1988 Evinrude 150 hp VRO

[mgoodling44]

Ok, so I'm sure this has been answered a thousand times, but the forum stated to repost new, rather than respond to an older post, so here goes......
I have an Evinrude 150XP. I'm concerned about the oil injection failing. So, not having a manual to reference...........
What is the risk if the oil injection fails?
Is it recommended that I simply mix the fuel in the tank and disable the oil tank?
How reliable is this injection system, and the likelihood it will go bad? One in a hundred, or one in a million?

Just purchased it, and it is in tip top condition. Don't want to screw up a good thing. Any advice or point me to an older thread would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[flyingscott]

Which VRO do you have. Does it have 3 wires or 4? Is there a brown elbow on the outlet of the pump?

 

[Joe Reeves]

(VRO Changeover Judgement Call)
(J. Reeves)

The VROs first came out in 1984 and have been upgraded quite a few times. In my opinion, back around 1988, they had perfected them but I think that they were upgraded even more since then. As long as the warning system is operating as it should, I feel quite at ease with them.

Some boaters have voiced their thoughts such as "What if that overpriced plastic horn should fail while I'm under way for some reason, and the VRO decides to fail five minutes later?" Obviously that would result in a big problem which really brings their fears into view.

The word "ease" is the key word though. If one has the slightest feeling of being ill at ease with that setup, then they should take the route they feel more at ease with. A judgement call each individual would need to make on their own.

********************
(VRO Pump Conversion To Straight Fuel Pump)
(J. Reeves)

You can convert the VRO pump into a straight fuel pump, eliminating the oil tank and VRO pump warning system, but retain the overheat warning setup (and fuel restriction warning if so equipped) by doing the following:

1 - Cut and plug the oil line at the engine so that the oil side of the VRO pump will not draw air into its system. Trace the wires from the back of the VRO to its rubber plug (electrical plug) and disconnect it.

2 - Trace the two wires from the oil tank to the engine, disconnect those two wires, then remove them and the oil tank.

3 - Mix the 50/1 oil in the proper amount with whatever quantity fuel you have. Disconnect the fuel line at the engine. Pump the fuel primer bulb until fuel exits that hose with the tint of whatever oil you used. Reconnect the fuel hose.

That's it. If you want to test the heat warning system to ease your mind, have the key in the on position, then ground out the tan heat sensor wire that you'll find protruding from the cylinder head. The warning horn should sound off.

********************

 

[grtomboy]

my 2004 Johnson 150 VRO came to me (used) with the injection system disconnected. I asked around in those early days and it seemed like a popular way of doing things. Don't know if that means they were untrustworthy? Regardless, if it ain't broke....

 

[mgoodling44]

Is there a way to test the oil pump alert? It's working fine, but the risk of not using oil may not be worth it. As long as there's a function alert, I'm okay keeping it as is. Just need to rest easy that this is working properly.

Thanks. Good stuff.

 

[flyingscott]

Which one do you have?

 

[mgoodling44]

Model on the plate is: E150STLCCA. Does that help?

 

[flyingscott]

Model on the plate is: E150STLCCA. Does that help?

Post #2 needs to be answered.

 

[mgoodling44]

Ok. Bear with me, I'm new to this engine, and oil injection units. I'm learning as I go.

I checked out the engine tonight, and traced the oil line to the engine. I see that there are (3) wires coming off of the unit/pump. I assume there's a mechanical pump that is creating pressure to the oil injection. Just unclear exactly how this works. I'm no dummy when it comes to mechanics, but this injection system is very interesting, and I enjoy learning about new setup (ones that I haven't experienced before).
Again, my main concern is making sure that the engine is always supplied with oil. Probably nothing to worry about, as long as there's an adequate warning system in place, and it is operational. That's what I would like to test.

In the end, if it keeps me up at night, I'll either start drinking more, or eliminate the system altogether and simply premix the gas.

Thanks. Knowledge is power.

 

[Joe Reeves]

That is not a pressurized fuel injection setup. The VRO draws in gasoline via one regular size hose and oil via a smaller hose. The fuel/oil is mixed within the VRO pump, then delivered to carburetors.

Unless engineering reversed their VRO warning horn design back to a 3 wire setup.... that VRO is a very old pump. The 3 wire design resulted in various false signals and was changed to a 4 wire system to prevent said false warnings. I forget the exact year the conversion took place but it seems to me that it was in 1989.... just not sure about that year though.

 

[mgoodling44]

The motor is an 1988.

Thanks, I found a great article on the VRO systems. I think I'm going to disconnect and call it a day. Just need to be sure that the overheating alarm is functional after the change. Just doesn't seem worth the risk. Below is the link that I stumbled upon. It's much clearer now.

