VRO/Primer Bulb

loumo

Recruit
Joined
Jul 8, 2012
Messages
1
The primer bulb on my 1995 115 HP Johnson cannot be squeezed it is very hard. I removed the primer bulb assembly from the oil tank but can't get the primer bulb to pump anything. The oil in the tank appears to be clean as well as the tank.It seems as though the line of the primer bulb is blocked. Can someone walk me through the proper way to get the primer bulb assembly to function? I have no idea why the line appears to be blocked or the reason why the primer bulb doesn't compress and pump oil from the open ended line. Is there a valve or is the float in the VRO malfunctioning? I am not sure how the float on the assembly is suppose to operate, there is only minimal movement up and down on the float. I am getting a warning horn going off after a short running of the engine.

Thanks in advance for your responses .
Loumo
 

fishfeatures

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Mar 29, 2011
Messages
743
Re: VRO/Primer Bulb

in my opinion , i'd say just buy a new fuel line with a new bulb. I'd be very nervous if my my vro bulb was acting up
 

w2much

Lieutenant
Joined
Jun 22, 2005
Messages
1,276
Re: VRO/Primer Bulb

Run pre mix till you figure it out. Run premix till you figure it out.
 

WernerF

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Sep 5, 2011
Messages
320
Re: VRO/Primer Bulb

Are you talking about the bulb in the oil line? It is hard like a rock, that's normal. There is no float or similar in the VRO's oil pump, just a small piston with check valve. And oil is much more viscous than fuel, especially at cold temperatures. So a soft oil bulb would be bad.

Your engine probably gets no oil, so (as w2much said) the first thing is to run the engine from a portable tank with 50 : 1 premix fuel. Or pour the right amount of oil in your fuel tank, pull the fuel hose from the engine and pump fuel into a jar with the fuel primer bulb until the fuel's coulor change tells you that oil is reaching the engine.

Start the engine and let it run at 1,000 rpm. How long does it take for the alarm to come? A regular VRO "no oil flow" alarm should come about 80 seconds after engine start.
Is the alarm tone 1/2 sec on, 1/2 sec off? Does it speed up with engine rpm? Otherwise it may not be the VRO causing the alarm.

Check for broken clamps on the VRO's oil feed hoses. Even small air leaks can prevent pumping oil, again especially at cold temperatures.

Disconnect the oil hose from the engine and pump some oil into a jar with the oil primer bulb. It needs much more force than pumping fuel, but it must be possible.
 

emdsapmgr

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 9, 2005
Messages
11,551
Re: VRO/Primer Bulb

The ball valves in the bulb stick and can be a problem, just like in the gas hose bulbs. Normally, the bulb should squeeze similar to the gas bulb, though it is true the oil is much thicker. Probably best to just replace the hose line and bulb. The oil line hose and bulb are special-not the same as the fuel line hoses. The bulb is Bombardier part number: 175985. The hose will have a yellow stripe. Sold in bulk under part number: 778707
 

seahorse5

Rear Admiral
Joined
Jan 24, 2002
Messages
4,698
Re: VRO/Primer Bulb

did you disconnect the oil line at the pump, then squeeze the ball and nothing happened or did you leave everything hooked up?

If you did not take off the oil line, it is super hard to squeeze the primer ball due to the tiny passageways in the pump and the thickness of the oil.
 
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