VRO problem?

[Zebramidge]

new boat owner. 15 ft. 1995 boston whaler "rage" jet drive w/115Hp in/out OMC motor. smokes like crazy at startup, a bit sluggish to start, requires lots of choking at ingition key. smoking diminishes later, but still is there. restarts are quick and responsive. boat performance seems okay, but occassionally revs without expected jet thrust in shallow or weedy water (could be natural intake issue). gets to 5500rpm without trouble. called OMC dealer and he suspected vro system and "warned" me that it would be $800 to fix. have a call into an independent mechanic i trust. read lots of conflicting posts on vro. any ideas?

 

[Dhadley]

Re: VRO problem?

800.00 to fix what? What plugs are you using? What fuel? How old? What oil? Straight injected or mixed also?<br /><br />Good luck!

 

[Zebramidge]

Re: VRO problem?

wow. thanks for quick reply. 14 minutes.<br /><br />$800 was for part and labor to replace the pump. lacking specs i replaced plugs with same champion marine plugs that were in block. oil is all being injected, none premixed. havoline tc-w3. fuel is unleaded 87 octane as suggested by previous owner. how old? i guess you mean fuel and oil. reservoirs were half-full when i purchased. probably have used most of what was in there and replenished the rest. seller was in bad health and hadn't used it much which is probably a bad thing.

 

[kittyboater]

Re: VRO problem?

greetings, my 1st boat is my rage yes she is a cutie, but absolutely has all the symptons mentioned in the forums, guess it a 2 stroke thang. interesting though, mine has not alarmed due to overheating, perhaps my temperature intake is blocked. anyhow, now i have only 40% compression in one cylinder? any suggestions, she still runs great, get up on plane like a champ, i am afraid to run her now. I'm told i can have her resleeved for $1K?<br /><br />i'm not experienced, but am reading now.<br /><br />thanks for any help/suggestions <br /><br />she really is a cute boat though, perfect for my lakes like a sports car

 

[AUGIDAWG]

Re: VRO problem?

The VRO pump will cost you $225, and less than an hour to replace it. The test to make sure it is working, less than 1/2 hour. With labor @ $90 per hour, total looks like $360 plus tax.

 

[seahorse5]

Re: VRO problem?

On that engine which is an enclosed inboard, the VRO pump is inside a metal canister for fireproofing which is a Federal law. Labor to change it out and test and assemble is several hours.<br /><br />Your best bet if it is an oil pump problem, is to just pre-mix the fuel and run it. If the problem is the fuel pump portion, then you will need it rebuilt, replaced, or the $165 pump only option installed.