# VRO Bypass Keeping Boat from Selling?



## Shiner (Mar 31, 2008)

I'm selling a boat that has had the VRO pump bypassed. I noticed that after I mention that to prospective buyers, they seem to loose interest. Not sure if it is the thought of having to put oil in the fuel tank, but it isn't that big of a deal to put oil in the tank. Should I replace the VRO pump to help the boat sell? The engine is a 2000 Johnson 200 HP OceanPro. What are everyone's thoughts?


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## Kenton (Nov 16, 2007)

In my opinion you have just helped save a future headache. Those VRO pumps can ruin your day if they fail. It would not be a turn off to alot of people that knew what you were talking about or ever knew someone that got stuck 30miles offshore with no warning. Good luck with the sale!


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## Telum Pisces (Sep 27, 2007)

It's going to turn off people that don't know what the heck a VRO pump is. And there are a lot of prospective boat buyers out there that really have no clue about boats or what it takes to operate and maintain one. I found this out when I sold my boat last year. A lot of buyers with money and no boat sense at all. My boat sold to a guy that had never owned a boat before. It was his first. He called me from the ramp of his first outing saying that it wouldn't start. I asked if he primed the bulb or pushed the key in to choke it.(older two stroke motor). He flat out said, "I didn't know I needed to do that". Made me feel bad for my boat.


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## Johnms (Nov 29, 2010)

I cannot disagree more. The VRO pump makes refueling a piece of cake and in the 10 years that I had 2 separate boats with a Johnson VRO OB I never had a problem. It was put there for a reason and I was always surprised at how quickly mechanics say to bypass a perfectly good working VRO pump. If I was buying a used boat and the pump was bypassed, what would you think? When did it fail and how did you know it failed? Like when it overheated and stopped running - cooking the heads? Its a valid question.


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## CCC (Sep 3, 2008)

Your selling prowess might be in question. try explaining to them that now as long as she is running you are ASSURED she is getting oil, if you have one of those measuring bottles show them how it works, how easy it is to add oil based on how many gallons gas you just put in. I have had both bypassed systems and currently own a boat with the VRO installed, and although I thought about bypassing it I have heard that once they got the bugs worked out the system is BULLET PROOF. Your boat will sell, you just need to massage the buyer. :thumbup:


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## Shiner (Mar 31, 2008)

Thanks for all the comments. I will definately explain things better going forward. Luckily my VRO was pumping too much oil when it went out, so it only cost me the fouling of plugs.


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## Kenton (Nov 16, 2007)

Shiner said:


> Thanks for all the comments. I will definately explain things better going forward. Luckily my VRO was pumping too much oil when it went out, so it only cost me the fouling of plugs.


I had this same problem, and my boat ran like a new engine after i bypassed it.


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## TheCaptKen (Mar 14, 2011)

I agree with Johnms. The VRO is pretty close to bullet proof and you can have greater problems by removing it. There is a tendancy to over oil when premixing and that can cause worse problems. There is a reason it stands for Varable Ratio Oiling and mixing 50/1 is only correct if you are running at high speed all the time. Idle mixture is closer to 100/1 so if you do much trolling, you will carbon up the cylinders faster and foul plugs. The reason a VRO pumps too much oil has nothing to do with the oil pump. It means there is a problem on getting fuel to the pump and its having to work harder to supply the engine. When the fuel pump works harder, it pumps more oil. So you didn't solve the problem by removing the pump.


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## johnsonbeachbum (Oct 1, 2007)

The younger the buyer, the more likely they have never opened the hood or crawled under the vehicle they drive everyday.
They expect the same on other stuff to be the same.


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

Very simple answer to your question. Go get the VRO Pump replaced and the question will never come up AGAIN when selling the Boat.


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## jasoncooperpcola (Jan 2, 2008)

I would not trust the VRO. It only takes one time for it to screw up and your engine is toast. Premixed fuel is the way to go. I always zip tie my keys to the oil bottle if I did not add oil during fuel up.


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## pappastratos (Oct 9, 2007)

Well, kinda late, but the OMC VRO system is very reliable, BUT we can not expect the pump to last forever. A OMC tech told me that the VRO/Fuel pump needs to be replaced every 10 years.


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## RMS (Dec 9, 2008)

There are two kinds of OMC owners, those that are foolish enough to trust the industries worst excuse for an oil injection system, and those that have done their homework and say no f'n way. Premixed OMCs built their reputation for 50+ years, and VRO and FICHT bankrupted it in just a few.......do your homework, there is no excuse not to with the Internet !!!


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## TheCaptKen (Mar 14, 2011)

No, FICHT bankrupted OMC, the VRO had nothing to do with it. Those that actually worked on and understood the system knows how reliable it is and how it cannot quit pumping oil unless the fuel pump also quits pumping. So unless the alarm system is not working, which the oil pump is attached to, the system is 100% better than premixing. Ignorant mechanics have blamed the VRO for burned up cylinders that was caused by dirty carbs leaning out the fuel burn for years.


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## RMS (Dec 9, 2008)

I have owned OMC, Merc and Yamaha and have hands on experience, including a VRO failure that was costly.

Ken, in my humble opinion, a fundamental flaw with the OMC VRO system is that unlike Yamaha, and at least some Mercs that mount the primary oil reservoir that feeds the injection pump high on the power head to utilize gravity to insure the injector pump always receives oil to inject, the VRO pump's one and only oil supply is mounted in the hull , usually well below the height of the VRO pump. 

This means that the Yamaha always has gravity on its side, as opposed to OMC, who chose to perpetually challenge gravity to lubricate the powerhead. 

Gravity is relentless , 24/7, year in year out, for all eternity. 

Who would want to constantly challenge gravity rather than befriend it, and depend on a 6 foot long oil line not to fail, kink, lose prime, etc , versus a 6 inch long oil line headed straight down from the bottom of the oil tank to the injector pump?

Other than the VRO, I have fond OMC memories. My favorite was a 1964 75 horse v4 Evinrude that ran flawlessly its entire life. Iit outlasted the hull.


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