. It has cost $2500 so far for the used motor, and I have a great number of used parts that I will store away for future issues. All the ignition parts, all six carbs, a spare VRO pump, and the unused lower unit and gearcase, all are here as spares.

I hope some of this helps. If you want, shoot me an email and I can go into more detail. Or if you are in Florida and close to Titusville, you can come see what I ended up doing.

Doug Selbee"
 
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