70 HP Evinrude VRO Information

Fellas,

I am sorry for bothering you with such stupid questions but I am a new boat owner and I have only had a jetski. Now I got an older boat with one of these engines on them and I got a few questions.

1. What is the difference between a VRO and a non-VRO? I see sometimes where people say they disconnected the VRO, what are they talking about?

2. Does anyone by chance know approximately what year the engine might be by looking at the casing? I dont have the serials and all that right this second. I will try to attach the picture.

3. For my jetski, when I run the water through it to flush it I have to turn the engine on before I turn the water on or ill do SERIOUS damage to it... is the boat the same way? I still need to get me a set of them ear plugs, or is there a better way?

Thanks for answering my questions. I have an older boat and no paper work came with it. I really need to get a manual but unless I know the year, I cant

Re: 70 HP Evinrude VRO Information

The engine looks to be in the very late 80's/early 90's. To be sure, look on the port transom bracket for a metal tag. On the tag will be the Serial number and model number. Post us the MODEL number. We can then tell you the year and how it's done.

VRO means variable rate oiling. The original pumps were ment to vary the oil mixed with the gas depending on rpm. The systems today called OMS or Oil Metering System mix at 50:1 at all rpm's, maybe a little less at lower rpms. The pump sets on the port side of the engine just below the starter.

When a person says "he/she (gotta stay politically correct ya' know.. ) they have disconnected the oil from the pump and are mixing the oil in the fuel can at 50:1 and just using the fuel pump end of the pump.

With outboards, ALWAYS have the engine in water or have what's called flushing muffs on the engine before starting. With out water, the rubber impeller will be destroyed in the metal cup in a very short period of time with out water. Takes less than 30 seconds idling with out water to destroy the impeller.

No, you should not need ear protection. And, you don't want to rev the engine much over 1500rpm out of the water. Could cause a run away and sometimes those can end up ugly.

Don't hesitate to post any question here on the forums. Always a helpful soul around to help.

And if no one has mentioned it yet....welcome to iboats Neal!!d

Re: 70 HP Evinrude VRO Information

Hi Neal

Looks to be a late 80's motor. I have a 91' 70 HP Evinrude. Nice strong motors..The VRO oiling system automatically mixes the correct ratio (Variable) of fuel /oil and delivers it to the cylinders. Non VRO means mixing your own fuel/oil in the fuel tank at 50:1 ratio. When you run your outboard on muffs (They are also called flush attachment, motor flusher, Etc), make sure they are secure over the water intakes and turn the water on before starting the engine. Failure to do this could damage the impeller (Water Pump) due to lack of lubrication that the water provides. Also, if this motor has not seen use in a while or if usage is unknown, it is a good idea to replace the water pump, among other services that should be done. I circled the VRO pump in this picture just in case you didn't know where it was...

Re: 70 HP Evinrude VRO Information

Light on the fingers tonight, huh Jim... 8)

Re: 70 HP Evinrude VRO Information

I just got a head start Rick....d

Re: 70 HP Evinrude VRO Information

Ill tell ya what... yall are great! Thanks a ton. I will get that number for ya ASAP. Probably wont be until Wednesday though.

OBJ, lol I just re-read my post and I have no clue why I said ear plugs... I was thinking ear muffs (flush attachment thingy) lol. I feel sooo ummm slow? lol

Thanks for pointing out the VRO pump rick. I never would have found it. I couldnt tell ya what one piece is on that engine lol. I am brand new to boat engines so I have a TON of questions and they will come with time. The boat is a project and needs a bit of work so I am sure these wont be the last questions from me

Thanks for the welcome, I have read over a bit of the forum and yall seem like a great group and know what your talking about.

Rick, thanks for mentioning about the water pump. I am about 90% positive she hasn't seen the water in quite a while. I will definitely look into it. When I went to see the boat the fella started it up for me and then turned it off real quick as we didnt have water running to it and he said he didnt wanna damage anything. All he did was give one pump on the gas line bulb thing and then turn the key and it cranked right up with no issues. Had a lot of smoke come from it but I think thats because it has been sitting a while. What else would you recommend I look into? Here is what I had planned to do before I put it in the water to check it out...

*Pump out the oil from the tank and put new stuff in.
*Pump out the gas and put new gas in.
*Change the spark plugs.

Anything else you can think of? I know the bottom part of the engine has oil in it. Sorry I dont know the technical names yet. The guy I am getting it from showed me the screw where you drain it out of. Should I take it out of there and fill it back up with fresh stuff too?

Two more questions lol... (sorry for so many).

1. How hard is it to get a key made? He lost the key for that boat and uses one from his other boat that just happens to start this one... How much you think that might cost me?

2. Can you recommend a book, video, or dvd that will help me learn about these outboard motors... especially this one?

Thanks a ton, yall are such a great help and assett to this forum.

Re: 70 HP Evinrude VRO Information

Keys are not all that hard to replace Neal....most times. Look closely at the ignition switch where you put the key in. If you can see a number there, that's the key number. You may need a flash light and sometimes a magnifing glass to see it. If you find the number, just take it and the year of the engine to any J/Rude dealer and they will either have it in stock or can order you one.

If you can't see a number, call your local dealership and see if they may have keys on hand to try in the ignition. Some do some don't. Last choice is to replace the ignition switch which is much cheaper than having a key made.

Best choice in books is the OEM Service Manual. Although BRP no longer sells them, there are a couple places that sell reprints of the manual. Search up Ken Cook Co. or ishopmarine. Both sell reprints. You will need the model number of the engine if you order and anybody here on the forum will strongly advise you to do so. Will save you a lot of guess work and save you money in the long run.

