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Author Topic:   New BRP OMS Pump Failure

Dan posted 05-17-2007 12:12 PM ET (US)
My [OMS--also often called VRO] pump was acting funny. It wasn't a low oil problem, but a low fuel problem. I just had my mechanic put in the new pump last month, so I was really surprised when it developed problems. My mechanic thought it might be a bad pump, but he's not an approved BRP dealer.
BRP sent me to Lindenhurst Outboard Service of Lindenhurst NY.
Even though it's a very busy time of year, the owner, Ralph, made time for me. He verified that my new [OMS--often called VRO] pump was bad and replaced it with a new one that is supposed to be Ethanol resistant. I was very happy that he gave me one, because he only had two left. Plus I hadn't bought the first one from him.
BRP is paying for the new pump and labor to install.
It was really really fantastic to find a place where I was treated great. I've had some bad experiences in the past, so I was thrilled.
Hopefully this new Ethanol resistant pump will last a long time.
jimh posted 05-17-2007 11:47 PM ET (US)
I have heard of one other problem similar to yours in which a new replacement OMS pump from Bombardier failed in the field after a very short time due to problems related with the ethanol content of the fuel being used. And, like your dealer, the local dealer also replaced the pump with another new one at no charge to the customer. This happened last fall in SE Michigan.
What was the part number of the pump which is the new, alcohol-resistant part?
seahorse posted 05-18-2007 06:49 PM ET (US)

The OMS pumps are alcohol resistant to the 10% ethanol fuels, and have been for quite a while.
Many parts of the country have fuels that test over 10% and those can cause problems, especially if the motor sits a while between uses.
The biggest problem with alcohol laced fuels is the phase separation where the bulk of the alky and water drop to the bottom of the tank. Since phase separation occurs with as little as 0.5% water, that 99.5% or so alcohol is now "lining" the bottom the tank. It can get sucked up along with the regular gas or can get sucked up all at once, but usually the motor dies or really runs rough at that point.
Either way, when the phase separated alcohol enters the fuel system, it is way more than 10%. Since the OMS pump has the fuel outlet at the top of its housing, the water and alcohol migrate to the bottom of the pump chamber where it sits against the rubber diaphragm, sometimes for weeks at a time. Over time the fuel pump diaphragm will soften, distort, or even disintegrate and cause a lack of pumping action.
The alcohol laden fuel vapors can work its way into the air motor diaphram chambers and affect that diaphragm also over time.

This type of problem started showing up last year in the Northeast mostly but now is seen almost countrywide. BRP a while back came out with an improved diaphragm that will tolerate over 10% alcohol inside the OMS pump.
If a dealer changed out a pump and after a while it failed, he may have installed another pump from stock that did not have the latest diaphragm. That is why there may be multiple pump problems, when it is actually excessive alcohol problems.
To combat this, it is best to have a fuel-water separating filter to catch a lot of this water laden alcohol before it enters the engine's fuel system. Of course you have to change the filters often, depending on the severity of the fuel problem.
Thanks to the political bandwagon trumpeting ethanol, this will be an ongoing problem for all motors, along with increased heat soak problems (vapor lock) also. Just talk to a lawnmower and small engine mechanic if you want to see and hear about alcohol laced fuel problems!
Dan posted 05-18-2007 10:12 PM ET (US)
The pump that got replaced was purchased 10/19/2006 and installed in April. I only used it for about 1 hour and then the low fuel alarm went off. My mechanic and dealer verified it needed a new pump. Dealer took a new pump out of a box that had arrived a week earlier. The new pump was the resistant one. I don't think Ethanol had anything to do with the first pump -- it was just defective. I used the new pump yesterday for over 2 hours and it was perfect.
I had new fuel lines, new Pate 100 percent Ethanol proof, fresh gas, Startron stabilizer, new Racor 10 micron filter, new in line filter, etc.
jimh posted 05-18-2007 10:32 PM ET (US)
Dan--Do you have the information about the part numbers I asked about above? Give us the part numbers of the two pumps--thanks.
Dan posted 05-19-2007 09:26 AM ET (US)
New part# 5007423
Old part# 5004559

