Pro's&Cons of auto oiling or premix

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Topic: Pro's&Cons of auto oiling or premix
Posted: 20 Apr 2025 at 12:15pm

Ad Astra

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Joined: 15 Aug 2015
Location: Hawkes Bay
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Points: 64

I have a 2000 Johnson 115hp Ocean Pro with 450hrs on the clock which has given me 9yrs of trouble free use apart from the issue of being up the hard in an unusable condition awaiting the arrival from Crowley Marine in the US of a pair of vibration dampers.

During this down-time I was thinking about the VRO, it's maintenance or lack of it on a vitally important part of the engine. For all I know, this 25 yr old item has never had any done on it.

As I see it, I have two choices. Buy a repair kit or isolate it and go to pr-mix.

To buy a repair kit has its own issues eg: where from?

I have not found an example of an OEM kit! While the likes of eBay are selling kits from what appears to be dubious sources.

At this moment in time. I am leaning towards pre-mix.

So my question is, which way?

The pre-mix appears such a simplistic method to solve the issue, whereas an overhaul could be full of snags for the uninitiated!

I would appreciate any comments

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Quote Mc Tool

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Posted: 21 Apr 2025 at 9:14am

Mc Tool

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Joined: 23 Dec 2021
Location: Riverton
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The dubious ebay sources may well be the supplier to the factory . I have rebuilt my tohatsu completely with ebay China parts .........no issues .
However re the vro ,I haven't ever heard a good thing but they are plentiful . When mine proved to be faulty I just went pre mix . Fortunately 50:1 is not hard to calculate , double the fuel and add a zero gives the oil in mills
9L x 2 = 18, add zero ....=180 , 180ml oil for 9L fuel
Id go premix . I think I just left the vro pump there to pump fuel ,........not sure ,I sure dont remember buying another fuel pump .

I wish I was young again .... Id be heaps smarter than this time

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Posted: 21 Apr 2025 at 9:52am

Ad Astra

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Joined: 15 Aug 2015
Location: Hawkes Bay
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Points: 64

Thanks for the info Mc Tool.

The other consideration is that having spent near $1800 on replacing the vibration dampers (one each side of the lower mid-section and still waiting for delivery of the dampers).

Bearing in mind the lack of maintenance on the VRO, it could fail with little warning. It makes economic sense to choose premix rather than than an overhaul.

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Posted: 21 Apr 2025 at 5:05pm

Kandrew

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I’d go premix, the VRO pumps were only ever USA built and had their problems over the years. Running extra oil in the petrol was always recommended just in case the pump let go.

Many of them were disconnected.

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Posted: 21 Apr 2025 at 8:35pm

Ad Astra

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Joined: 15 Aug 2015
Location: Hawkes Bay
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Points: 64

Thanks Kandrew. Gives me something to do while I await the arrival of those bloody dampers

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