Outboard Oil Tank

Hello,

the replacement outboard I'm currently wiring into my boat is an eighties two-stroke Johnson motor and has come with an external oil-tank with an electric pump in it.

I've got the workshop manual for the outboard, but it doesn't mention an oil-tank at all. It's obvious where the oil-line plumbs into the engine, but how do you wire up the pump? Does it just need to be running the whole time the engine is turning over, or does it need to be variable/on a timer/somehow sense demand from the engine?

Any help/advice/suggestions would be much appreciated,

Thanks

 

Is that a FICT motor?

 

Hello,

according to the good old internet, FICHT started making motors with OMC after 1997, so my engine predates that by about ten years.

Although the engine's got oil injection of some sort (the oil line goes in through the same attachment the fuel-line uses and then goes under the power-head somewhere), it's got carburetor(s), not fuel injection.

All the best

 

Having done a bit more research, apparently OMC/Johnson/Evinrude started fitting a system called VRO (Variable Ratio Oiling) to their engines after 1984, so that's almost certainly what I've got.

This is quite a good explanation of the system.

Presumably, the electric pump in the oil tank just runs constantly, effectively pressurising the oil feed to the diaphragm pump/mixer attached to the fuel-line...

 

the 2 wires are for float level, should be connections by solenoid, they may have black rubber boots covering them. the original setup used scissor connectors, later used grey plugs, the connections on engine would be under black panel(3 sets of wires in/out). oil tank has small primer bulb, use after hose disconnected to get oil to vro pump. if the primer bulb gets pumped after, it pushes oil into carb float bowls and makes hard starting of engine, fuel bowls have to be drained. if you run vro, I would recommend putting oil in gas tank for 100:1, this will protect engine from loss of oil. OMC recommendation after 3rd time unit failed in 1985. due to cost most switch back to old fuel pumps. looked at article; despite how they spin it, I ran one of the first vro engines, in military so we got them since no-one wanted to be test mule for new system. we used omc oil and did not have FRG(reformulated gasoline, oxygenated). powerhead failed 3 times in first 6 months. you need to run same make of oil, changes can vary viscosity and effect oil pump, other result is oil thickens and clogs oil pump.

 

what engine do you have?

 

Disconnecting the pump was the most usual fix for engines of that era.

 

Hello all,

thanks for your replies!

I've got a Johnson V4 115hp - a J115TLCIM.

Does that mean the VRO tank actually has a sensor in it, not a pump? I've not looked yet, to be honest...

I *could* just premix the fuel in the tank - it seems a pity not to use the VRO system, though...is it really that bad?

Thanks

 

sensor, not pump. premix is safest. if you run the vro, I highly recommend running 100:1 premix incase pump goes out. most owners don't watch vro tank oil level to ensure engine is consuming the oil. if you go with premix 50:1, you can use vro pump. cap off small side/oil line. best option is old style pump back fitted(omc or bing are manufacturers) going to projected spark plug ngk bpr7h-n-10/bpr8h-n-10 or champion ql78jc4, they help with crappy fuel, improved; idle, acceleration. they run cleaner.

 

J115TLCIM is 1981 and doesnt have VRO

 

Thanks for your continued help with this

I can certainly see the sense in pre-mixing to 100:1 to avoid damage - how would a retro-fitted pump be connected? The VRO system senses the engine revs/load as far as I understand it - would a pump have to do the same?

Interesting also that my engine code predates VRO - I think the VRO system itself has been retro-fitted to my engine some decades ago! It would certainly explain why there's no mention of it in the service manual...

Thanks

 

The VRO is a diaphram fuel pump and when it moves it takes with it a small piston to pump the oil.
Thats all it knows.
the only issues are when either there is a oil line restriction and it cant get the oil to pump or an air leak in the fuel system on the suction side so the diaphram has to work harder to pump the same fuel volume but this of course means it keeps pumping more oil.
Has your pump got wires connected to it and 3 or 4 wires?

 

Best way to test it is;
(100:1 in your fuel is a good idea to be safe)
warm up the engine
take 2 different bore size clear plastic hoses such that they are much different bore 100:1 if possible
Hold them up in the air and connect one to the oil inlet and one to fuel inlet and fill them with oil for roil and fuel for fuel.
(If you want to measure and make the hose volume you could work out the ratio but will be about 100:1 at idle or measure the quantities as you pour them into the tubes.)
You can run the engine for 15min or so to get a change in the level in tubes.
As you have them held up in the air you eliminate any suction issues.

 

now let me try to find the ID info to determine you have the correct pump for a v4
I think there are 3 version of the pumps to cover 2, 3, 4 and 6 cyl engines

 

been busy, you would remove vro fuel pump, you can either use old style pump that uses pulse hose to vro pump or plug it and locate on block where that style pump would be locate. OMC(Evinrude/Johnson O/B) didn't remove the 3 bolt holes, middle hole will have 7/16; flat blade screw slotted head bolt. you would remove and hook up pump. the vro pump has friction slide inside as engine runs faster, it engages oil side and pumps more oil, vro pump at idle may pump around 200:1 and may go up to 30:1 at full throttle. engine actually need a lot more oil at full power, due to the oil ratio not allowing time to hang out with recipricating components. race boats used to run quart to gallon, craziest to see them dumping oil in as they filled tank, back in 80's