1995 Johnson 200 - VRO Alarm Only At Idle

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walpurgis

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My 1995 Johnson 200HP (J200TXEOC) gives me the intermittend beep (1sec on, 1 sec off), but only after idling for a few minutes and while idling. Once the RPM is above 2200 or after I shut off the engine for a few seconds, the alarm stops.
As I had mistaken this alarm for something else first (i know, stupid!) I also know for a fact that I can run the engine at WOT for several minutes without problems, so it must get sufficient oil then. I also found that when it beeps and I rev up the engine to about 2500 rpm just for a split second, the beep goes away for a few minutes.
(Orinally I had thought it had to do with the thermostats, so I replaced them both along with the cylinder head gaskets and at that time saw that the cylinder walls still look perfectly smooth and appeared well oiled. (phew!))

Anyway, the beep is still there.. what are the most likely reasons for this alarm only at idle? Where should I start looking?

thnx!!
 

Chris1956

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Re: 1995 Johnson 200 - VRO Alarm Only At Idle

I wonder if you are interpreting the beep corrrectly. I would think an intermittent beep would be a less serious alarm (low oil), rather than no oil.

Do you have the owners manual or a service manual. It sounds like you will want to check all the alarms. On my '98 Johnny 150HP, the low oil (in tank) beeps for a few seconds and then the light stays on, until you add oil. The Check Engine (No gas) alarm is continuous, until the fuel pump catches up. I have not experienced the no oil and overheat alarms, however I expect steady beeping for both.
 

walpurgis

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Re: 1995 Johnson 200 - VRO Alarm Only At Idle

Thank you very much, Chris!
I don't have an owners manual unfortunately. I bought the boat used 3 years ago. The meaning of the beeps I got from searching the web prior to my post. Quite a few mentioned the 1 sec beeps as No Oil. I also have the SELOC repai manual that didn't help a lot here. It talks about a 10 second beep in both low and no oil cases.
Despite all that, I have talked to two local boat repair shops today and both said 'it's the pump'. That doesn't match what I just observed when I played around with the engine down at the dock thius afternoon: When I squeeze the oil primer bulb, the beep stops. When I wiggle the oil hose right at the primer bulb it stops also.
I'll take the oil tank out and clean it up next. Before spending $350..
Maybe it's the level sender...
Still thanks for your thoughts
 

Chris1956

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Re: 1995 Johnson 200 - VRO Alarm Only At Idle

You might order an owners manual or OEM Service manual at Marine engine.com
 

walpurgis

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Re: 1995 Johnson 200 - VRO Alarm Only At Idle

Thanks, I just did. See what I can find out....
 

sweetmelissa

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Re: 1995 Johnson 200 - VRO Alarm Only At Idle

any luck on your problem:


I have a couple of problems and I'm looking for some help:

Problem #1:
At full throttle I start to lose power and I have to squeeze the primer bulb which is soft and it will pick right back up to normal speed running fine. It will stay hard for a little while and go soft again sometimes minutes later during the same test run. Any thoughts?

Problem #2:
I start the engine and within 3-5 minutes At low idle speed in nuetral and also when in gear at low speeds under 5 mph I will get an alarm that goes off ( 1 beep per sec. )This will continue until I rev the engine in nuetral or go faster than 10 mph in gear and then it stops. If I'm in gear going at a trolling speed and it sounds I can move the trottle and go faster and the beeps get faster ( 2-3 per second ) and then it stops beeping. The alarm has never sounded at speeds 10 mph or faster... Once the alarm goes sounds I can speed up and the beeps get quicker as I speed up. If I slow back down they get slower. But once I reach a certain speed around 9 - 12 mph they alarm stops..... I can run the engine at a slow a trolling speed and it will sound and then I can go fast and it will go off until I slow back down then within a few minutes of going slow again it will sound. Any thoughts?

Engine is a 1985 Johnson 90 hp.

Questions: What would make this alarm sound? Heat, Oil, water pump?

Here is the last work I had performed at the shop on June 24th, 2007:
1 - fuel filter 3/8" - $5.90
2 - KIT AY, F Pump&LMTR - $335
3 - KIT AY, Carb repair - $57.99 ( quanity 2 )
4 - Starter - $184
5 - Gasket V4 T-stat OM -
6 - Thomostat 130 Degr ( quanity 2 ) - $19.98
7 - Relief Valve Poppet - $2.19
8 - L77JC4 - Spark plug - $11.60 ( quanity 4 )
9 - Grommet OMC 321692 - $6.38 ( quanity 2 )

Mechanic Notes:
- Load tested battery it is O.K.
- Checked starter, it was drawing excessive amperage, replaced
- Checked fuel system, replaced several broken fuel clampsl
Test ran engine, excessive smoking due to several issues, replaced bad VRO pump, rebult carbs and repaired fuel leaks.
- Engine was running extremely cold, replaced thermostats.
- Engine runs much better now, shift and temp tested O.K.
- Engine is starting to have some internal wear.
Final Bill: $1297.57 ( ouch ) Engine ran great with no issues until August of 2009. I got 2 good summers and now I'm having the following issues mentioned above.
 

bigdhill96

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Apr 27, 2015
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Did I find out what the probel was ?? I am having similar problems as well with me 1995 130hp...alarm beeps st slow idle or trolling around , I can rev engine up and the beep stops or when I pick up speed and drive fast the engine alarm doesnt go off
 

dingbat

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Nov 20, 2001
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When I squeeze the oil primer bulb, the beep stops. When I wiggle the oil hose right at the primer bulb it stops also.
I'll take the oil tank out and clean it up next. Before spending $350..
Still thanks for your thoughts
Some things to check before buying a new fuel pump.

I replaced my oil tank and lines two years ago as PM. I wasn't experiencing any problems but what I found made me think considering the time and effort I put in to minimize contaminating my oil tank.

Removing the oil line, I found a big blob of "junk" accumulated at the low point (in bilge) in the oil feed line. An oily hair ball is the best I could describe it. The strainer in the bottom of the oil tank had accumulated debris as well. Not a lot, but enough to make you wonder why I hadn't checked or cleaned it previously.

Personally, I would drain and clean the tank. Then remove, inspect and clean the oil oil line running to the motor. Check for any cracks or leaks in the hose. Cut an inch or so off each end of the hose before reinstalling to eliminate the possibility of leaks at the connection points.

I went as far as to get rid of the hose clamps and use the circled clamps supplied with the new oil line. Right or wrong, my mechanic swears by the circle clamps. Figured I follow suit

Check to make sure the o-ring in the cap is still in tact. They have a tendency to get hard and crack overtime.
 
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