If you want some good ready in the mean time, go to the forum menu and find the FAQ froum....Frequently Asked Questions. There is a thread in there called "Awakening A Sleeping Outboard". Give it a read. It will point you in the right direction to go.

Don't worry about asking to many questions. Shows you want to do it right.....d

Re: 70 HP Evinrude VRO Information

And when you do decide to run the motor, run 50:1 in the fuel tank until you verify that the oil injection (VRO) is working properly. Make a mark on the oil tank with a permanent marker at the current oil level. Run the boat on the water for awhile (Couple hours) and then check the level again to make sure it has dropped. This will insure that it is distributing the proper mix. I would replace the water pump right away before you run it again. Dry starting will burn up the impellers fast and not running it for awhile will make the rubber pump vanes brittle. This can cause them to break and cause all kinds of unneeded problems in the cooling system. There are 2 screws on the lower unit that need to be removed to change the fluid. One (The Top) is the vent screw, the other is the drain/fill screw. Both of these screws are slotted heads. Remove them both. You will notice washers on each screw. Get some of those for when you replace the screws. After the unit has drained, you will fill from the bottom screw until it comes out the top (Vent) screw. Quickly put the top screw back in and then the bottom one. The correct fluid level is obtained when it comes out the top screw hole and don't worry about losing a little from the bottom hole. The Manual will explain all this in detail, but this will give you a start.....

Re: 70 HP Evinrude VRO Information

Any snow over your way Rick?....d Comin' down like a bat outta' hell around the Muddy Banks.....:^

Re: 70 HP Evinrude VRO Information

Just now starting Jim. Sleet, Snow, Yuk.......Hey, did you get my Email??? Just curious if your addy is still the same...

Re: 70 HP Evinrude VRO Information

If you have a key that works, take it to any hardware store and have duplicates made. Get a fist full of them for a couple of bucks. Been there & done that! When you obtain a service manual specific to your engine read it cover to cover while looking at the engine. Boring you say! At least look at the pictures so you can provide meaningful information when asking questions. Terms like "round thingy", black "do-hicky", etc., aren't much help to us. d

Re: 70 HP Evinrude VRO Information

Rick....your gonna' have mail...d

Re: 70 HP Evinrude VRO Information

Thanks Jim....

Re: 70 HP Evinrude VRO Information

Thanks for the tips fellas! I will report back if I have any issues! Yall are great

Re: 70 HP Evinrude VRO Information

Rickd, I just re-read everything and I noticed what you said about doing the gas/oil mixture 50:1 off the get go just to make sure that the VRO is working properly.

If the VRO is working properly and I am mixing the oil/gas at a 50:1 ratio... wont that add too much oil in and mess things up? How long would it take for me to notice the oil going down? Wouldn't it take quite a long time or do these things burn that much oil in a few hours?

I am still waiting on my service manual to come in so I apologize for the questions that that may answer.

As for draining the oil from the lower unit using the 2 screws... is that just normal oil in it? From what I understand, I am supposed to use 2-stroke oil in the oil tank, do I use that in this part of the engine also?

One last thing... For the water pump, yall say I should replace that. Should I be replacing the actual water pump or just getting a water pump kit such as product number... 18-3389 ?

With stupid questions like these... you can see why I am not touching the engine till my manual comes in!

Re: 70 HP Evinrude VRO Information

Okay fellas, one more question lol. I just called the marine store here around my area and he said it would probably be easiest to just order a new ignition switch rather than tracking down a new key for it. He said they usually run between $20-30. Does that sound correct and how hard are these to install?

Re: 70 HP Evinrude VRO Information

bumpp

Re: 70 HP Evinrude VRO Information

Neal

The double oiling will not harm anything and is the recommended procedure. You will essentially be running at a 25:1 mix for a while. If you place a exact mark on the oil tank, you will see it go down some inside of a couple of hours running. Look at it this way, if your running wide open for an hour, you will use up about 1 1/4 pints of oil. The lower unit uses lower unit lube. You can buy quarts of it at Walmart, Dealers, Etc. You will squeeze the lubricant into the bottom hole until it comes out the top. I would get the quart bottle. It has a spout on the bottle that fits in the screw hole. The water pump is actually the vaned impeller. But a kit will come with all new gaskets and housing. I prefer getting it from the dealer, but the sierra (18-3389) one will work too. I would just buy the switch if the dealer doesn't have a match for the key or is unwilling to look it up. It's fairly straightforward to replace. Manual will have the details..

http://www.iboats.com/mall/?keywords=lower%20unit%20lube&session_id=252983880&cart_id=948163614&list_time=1171421161&view_id=2370 ] Click Here For Lower unit lube [/url]

Re: 70 HP Evinrude VRO Information

hi neall there is a lot of info here didn't read all of it but i did notice from your pictures that the fuel filter is on upside down
this was a factory error simply turn it upside right to eliminate this problem
my best guess is the motor is 86 but the modle number will confirm

Re: 70 HP Evinrude VRO Information

Rick, thanks a ton for your help. I cant wait to get the manual so I can start reading up on this baby. This thing is so different then my 4 stroke jetski.

Im not gonna put her on the water until I do a few things to her first. But I dont wanna start doing anything until I get the manual. Thanks for making me understand


Marine, thanks for the information. In all honesty I couldn't even point out the fuel filter right now. Im so new to these things. What does it effect with it being upside down. I noticed you said that it is a factory error... so does it look like it has never been replaced?