Hello everyone! This is my first post/question, I have been reading a lot, and well I have to laugh because this is my first boat so I feel quite dumb, and after reading a lot of posts feel even dumber.
So here we go. I purchased a couple of years ago a project boat an old river john 16' with a Johnson 70 VRO engine. OMC controls in a right hand console.
I fixed up the inside of the boat with casting decks, new console etc. The 70 seemed to run fine in a barrel of water, and I ran it dry each fall, fogged it etc for winter storage. Well yesterday I towed it to the water for it's maiden run.
As in the barrel it started and idled fine, got out of the harbor and increased the throttle and it just dogged for about 5 seconds and then died. Now it starts very hard if at all, and will no longer even idle. All the boat dealers are backlogged for a month or more so I thought I would try and determine what is wrong with it myself. Problem is the more I read the more confused I get.
There is no VRO tank and there is a inlet below the fuel connector that has been plugged with a piece of fuel line with a bolt inserted to plug it, and with a worm clamp to hold/seal the bolt.
I was reading the FAC on the reliability of the VRO system and the fact that it gets blamed for many problems that in fact have nothing to do with the VRO system, in that FAC it talked about both a fuel pump and a oil pump being a part of the VRO system? Before I totally confuse everyone here maybe I should ask some basic questions which are as follows.
1) Does the Johnson 70 VRO engine have it's own fuel pump on the engine itself?
2) Can you simply plug this bottom connection below the fuel line connector and run a 50:1 fuel mix without doing anything else?
3) If the fuel pump was part of the VRO system, would this engine even idle without it?
I would also like to add a little information that may help to eliminate questions from anyone trying to assist me. The fuel tank is a brand new 24 gal moller, the fuel line is brand new and also moller. New fuel filter. I don't believe I have any fuel line air leaks, but I am not 100% certain, as I just read the FAC on testing for leaks, both at the engine and from tank to engine this morning. I did not replace any of the fuel lines inside the cowling, but after reading bringing a engine to life, seems I stopped short of doing everything necessary on an engine only idled and run in a barrel each summer for the past three years. I did fog cylinders, and carbs each fall with seafoam, and before taking it out ran the engine and fogged seafoam directly into the carbs for about 5 minuts. I also added the prescribed amount of seafoam into the fuel tank. After reading a lot of the FAC's on here is it more than likely that I should remove and rebuild the carbs, replace all fuel lines in the cowling etc?
Thanks for any and all help anyone is willing to offer. I am just a lot overwhelmed with what to do first, and am not even certain at this point that I have a fuel pump because of the VRO FAC.
So here we go. I purchased a couple of years ago a project boat an old river john 16' with a Johnson 70 VRO engine. OMC controls in a right hand console.
I fixed up the inside of the boat with casting decks, new console etc. The 70 seemed to run fine in a barrel of water, and I ran it dry each fall, fogged it etc for winter storage. Well yesterday I towed it to the water for it's maiden run.
As in the barrel it started and idled fine, got out of the harbor and increased the throttle and it just dogged for about 5 seconds and then died. Now it starts very hard if at all, and will no longer even idle. All the boat dealers are backlogged for a month or more so I thought I would try and determine what is wrong with it myself. Problem is the more I read the more confused I get.
There is no VRO tank and there is a inlet below the fuel connector that has been plugged with a piece of fuel line with a bolt inserted to plug it, and with a worm clamp to hold/seal the bolt.
I was reading the FAC on the reliability of the VRO system and the fact that it gets blamed for many problems that in fact have nothing to do with the VRO system, in that FAC it talked about both a fuel pump and a oil pump being a part of the VRO system? Before I totally confuse everyone here maybe I should ask some basic questions which are as follows.
1) Does the Johnson 70 VRO engine have it's own fuel pump on the engine itself?
2) Can you simply plug this bottom connection below the fuel line connector and run a 50:1 fuel mix without doing anything else?
3) If the fuel pump was part of the VRO system, would this engine even idle without it?
I would also like to add a little information that may help to eliminate questions from anyone trying to assist me. The fuel tank is a brand new 24 gal moller, the fuel line is brand new and also moller. New fuel filter. I don't believe I have any fuel line air leaks, but I am not 100% certain, as I just read the FAC on testing for leaks, both at the engine and from tank to engine this morning. I did not replace any of the fuel lines inside the cowling, but after reading bringing a engine to life, seems I stopped short of doing everything necessary on an engine only idled and run in a barrel each summer for the past three years. I did fog cylinders, and carbs each fall with seafoam, and before taking it out ran the engine and fogged seafoam directly into the carbs for about 5 minuts. I also added the prescribed amount of seafoam into the fuel tank. After reading a lot of the FAC's on here is it more than likely that I should remove and rebuild the carbs, replace all fuel lines in the cowling etc?
Thanks for any and all help anyone is willing to offer. I am just a lot overwhelmed with what to do first, and am not even certain at this point that I have a fuel pump because of the VRO FAC.
