1987 60 hp Johnson VRO alarm issue.

[pilot10062003]

I have a new to me 87 Johnson 60 VRO. I know very little about these and it is like brand new. Less than 50 hours total since new but when I turn the key on to start it I have a constant tone. I think it may be a bad temp sensor. Am I barking up the right tree? It starts right up but I will not run it with the alarm blaring in my ear. It obviously is telling me something is wrong.I had someone tell me if it went off as a constant tone when cold the over temp sensor was bad. I have good water flow through the dog ears. :facepalm:

 

[kjdunne]

Re: 1987 60 hp Johnson VRO alarm issue.

The VRO pump and oil tank are also tied into the alarm circuit. Unplug the wires from the cylinder head temp sensor, VRO pump and oil tank from the wiring harness and see if the alarm stops. It can be a short in the wiring harness, a defective horn, or any one of the three sensors. If the alarm stopped with the sensors unplugged, reconnect them 1 at a time to find the cause of the alarm.

 

[pilot10062003]

Re: 1987 60 hp Johnson VRO alarm issue.

Thanks for the info. I did get it working and now I have a new problem. I'll start a whole new thread. Thanks again. By the way do the 3 different alarms have a different tone or all the same?

 

[kjdunne]

Re: 1987 60 hp Johnson VRO alarm issue.

1 short beep when the key is turned ON, lets you know the horn works
Constant tone = overheat
Short beep every 5 sec. or so = no oil @ VRO pump
Short beep every 20 sec. or so = low oil level in oil tank, 1/4 full or less

What did you find and correct?

 

[pilot10062003]

Re: 1987 60 hp Johnson VRO alarm issue.

Really nothing. I took out the overtemp sensor and it looked fine. I didn't check it with a meter. It just stopped. The initial problem was an over temp alarm as soon as the key was turned on. I figured because the engine was cold it must be an electrical glitch. This thing sat for many years. I expected problems. It did put it in the local lake and it ran great. Alarm function seemed to be working properly. I ran it fast and slow for a couple of hours then shut it down to call my wife. I started it back up and it just wouldn't go so fearing the worst I took it out of the water immediately. That night I read about the slow feature and thought ok, no alarm, pumping good water. Just warm to the touch. If it over temped it should have given a constant tone in limp mode right? I know it didn't over heat. I know it was getting oil. I just need to find the offending electrical part and replace it. What advise can you give me? BTW I ma mixing 2oz pr gallon in the tank for insurance until I know it's oiling properly. It say's VRO2 on the pump so I would assume it's a second gen pump. Keep in mind this thing is like new clean and almost no hours since new but sat for many, many years.

 

[pn]

Re: 1987 60 hp Johnson VRO alarm issue.

plastic lasts a thousand years but what happens to a piece of rubber after it has sat for many many years, buy a premix pump and you'll be happy for many many years to come.