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Author	Topic: New BRP OMS Pump Failure
Dan	posted 05-17-2007 12:12 PM ET (US) My [OMS--also often called VRO] pump was acting funny. It wasn't a low oil problem, but a low fuel problem. I just had my mechanic put in the new pump last month, so I was really surprised when it developed problems. My mechanic thought it might be a bad pump, but he's not an approved BRP dealer. BRP sent me to Lindenhurst Outboard Service of Lindenhurst NY. Even though it's a very busy time of year, the owner, Ralph, made time for me. He verified that my new [OMS--often called VRO] pump was bad and replaced it with a new one that is supposed to be Ethanol resistant. I was very happy that he gave me one, because he only had two left. Plus I hadn't bought the first one from him. BRP is paying for the new pump and labor to install. It was really really fantastic to find a place where I was treated great. I've had some bad experiences in the past, so I was thrilled. Hopefully this new Ethanol resistant pump will last a long time.
jimh	posted 05-17-2007 11:47 PM ET (US) I have heard of one other problem similar to yours in which a new replacement OMS pump from Bombardier failed in the field after a very short time due to problems related with the ethanol content of the fuel being used. And, like your dealer, the local dealer also replaced the pump with another new one at no charge to the customer. This happened last fall in SE Michigan. What was the part number of the pump which is the new, alcohol-resistant part?
seahorse	posted 05-18-2007 06:49 PM ET (US) The OMS pumps are alcohol resistant to the 10% ethanol fuels, and have been for quite a while. Many parts of the country have fuels that test over 10% and those can cause problems, especially if the motor sits a while between uses. The biggest problem with alcohol laced fuels is the phase separation where the bulk of the alky and water drop to the bottom of the tank. Since phase separation occurs with as little as 0.5% water, that 99.5% or so alcohol is now "lining" the bottom the tank. It can get sucked up along with the regular gas or can get sucked up all at once, but usually the motor dies or really runs rough at that point. Either way, when the phase separated alcohol enters the fuel system, it is way more than 10%. Since the OMS pump has the fuel outlet at the top of its housing, the water and alcohol migrate to the bottom of the pump chamber where it sits against the rubber diaphragm, sometimes for weeks at a time. Over time the fuel pump diaphragm will soften, distort, or even disintegrate and cause a lack of pumping action. The alcohol laden fuel vapors can work its way into the air motor diaphram chambers and affect that diaphragm also over time. This type of problem started showing up last year in the Northeast mostly but now is seen almost countrywide. BRP a while back came out with an improved diaphragm that will tolerate over 10% alcohol inside the OMS pump. If a dealer changed out a pump and after a while it failed, he may have installed another pump from stock that did not have the latest diaphragm. That is why there may be multiple pump problems, when it is actually excessive alcohol problems. To combat this, it is best to have a fuel-water separating filter to catch a lot of this water laden alcohol before it enters the engine's fuel system. Of course you have to change the filters often, depending on the severity of the fuel problem. Thanks to the political bandwagon trumpeting ethanol, this will be an ongoing problem for all motors, along with increased heat soak problems (vapor lock) also. Just talk to a lawnmower and small engine mechanic if you want to see and hear about alcohol laced fuel problems!
Dan	posted 05-18-2007 10:12 PM ET (US) The pump that got replaced was purchased 10/19/2006 and installed in April. I only used it for about 1 hour and then the low fuel alarm went off. My mechanic and dealer verified it needed a new pump. Dealer took a new pump out of a box that had arrived a week earlier. The new pump was the resistant one. I don't think Ethanol had anything to do with the first pump -- it was just defective. I used the new pump yesterday for over 2 hours and it was perfect. I had new fuel lines, new Pate 100 percent Ethanol proof, fresh gas, Startron stabilizer, new Racor 10 micron filter, new in line filter, etc.
jimh	posted 05-18-2007 10:32 PM ET (US) Dan--Do you have the information about the part numbers I asked about above? Give us the part numbers of the two pumps--thanks.
Dan	posted 05-19-2007 09:26 AM ET (US) New part# 5007423 Old part# 5004559