Johnson Oil Injection Problem?

I have a 2000 Johnson 130hp outboard. It runs pretty smokey at idle and often stalls out when trolling at idle speeds (like its choking out). It also cuts out at WOT. The extra smoke at idle leads me to believe that maybe the VRO is injecting too much oil...maybe stuck full rich?

Do you concur with this diagnosis? If so, can I check for stuck valves, debri, etc...on the VRO before defaulting to disabling the VRO completely and mixing my own fuel?...if so, where and how do I look? I've read several threads on disabling the VRO and think I understand if it comes to that with one exception: once you disconnect the oil feed line from the VRO, all the threads say to plug that intake...what do you plug it with?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide.

Re: Johnson Oil Injection Problem?

If I had a motor with the symptoms you describe, I would disable the VRO and run it on premixed gas to see if that fixed the running problems. Then you can decide what to do next. I used a piece of 3/8 powersteering return hose, about 2 inches long, with a 40 cal lead bullet in the end of the hose to plug it off. Hope this helps.
BTW: Welcome to iboats
Goodluck,
Brian

Re: Johnson Oil Injection Problem?

The VRO on that motor (actually called Oil metering system or OMS) mixes oil with gasoline at about a 60::1 ratio at all motor speeds. if your motor is running smokey at idle and the spark plugs are oily, you may have a gasoline restriction, air leak or a worn OMS Pump. This would cause an oil-rich mix. The cheapest thing to do is make sure the gas filters are clean, the antisiphon valve is operating properly, and no air is getting sucked into the gas line while underway. If the problem persists, you may consider rebuilding the OMS pump. I would think that mixing gas and oil would be third choice.

Re: Johnson Oil Injection Problem?

Chris1956: Great insight on the OMS...thanks for straightening me out. Sounds like I should be trouble shooting the fuel side. I've done a little bit of that...I replaced the leaky primer-bulb. In the process I noticed that the fuel line upstream of the primer bulb was "candied"...hard as a rock. Is this an indication of a problem...I guess if it's not flexible, it might not seal well at either end? I'll check out the fuel filter and antisiphon valve in the meantime.

Thanks for the help...this is my first time using a forum like this to troubleshoot boat problems. Its nice to be able to pull from such a big pool of experience.