Mercury Automatic Oil Mixing Bypass - Moderated Discussion Areas

  ContinuousWave
  Whaler
  Moderated Discussion Areas
  ContinuousWave: Whaler Repairs/Mods
  Mercury Automatic Oil Mixing Bypass

search | FAQ | profile | register | author help

Author Topic:   Mercury Automatic Oil Mixing Bypass

claybob posted 05-26-2009 12:52 PM ET (US)
I am preparing to remove the [automatic oil mixing] from my [1994] Mariner 225. It works fine but, with over 400 hours and plastic gears, it is time for some piece of mind. I was reading an article yesterday which gave an excellent step by step but I can't find it again. [Check your BROWSER HISTORY--jimh]
Something like this:
--remove the aux tank, lines and the cowl mounted tank
--remove and block off the vro pump
--using a 1/8 plug, plug the crankcase
--remove the actuating rod to the carb
--remove the module and move the brown wire to the other module (to preserve the overheat warn tone)
What have I missed? Do I need to plug the 2-PSI check valve on the fuel line?
I someone knows of the article I'd love to be able to ding it again.
Thanks all,
Claybob
Buckda posted 05-26-2009 02:28 PM ET (US)
With a mere 400 hours on your motor, I don't see the need or urgency to replace/disable this system if it is working properly. There are not many reports of the Mercury VRO failing, and there is strong evidence that the reports of widespread failure on OMC VRO2 (the second generation systems) were probably mis-placed blame.
As long as your warning horn is operating, you should not have any problem. Besides, even if the horn fails, the Mercury Engineers were wise enough to build in a fail-safe - your system will OVER-OIL your motor upon failure, not under-oil.
....but....if peace of mind can only be had by disconnecting what is an excellent oil economizer and a robust system, so be it.
This article should provide you with a lot of information about how your system works and give you a good idea of what would be involved in disabling it.
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/mercuryOilInjection.html

Beyond that, I strongly advise, as does the article, that you source a service manual for your motor. That information carries more weight than a bunch of guys posting on the Internet, unless you are confident in their advice and have good reason to be so (i.e. - you know that the advisor is a certified Mercury mechanic).
FYI, I am NOT a certified Mercury mechanic.
:)
claybob posted 05-26-2009 03:06 PM ET (US)
OK. I've talked myself out of it. I had the "plastic" block off plate (plug) in my hand and just couldn't pull the trigger.
I do own a factory service manual and a parts manual for all three of my mercs - even had to use them a time or two - :, great advice for anyone listening.
When I first brought this beast home there were number of problems, not the least of which was oiling. I can state clearly the buzzer works - couldn't keep oil in the upper reservoir. Replaced all the lines to no avail and (finally) the 75 cent O-ring around the filler cap on the gunwale. At no time was she starved for oil, though.
I understand the system very well - was just a little worried about the plastic gears. That being said, I agree on all your points and will wait until it breaks before I fix it.
Thanks again,
Claybob
jimh posted 05-26-2009 08:49 PM ET (US)
[A duplicate thread has been deleted. The only reply was to urge against removal.]
jimh posted 05-26-2009 09:51 PM ET (US)
Because of the high cost of repair of a failure of the plastic drive gear in the Mercury oil injection system, an alternative after-market solution has been developed. It replaces the OEM oil mixing pump with an electrically operated pump.
The cost of a gear replacement is estimated at $1,200. The cost of retrofitting an electrically operated pump is estimated at $575.
For more information on this solution, see:
Marine Solutions (Wisconsin)
http://www.marinesolutionswi.com/
They have retrofit kits available for Mercury V6 outboards:
--135 to 200-HP, 1989 through 1999
--200 to 225-HP, 1995 through 2001 3-liter
The manufacturer of this retrofit comes with some credentials. Robert Kachelek, president of Marine Solutions, was formerly the director of Outboard Service for Mercury Marine.
sosmerc posted 05-27-2009 12:14 AM ET (US)
I have never seen a drive gear failure on a 3.0 litre 225hp Merc. The gear is different than the plastic drive gears used on the 2.0, 2.4, and 2.5 litre V-6 Mercs. The 3.0 litre drive gear is one-piece and is pressed onto the crank snugly between the lower bearing and the counterweight.
I honestly can't say whether it is plastic or not....I'd sure like to know. My guess is it is similar, if not exactly the same as the Yamaha engines use.
Yes, I have seen MANY failures of the plastic drive gears that Merc uses on the other V-6 engines.
The bad news on the 3.0 litre design is that they have never used a motion sensor...so there is NO WARNING if the oil pump were to stop turning for some reason. The only warning is a low oil sensor in the engine mounted reserve tank.
I hope someone that has actually put their hands on a 3.0 litre drive gear can tell us what it is made of.
sosmerc posted 05-27-2009 12:29 AM ET (US)
Doing a little further research this evening via a factory manual for 1994-2001 3.0 litre 225-250hp engines. The manual does not say what the drive gear material is but it does say:
"IMPORTANT: DO NOT remove oil pump drive gear on crankshaft unless gear is damaged; i.e. cracked, gear teeth chipped or fretting, or excessive looseness"
Again, I have never seen any of this on a 3.0 litre oil injected Merc...and for that matter, I have not seen that kind of damage on any of the L3 and L4 Mercs that also use this same drive gear configuration as the 3.0 litre.
claybob posted 05-27-2009 08:18 PM ET (US)
Thanks for all the input. It's a bit more reassuring that this is not a common 3.0 problem. Now for the fun...I note my horn stopped working (didn't hear it when I keyed on last weekend). This after stating I know it works! Doh! Also, the tach isn't working - related? I think so... I've swapped the stator, reed block, a CDM and fixed the oiling issue which existed when I originally purchased. I've also rerigged some of the electronics which required me to remove the controls station. Related?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hop to:

Contact Us | RETURN to ContinuousWave Top Page

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Freeware Version 2000
Purchase our Licensed Version- which adds many more features!
© Infopop Corporation (formerly Madrona Park, Inc.), 1998 - 2000.

