accidently Ran out of 2 cycle oil

[allthrottle92]

big mistake, I forgot to fill up the oil tank and ran out of 2 cycle oil while running up river. Motor shut down. the Johnson 115 V4 will start back up, but does not sound right. did not run it much after.

Just off the top of your heads, what do you think i messed up... i am thinking i might have blown a head gasket. motor sounds like it is running on 3 cylinders.

thanks in advance.

 

[Vic.S]

Re: accidently Ran out of 2 cycle oil

More likely scuffed up a piston and the cylinder. Broken the rings maybe.

Compression test called for I think then the heads off for a look-see.

 

[ezeke]

Re: accidently Ran out of 2 cycle oil

Regardless of the level of damage, get some extra oil into the engine as quickly as possible.

 

[allthrottle92]

Re: accidently Ran out of 2 cycle oil

well it is in the shop now, so should find out the damage sometime monday. will let yall know.

VIC.S - sounds pricey... hope it won't be too bad. oh well...

think i am going to disconnect oil injection and just mix my own fuel for safety purposes. anyone know what the mixture should be?

 

[Daviet]

Re: accidently Ran out of 2 cycle oil

50:1, 1 pint of oil to 6 gallons of gas.
Isn't there some type of sensor that tells you when you are low on oil?

 

[Dhadley]

Re: accidently Ran out of 2 cycle oil

Lets see - you forgot to put oil in the VRO/OMS tank and ignored the waring horn (assuming you maintained the motor correctly and the system was working). Now you want to premix which means there is no warning system at all if you forget again. Are you sure you want to go that route? How much $$ is this rebuild?

 

[allthrottle92]

Re: accidently Ran out of 2 cycle oil

the mechanic asked about the warning horn/buzzer, i did not know about one nor did i hear one. how loud are they. anyways he is going to look at everything. make sure it is all working correctly. have only had the boat a couple of months and still learning. i guess some lessons are harder then others.

How much does a rebuild usually cost on a V4?

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: accidently Ran out of 2 cycle oil

Costly mistake. Sometimes this is how we learn and remember.

 

[191Seanymphstriper]

Re: accidently Ran out of 2 cycle oil

Most likley 2K to $2400 full rebuild..... You should have had a warning system. On the 90 hp mariner i have there is a button by the oil fill with the key in the run position and motor off if you hit the button it will sound the alarm for testing. The alarm is for low oil and overheat. Listen. You may be better off with a new motor at this point. A more fuel efficent motor then that one. For 2400 you can get a nice used motor these days.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: accidently Ran out of 2 cycle oil

If you are fixing the motor then fix the warning horn while you are at it. Running with no lubrication = friction. Excess friction = excess heat on the moving parts and excess heat and friction on the moving parts = fried metal parts
Hard way to learn.

 

[allthrottle92]

Re: accidently Ran out of 2 cycle oil

So is there a possibilty i won't have to spend 2K on a rebuild?

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: accidently Ran out of 2 cycle oil

You won't know till you start tearing things down to investigate but from what you say when you wrote "it does not sound right" does not sound like good news.
Keep us all posted on what you find and good luck.

 

[ezeke]

Re: accidently Ran out of 2 cycle oil

So is there a possibilty i won't have to spend 2K on a rebuild?

There's a very good possibility that you just blew a head gasket. But, the longer the engine sits without adequate oil, the more likely it is that there will be extensive damage.

 

[allthrottle92]

Re: accidently Ran out of 2 cycle oil

OK i have a solid back ground of mechanics. Used to build race engines for mustangs and ATV's. DO you think with a good manual, it is possible to rebuild this motor on my own over the winter. I mean it is a 2 stroke, but not sure if there are any particulars when it comes to an out board.

 

[Vic.S]

Re: accidently Ran out of 2 cycle oil

I reckon with that background you should hardly need the manual!

Get a OEM one from Ken Cook though not a third party one

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: accidently Ran out of 2 cycle oil

OK i have a solid back ground of mechanics. Used to build race engines for mustangs and ATV's. DO you think with a good manual, it is possible to rebuild this motor on my own over the winter. I mean it is a 2 stroke, but not sure if there are any particulars when it comes to an out board.

Get a manual and it should be no problem. Ask any questions out here and you should have a sweet running motor when done.

 

[191Seanymphstriper]

Re: accidently Ran out of 2 cycle oil

If you can rebuild a 5.0 or a 351 this will be a walk in the park. Kinda like working on a big lawn mower. If you have a good machine shop near buy it may help if the block needs to be cleand etc and the head needs rebuilding if there is scoring etc... But get a price first. Most of these guys who work on these outboards really know what they are doing and they may have a easier quicker fix to get you on the water if the damage isnt extensive. Sometimes you can get lucky. Also I wouldnt segest removing the oil pump and switching to gas oil mix. You will looose fuel economey and burn the piston rings faster. The oil injection system is timed perfectly with the timing of your engine fuel pump carbs etc. I think its worth hunting down a new wiring harness with a siren or replacing and testing your harness and siren if you have one.

 

[allthrottle92]

Re: accidently Ran out of 2 cycle oil

Yeah i am just waiting to see what the Mechanic says on monday or tuesday. then will make my determination if have them do it or i do it. thanks for all the help, and i do believe i am going to stick with the oil injection, just figure out why i did get an alert.
talked to a friend and they told me that i would definitly be able to hear the alarm even at WOT and the radio playing... did not hear a thing exept for the motor slowly shutting down.
I will say my prays and hope for the best.

 

[allthrottle92]

Re: accidently Ran out of 2 cycle oil

Good news, motor does not need rebuild. good to go. passed all diagnostics. All compression tests good.

thanks for all the help.

My boat has no alarm. is there an after market one i can purchase?

 

[ezeke]

Re: accidently Ran out of 2 cycle oil

Depending on the year, you should have a temperature switch on each cylinder head with tan wires that run into the engine harness. Further forward on the engine harness are connections for the fuel pump and then for the oil tank. Any signal device connected to the tan wire at the helm end of the harness will work but should be limited to less than 4 amps. You would need to provide positive voltage for the device at the helm.

The following link show typical V4 horn wiring. http://www.maxrules.com/graphics/omc_pics/REMCONTBOX.jpg