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VRO to Blame

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jpetrick

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"My '89 Evinrude 110 VRO h

"My '89 Evinrude 110 VRO has run strong for years. It has been well maintained, etc. Over the last two years it began wanting to fluctuate rpms when running around the 4000 rpm range. Just annoying. It would hold steady rpms above or below 4000. My trusted mechanic suggested that the VRO pump may be getting weak. I asked him to replace it.

The first trip out with the new VRO the boat ran great for about 30 minutes on the way to the fishing grounds. On the way back in, about two hours later, the motor just quit when running around 4000 rpms twice. It seemed as if the fuel flow had been interrupted. When I tried to restart it immediately the battery sounded as if it had been run down. After thirty seconds or so (each time) the motor would start right back up as if the battery was fully charged. When I informed my mechanic he said it could not be the new VRO pump causing the problem.

Instead of taking it out on the ocean again until I was sure it was running right, I took the boat out on a local lake yesterday. It would only run at running rpms for about two to three minutes at a time and the same thing would happen and the motor would just quit. Finally it got to the point that it would start and run at slow idle in neutral, but would die as soon as you put it in gear. I had to go back to the launch ramp with my kicker motor.

I took it to my mechanic. He did a compression test and we were both surprised to see that there was not compression in one of the four cylinders. When I blamed the new VRO pump he assured me that that could not have caused the problem. In fact he mentioned that he had installed the } on the motor. ??????

Does anyone know whether or not the new VRO pump could have caused my problem? I guess the only option I have left is to rebuild the engine.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

John"
 
I just did a diagnosis on a co

I just did a diagnosis on a cousins 1984-140hp last week.Over the phone he said it was running poorly and mentioned that a " mechanic " had checked compression and it was " OK ". So I said electrical and that I had all the used parts.So he drove 2-1/2 hrs to see me.After 10 minutes of me diagnosing the problem I found that it "DID HAVE POOR COMPRESSION " and removed the port cylinder head to find a scored piston.The motor is being rebuilt over the winter.Now having said all that he insisted on sticking with the original VRO years ago.After the rebuid it will be running with a fuel pump from an 81 / 82 / 83 V-4.So is the VRO to blame ???? The VRO pump itself is quite a nice unit but the supporting hoses / filters / buzzers are suspect to problems leaks etc.Also the VRO is driven by crankcase pulses and your motor is older the pulses may not be as strong etc etc.Rebuild the motor $1500.00 or so and use the VRO as a " fuel pump of 50:1 mix only " and you will be able to sleep at night.
 
"I'm thinking it unlikely

"I'm thinking it unlikely that the VRO caused the problem. The VRO mixes the gas and oil for all the carbs/cylinders at the same time. There is no way that I know of that it could lead to the destruction of a single cylinder. That cylinder could have been running lean, had excessive carbon buildup, or some other problem. I would guess that the cylinder going down is the reason the engine stopped working properly.

That said, take what NaS had to say above seriously. I like the VRO system, but the '84 and '85 models had issues, and didn't have alarms. Put a new one on when you repair the motor, or buy a fuel pump and mix the gas.

There are a few precautions that I take, and reccomend to others whether you premix, or have an oil injected motor like a VRO.

First mark the tank in whatever increments are easy for you to decipher. Make sure it's using the right amount of oil for every tank of gas.

Second, Look back when you start it up...make sure you see smoke!

Third, after running for awhile, steer the motor upwind from you, or drive in a circle to make sure you can smell the oil in the exhaust.

Fourth, Listen! know what your motor is supposed to sound like. A motor that is being starved of oil will rattle like a worn out Lawn-Boy long before you blow up the powerhead.

These simple checks are a good idea for anyone with a two-stroke. In my world, it would be just as easy for someone to forget to mix the gas as it would be for a VRO to fail. There is no beeper on the dash for "gas not mixed"

Dan"
 
"The VRO is a good system..how

"The VRO is a good system..however,..the MAIN fault w/it...is people do not maintain it...if a person,chooses to not have the hassles/expense,...of maintaining it,get off of it...many choose to upgrade to a newer system,esp due to a large fuel tank....In your case,i do not believe the vro caused your prob....
----------> http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/VRO.html"
 
"I just rebuilt a 1987 Johnson

"I just rebuilt a 1987 Johnson 110 w/ VRO over the winter and it is now sitting in my garage as no one seems to want to buy it. It cost me approx. $800 in parts to rebuild it. There are very good rebuild kits that contain name brand parts available on Ebay for approx. $450. I was fortunate that my block didn't need to be bored so a hone took care of the small scratches. I lost a cylinder due to a cracked crankshaft which created a lean condition as that is a sealing surface on the lower side of the powerhead. IF you rebuild the powerhead be sure to take your time dissassembling it and reassemble it with clean or new stainless bolts and anti-sieze on the threads.

The problem probably wasn't the fault of the VRO, even though you have taken good care of the motor it is still 18 years old. Motors just wear out eventually and remember a marine engine runs underload every minute the boat is moving, there is no coasting or rest for them. 18 years out of an outboard with regular use is really good."
 
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