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

 

[flyingscott]

Yes absolutely disconnect that version and go to a pre-mix. Disconnecting the VRO pump will have no effect on the overheat alarm.

 

[mgoodling44]

I assume it's as easy as following the directions above (below). Any special call outs to keep an eye on?

You can convert the VRO pump into a straight fuel pump, eliminating the oil tank and VRO pump warning system, but retain the overheat warning setup (and fuel restriction warning if so equipped) by doing the following:

1 - Cut and plug the oil line at the engine so that the oil side of the VRO pump will not draw air into its system. Trace the wires from the back of the VRO to its rubber plug (electrical plug) and disconnect it.

2 - Trace the two wires from the oil tank to the engine, disconnect those two wires, then remove them and the oil tank.

3 - Mix the 50/1 oil in the proper amount with whatever quantity fuel you have. Disconnect the fuel line at the engine. Pump the fuel primer bulb until fuel exits that hose with the tint of whatever oil you used. Reconnect the fuel hose.

That's it. If you want to test the heat warning system to ease your mind, have the key in the on position, then ground out the tan heat sensor wire that you'll find protruding from the cylinder head. The warning horn should sound off.

 

[Joe Reeves]

None at the present time.... If problem pop up, we'll take it from there.

 

[cfauvel]

Unless engineering reversed their VRO warning horn design back to a 3 wire setup.... that VRO is a very old pump. The 3 wire design resulted in various false signals and was changed to a 4 wire system to prevent said false warnings. I forget the exact year the conversion took place but it seems to me that it was in 1989.... just not sure about that year though.

WernerF has a great thread of exactly that issue with the 3 wire VRO...he ended up adding a capacitor....not for the faint of heart.
http://forums.iboats.com/forum/engi.../552261-vro2-question-about-no-oil-flow-alarm

the VRo2 and OMS are still 4 wires...the new wire is the ACC/purple wire to feed the electronics the 12V constant.

OP you are good to go now until the fuel pump or air motor diaphragms go out...but those are repairable and could happen to aftermarket pump....run the VRO as a fuel pump until the pump doesn't work.

 

[mgoodling44]

Well, disconnected the VRO. Pretty simple. I plugged the ends of the lines and hose clamped them to make them air tight. However, on the first test drive (it's a new boat for me), it fired right up, idled fine, no issues.
Within the first 2000 RPM's, there were no issues. As I kept increasing the throttle, the engine would totally "bog" down. It seems to me, that there was either a fuel supply issue (not getting enough fuel), or it was overloading / flooding (too much fuel). This started to happen around the 2500 RPM mark, and was very consistent. Back it off a bit, no issues, a little too far, and a total 'bog down'. Initial thoughts?
Keep in mind that this is a newly purchased boat and motor. I disconnected the VRO (although I don't believe it is related) as a precaution. I've checked the lines, and I don't think it's a air leak issue. Could it be the ignition advance? If i have it out of the water and on the hose, it will easily rev up beyond 3k RPM's. I know it's not a good thing to do, but I had to test it. When I got it on the water today, and put it under load, the issue popped up.
Good place to start?
Thanks.

 

[flyingscott]

What do you mean by lines plugged? Only 1 line gets plugged. Did you run this on the lake before you disconnected the VRO? Revving in neutral means nothing.

 

[mgoodling44]

Correct, one line plugged. I did not run on lake prior to disconnecting VRO, so I have nothing to compare to.

 

[mgoodling44]

I guess I'll start at the source and work toward the engine. Here's what I know so far:
VRO disconnected - one line plugged. Wires disconnected.
Engine seems to operate fine out of water, on a hose (doesn't mean much)
After 2500 RPM (under load on the lake), the engine falls flat on it's face.
Fuel supply to the filter is good. No issues.
* So I guess I'll start there. How much fuel should be flowing through the filter when I pump the priming bulb?
* From there, I'll go to the fuel pump, so I might as well ask: How do I know if the fuel pump is working properly?

Would a dirty carbs cause these symptoms?

 

[mgoodling44]

Ok. Did some work to the motor, so I thought I would share the findings, results.
Cleaned and rebuilt the carbs (they were bad). Removed stink bugs, yes, stink bugs.
New plugs.
Compression tested all cylinders with plugs out. All came in at 90-95 psi.
Checked lines again for air leaks, all appears good.

First test run, was awesome. Such a feeling of relief. The motor is on a 1988 Astroglass, and it was running ~50mph (per the GPS), which by the way, is scary fast on a 18ft boat. I don't see myself opening it up too much, but good to know that I have it if I need it.
Hole shot was good. Jumped right up on plain when it was punched.

Just wanted to thank everyone for your help. Good stuff.

Now, if I could only find a power steering kit for free!!!