VRO 225 Johnson

[gcapehart]

The engine ran great all last year. I read conflicting stories on the VRO. Can it be checked? It has 750 hours. Should it be replaced?  Gary

[John Jones]

The biggest issue is that the VRO pump on these motors is driven by a plastic gear.  Mine is a '93 unknown hours.  For my peace of mind and it being 14 years old I disconnected the VRO and pre-mix my fuel.  It's pretty much a personal choice.  If you want to keep the VRO I would at least replace it with that many hours on it.

[Anonymous]

None of the oil injection systems on an OMC or a BRP outboard are run by a plastic gear as they are on a Merc. The old VRO system is OK but the newer OMS pump (4 wire) has better electronics for the alarm system.

The #1 biggest problem with any oil injection is getting water in the oil tank. Keep the water out and it'll be fine, you'll love it.

[John Jones]

Mine had to be rebuilt due to a VRO pump failure.  I'm not going there again.

[Anonymous]

John , it'd be interesting (edcautional) to know more about what happened with your motor. 1993 OMC V6's didn't have a VRO system but rather the OMS system. If your dealer blamed the pump failure on a gear it'd be worth knowing what he was refering to. The OMC pumps are run by a pulse line. If the pulse line breaks or plugs, the pump stops pumping fuel so the motor quits before damage occours.

[John Jones]

I'm no OB mechanic or expert by any means and maybe should keep my mouth shut.  It's all just my $0.02 anyway.

Most people I know refer to most any oil injection as "VRO" just like my grandparents called all refrigerators "Frigidaires".

In reference to my motor, I'm going by what the owner told me when I bought the boat second hand (he was the original owner).  He said the pump failed and he had to have it rebuilt.

[Anonymous]

I understand. It's interesting when we hear about the oil injection failures because most of the time we'll find out that one cylinder was damaged and on the OMC system, VRO or OMS, the pump cannot pick on one cylinder, it's an all or nothing deal. The easiest thing for a rebuilder / dealer to blame for the damage is the oil injection system. A lot of rebuilders realize that and will look further, some won't / don't.

When we see see a powerhead with some damaged pistons and the rest are fine the most common cause is an issue with the related carb(s). The other pistons are oily, not scuffed, not burned etc. and since the oil is mixed with incoming fuel before the carbs, the pump cannot be at fault. Basically if a carb passage or jet is plugged the gas & oil mix doesn't get to the piston properly. The oil was mixed correctly but wasn't delivered properly. At that point it doesn't matter if the oil was premixed or injected, it got to the carb(s) but not delivered properly tro the piston.

The most common issue is that the oil tank gets water in it. The pump will pump water just as good as it will pump oil. It'll pump whatever liquid is in the tank. Just keep an eye on the oil tank as part of the normal upkeep. I have oil injection on all my boats and have never had an issue.

The other thing is that you need to be careful about calling your pump a "VRO" pump. Lots of times when folks go to get parts and refer to it as "VRO" the parts guy skips over the "1993" part and folks end up with incorect parts or advise.

Actually we've seen more proven causes with premix. Wrong ratio or no oil. Several times we've seen a locked up powerhead on a motor using premix and there is nothing in the carbs but straight fuel. There's oil in the gas but not on the carbs. Each time it turns out the motor locked up, the operator realized he forgot to add oil, put oil in the gas, then tried to get the motor to start. Since it wouldn't turn over the oil never made it to the carbs.