2 Stroke Motor...not using much oil

[YoungClayB]

Hey guys. I recently bought a boat that has a 1995 50 hp 2 stroke oil injected Evinrude on it...I put a mark on the oil reservoir and I have run about 7 or 8 gallons of gas and the oil level in the reservoir has barely dropped at all. The guy at the marine shop here in town jokingly said that the VRO oil pump actually stands for "very rarely oils". He's actually the one who put the mark on my oil tank so I could see how much oil was bing used.

So 2 questions...

1. should I be concerned here? I mean when I crank up the engine, it definitely smokes (which is a good sign as far as oil consumption goes....right?), but I dont really ever notice much smoke once the engine has been cranked for a few min.

2. what are your thoughts about adding some of the 2 cycle oil to my gas tank each time I fill up? Is this a good idea? If so, how much oil should I mix into my 6 gallon gas tank?

 

[bassboy1]

Some of the earlier VRO pumps were somewhat quirky after a few years, due to poor quality gasoline damaging rubber internals. However, by 1987, I think they had started using the VRO2 pumps on all motors, which were notably more reliable. That isn't to say that they won't die, as any machine is subject to failure sooner or later. How much did it go down? 7 - 8 gallons at 50:1 mixture would be just over half a quart. Depending on the shape/size of your oil tank, it may not register clearly.

Also, make sure the boat is leveled out exactly as it was when you first took the measurement. If the boat was on a slight upward slope at the shop where the mark was made, and at a slight downward slope where you measured it, you could be getting false measurements.

Lastly, what speeds were you running most of the time? VRO (Variable Ratio Oiler) mixes the oil in at different rates based on the RPM you are running. At low RPMs, the VRO pump will give the motor much less oil, so if you were operating at low RPMs, you may be burning as little as 100:1.

If you want to premix, simply disable the VRO pump, and mix the tank at 50:1.

 

[Zum]

Personally,I'd be concerned.
I've had 2 outboards with oil injection and removed both of them but they were older then yours(86/91).I just like knowing my motor is getting enough oil and by putting it in by myself I know it's there.Some people would rather fix the oil infection,thats your call.

I wish I was better with gallons...1 gallon is 3.78 liters?

For me when I'm at the pump,I just look at how many liters I put in and divide it by 50.ex...10 liters divide by 50 is .2...or 200ml.
6 gal if 3.78 to liters = 22.68...round up to 23 divide 50 = .46 or 460ml.

Alot of times if you buy outboard oil theres conversions of the back of the container.

 

[Truckmechanic]

I have a 84 Evinrude 115 and I can burn several tanks of gas before I really start to notice that it is dropping in the tank. does it smoke?

 

[DiverDog357]

You'll hear lots of bad stories about automatic oil injection. I have never had one on a boat motor but did have one for my quad. Everyone I talked to said do away with it. I talked to an old tech and he said they are basically bullet proof as long as you keep the tank clean so it don't clog they are good to go. I would run several tanks of gas through before I noticed it dropping down. The quad was ridden a lot and I never had a problem with it. I sold it to a guy down the road and he asked about getting rid of the injection said everyone he talked to said he should. I told him what the tech said and he left it on. About a thousand miles later it is still working flawlessly. Keep an eye on it, and as long as you're not losing sleep over it leave it on. If not just unhook it.

 

[ben2go]

It all comes down to maintainence.If the motor was kept up by the previous owner then there shouldn't be much of a problem.

 

[YoungClayB]

I dont think I am ready to abondon the oil injection just yet, but I dont want to damage my motor either....would it be ok to leave the oil injection hooked up AND add some oil mix to my gas? This would allow me to observe how much oil the VRO pump is sending to the motor while at the same time making sure that there is at least SOME oil in the gas.

Thoughts? Good idea? bad idea?

 

[Andy]

I think if I was going to mix oil with the gas, I'd just go ahead and mix the right ratio for the motor and do away with the pump. If you add oil to the gas and use the pump, you're going to have to much oil. If the pump goes out while doing this, you're not going to have enough oil in the gas to prevent damage. If you add enough oil to the gas to prevent damage if pump goes out, you're going to have twice the ratio mix while the pump is working.

 

[Quackrstackr]

You might foul some plugs but otherwise it should not hurt the motor. Most all of them require twice as much oil during the break in period when new.

My new Merc. smoked like a fiend when running that much oil but it still ran the same.

 

[YoungClayB]

One more question...if I do decide to do away with the pump, what do I need to do to prevent the beeping alarm from warning me that I am not getting any oil from the VRO pump.

Its also interesting that the alarm is not currently going off, so maybe I AM getting enough oil from the VRO pump.

This is so confusing.

 

[bassboy1]

=

Its also interesting that the alarm is not currently going off, so maybe I AM getting enough oil from the VRO pump.

You probably are. The VRO pumps, especially the VRO2 pumps (post '86) are very reliable. I can just about guarantee that those who always say to disable them are not certain on how they work. They are too quick to blame another problem on the VRO pump, when in actuality, the VRO pump is not at fault. Once you learn how the VRO pump functions, you probably will have a little more confidence in it.

 

[CarlF]

My only experience with VRO was on a 1987 115hp OMC SeaDrive.
I bought theboat in 1997. 1 month after I bought it, the fuel/oil pump started surging. creeped back to the dock and took it to the shop. They put on a standard fuel pump and I switched to premix. Only problem was that I had scorched a ring when the pump went bad and didnt know it. It ran fine on the hose at the shop. But the first time I opened it up on the water, the rings in one cylinder disintegrated and killed the powerhead.
Kiss another $2500 goodbye.
Bummer.

That said, a buddy bought a new 1996 23' Proline with a 250 Johnson on it. It had VRO. He ran that engine like hell for 6 years and the only problem he ever had was the oil level sensor went bad. Quite annoying when you have a full tank of oil & the buzzer keeps going off! But that was an easy fix.