94 Johnson V4 90 horse VRO working?

chipper4344

Recruit
Joined
Jul 25, 2010
Messages
3
I have just recently purchased a boat with this motor on it.

It was a used boat of trade from a dealership. Engine runs great, but I have found the the oil injection does not seem to be working. What I have been doing to be safe is the first tank of gas I ran through the engine was of a premix with my oil. I also added oil to my oil injection tank and mark it's high spot. After that tank went through all fuel, the level in the oil injection remained unchanged. Made my feel that much better I premixed my fuel just incase this happened.

Any thoughts, hoping it something simple. I'm quite comfortable with getting grease on my hands.

Also if I am using a premix, would the VRO alarm go off?
 

kenmyfam

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Aug 10, 2006
Messages
14,385
Re: 94 Johnson V4 90 horse VRO working?

Firstly you need to check if the VRO system is still connected. It may have been running pre-mix for a while for all you know.
Wise move pre-mixing with the first tank.;)
 

chipper4344

Recruit
Joined
Jul 25, 2010
Messages
3
Re: 94 Johnson V4 90 horse VRO working?

The VRO appears to be connection, just went an looked. Harness is connected, etc. What can I do to check, electical stuff, relays, fuses, etc. I'm very good with electrical testing. Just need to know what to check, is there a relay or such that could cause the pump not to turn on, or is access to the jump easy to check for voltage?
 

d.boat

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 19, 2008
Messages
520
Re: 94 Johnson V4 90 horse VRO working?

The VRO appears to be connection, just went an looked. Harness is connected, etc. What can I do to check, electical stuff, relays, fuses, etc. I'm very good with electrical testing. Just need to know what to check, is there a relay or such that could cause the pump not to turn on, or is access to the jump easy to check for voltage?

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

As you can see, the pump is purely mechanical. The electrical connections are for the warnings, not the pump operation.

The following will take you about 15-30 minutes:

Unscrew and pull pickup from tank. Make sure it has a filter on it. Make sure there's no obvious blockages. Check the float switch to make sure it is working freely. Re-install, making sure gasket seals.

Use a turkey baster and pull a few ounces of oil from the lowest part of the bottom of the tank. Squirt into a clear container and look for any signs of water or contamination. If you see it, completely drain the tank, clean it and replace with fresh oil.

Trace OIL LINE from oil tank all the way to VRO/OMS pump on engine. Make sure all connections are air tight, preferably with ratchet type hose clamps rather than nylon tie wraps or metal hose clamps. Make sure there's no kinks or air leaks.

Trace the ELECTRIC CABLE from the oil tank to the connection inside the engine compartment. Make sure the connection is clean and solid. This is the "low oil" alarm triggered by the float switch inside the tank.

Look for the wiring harness that comes from the pump itself - probably a 4 wire cable with a rubber connection. Make sure the connection is solid and that the terminals inside are clean. This is the "no oil" warning system triggered by the sensor inside the pump iteslf (described in the above referenced article).

Back to the oil line. You need to prime it or it won't work: There should be a little clear/whitish plastic part in the oil line right near where it connects to the VRO/OMS pump. Disconnect the oil hose just "down stream" (towards the tank) from there. Pump the oil line primer bulb until all air is expelled from the line and pump out several ounces of oil (into a container of course) to make sure there's no air in the line. Reconnect, clamp well, and give the bulb another couple of pumps at least until that clear plastic part shows it's full of oil.

Re-check the mark on your oil tank, run the engine and see if it's taking oil at 50-60:1. Measure oil and gas carefully before and after so you're confident in your measurements. I recommend that you run at least 5 or 6, preferably 10 or 12 gallons so that the measurements aren't quite so critical as if you were trying to do it after having burned only a gallon or two. Continue to run pre-mix until you know it's working.

Get yourself an owner's manual, all this stuff is described in there. Also get an OEM, service manual if you want to get into it more than that.
 

Sir Robin

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jun 29, 2010
Messages
126
Re: 94 Johnson V4 90 horse VRO working?

Agree with ken.... What a plan to premix!!!! I most likely would have FRIED it.
Me thinks you have done this before:D


Hey ken.... Nice cookie sheet;)
 
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