Author	Topic: Mercury Automatic Oil Mixing Bypass
claybob	posted 05-26-2009 12:52 PM ET (US) I am preparing to remove the [automatic oil mixing] from my [1994] Mariner 225. It works fine but, with over 400 hours and plastic gears, it is time for some piece of mind. I was reading an article yesterday which gave an excellent step by step but I can't find it again. [Check your BROWSER HISTORY--jimh] Something like this: --remove the aux tank, lines and the cowl mounted tank --remove and block off the vro pump --using a 1/8 plug, plug the crankcase --remove the actuating rod to the carb --remove the module and move the brown wire to the other module (to preserve the overheat warn tone) What have I missed? Do I need to plug the 2-PSI check valve on the fuel line? I someone knows of the article I'd love to be able to ding it again. Thanks all, Claybob
Buckda	posted 05-26-2009 02:28 PM ET (US) With a mere 400 hours on your motor, I don't see the need or urgency to replace/disable this system if it is working properly. There are not many reports of the Mercury VRO failing, and there is strong evidence that the reports of widespread failure on OMC VRO2 (the second generation systems) were probably mis-placed blame. As long as your warning horn is operating, you should not have any problem. Besides, even if the horn fails, the Mercury Engineers were wise enough to build in a fail-safe - your system will OVER-OIL your motor upon failure, not under-oil. ....but....if peace of mind can only be had by disconnecting what is an excellent oil economizer and a robust system, so be it. This article should provide you with a lot of information about how your system works and give you a good idea of what would be involved in disabling it. http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/mercuryOilInjection.html Beyond that, I strongly advise, as does the article, that you source a service manual for your motor. That information carries more weight than a bunch of guys posting on the Internet, unless you are confident in their advice and have good reason to be so (i.e. - you know that the advisor is a certified Mercury mechanic). FYI, I am NOT a certified Mercury mechanic. :)
claybob	posted 05-26-2009 03:06 PM ET (US) OK. I've talked myself out of it. I had the "plastic" block off plate (plug) in my hand and just couldn't pull the trigger. I do own a factory service manual and a parts manual for all three of my mercs - even had to use them a time or two - :, great advice for anyone listening. When I first brought this beast home there were number of problems, not the least of which was oiling. I can state clearly the buzzer works - couldn't keep oil in the upper reservoir. Replaced all the lines to no avail and (finally) the 75 cent O-ring around the filler cap on the gunwale. At no time was she starved for oil, though. I understand the system very well - was just a little worried about the plastic gears. That being said, I agree on all your points and will wait until it breaks before I fix it. Thanks again, Claybob
jimh	posted 05-26-2009 08:49 PM ET (US) [A duplicate thread has been deleted. The only reply was to urge against removal.]
jimh	posted 05-26-2009 09:51 PM ET (US) Because of the high cost of repair of a failure of the plastic drive gear in the Mercury oil injection system, an alternative after-market solution has been developed. It replaces the OEM oil mixing pump with an electrically operated pump. The cost of a gear replacement is estimated at $1,200. The cost of retrofitting an electrically operated pump is estimated at $575. For more information on this solution, see: Marine Solutions (Wisconsin) http://www.marinesolutionswi.com/ They have retrofit kits available for Mercury V6 outboards: --135 to 200-HP, 1989 through 1999 --200 to 225-HP, 1995 through 2001 3-liter The manufacturer of this retrofit comes with some credentials. Robert Kachelek, president of Marine Solutions, was formerly the director of Outboard Service for Mercury Marine.
sosmerc	posted 05-27-2009 12:14 AM ET (US) I have never seen a drive gear failure on a 3.0 litre 225hp Merc. The gear is different than the plastic drive gears used on the 2.0, 2.4, and 2.5 litre V-6 Mercs. The 3.0 litre drive gear is one-piece and is pressed onto the crank snugly between the lower bearing and the counterweight. I honestly can't say whether it is plastic or not....I'd sure like to know. My guess is it is similar, if not exactly the same as the Yamaha engines use. Yes, I have seen MANY failures of the plastic drive gears that Merc uses on the other V-6 engines. The bad news on the 3.0 litre design is that they have never used a motion sensor...so there is NO WARNING if the oil pump were to stop turning for some reason. The only warning is a low oil sensor in the engine mounted reserve tank. I hope someone that has actually put their hands on a 3.0 litre drive gear can tell us what it is made of.
sosmerc	posted 05-27-2009 12:29 AM ET (US) Doing a little further research this evening via a factory manual for 1994-2001 3.0 litre 225-250hp engines. The manual does not say what the drive gear material is but it does say: "IMPORTANT: DO NOT remove oil pump drive gear on crankshaft unless gear is damaged; i.e. cracked, gear teeth chipped or fretting, or excessive looseness" Again, I have never seen any of this on a 3.0 litre oil injected Merc...and for that matter, I have not seen that kind of damage on any of the L3 and L4 Mercs that also use this same drive gear configuration as the 3.0 litre.
claybob	posted 05-27-2009 08:18 PM ET (US) Thanks for all the input. It's a bit more reassuring that this is not a common 3.0 problem. Now for the fun...I note my horn stopped working (didn't hear it when I keyed on last weekend). This after stating I know it works! Doh! Also, the tach isn't working - related? I think so... I've swapped the stator, reed block, a CDM and fixed the oiling issue which existed when I originally purchased. I've also rerigged some of the electronics which required me to remove the controls station. Related? Any help would be greatly appreciated.