Why I Delete the VRO & Run My Engines Out of Gas

[@zook909]

Info on that battery charger? Also what about using fuel additives?

[@BrandonsGarage]

Charger is here: amzn.to/3xDWRvO There is a whole rabbit hole on the fuel additives subject: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i6e2kHdqlNF5a7c start at 3:16 to get the jist of it.

[@machew2009]

kzbin.info Has Videos testing additives and pretty much shows that there really is no bennfit and that some additive are actually worse then just play mixed gas also other channels have shown that there really are no additives that actually help with small engines as far as treating the ethinal or removing water.

[@stevestewart3816]

@@BrandonsGarage hey great videos. I have a bass boat I'm looking to buy for a good price with a 1985 Evinrude 175 hp bro outboard. So the seller states that it cranks up fine but after 30 minutes or so fuel comes out of one of the carburetors overflow. What could cause that? Where could I get rebuild parts for these carbs? Also how do I delete the vro?

[@mikedurhan9941]

Brandon: Good advice. My father bought a new Evinrude in 1955. He always ran the gas out of it until the day he died. He never had to have the carb rebuilt. NEVER. I got my first (used) motor in 1972 and always ran them out of gas ever since - until I got one with VRO and couldn't - until I removed the VRO. Prior to removing the VRO I had to crank it up often to keep it from clogging. I'm back into smaller 2-stroke motors now (25-35hp) and I run them out of gas. I don't have carb problems with them as a result. Someone started the rumor several years ago that running them out of gas is bad. Now, a lot of folks are repeating that erroneous information as fact, when it isn't correct. Thanks for setting that straight in this video.

[@cdc9776]

Hi Brandon. I have a '85 Johnson 30hp that I purchased new and put it on a '86 Sea Nymph 14' V-Hull aluminum fishing boat. Tiller, electric start, long shaft and it's a 100:1 mixture motor. The fuel tank mixed the fuel and oil for you. Its tank had a 2nd little compartment that held the oil. Man, I loved that motor. I think I paid just over $2700 for it. Worth every penny! But in 1995 I received a spine injury losing most of my mobility and lived in constant pain. My boat and motor got parked in my backyard and sat until 2022 when I was physically able to function again. I wanted to go fishing and planned on fixing up the old boat IF the motor would run. I had to buy a new fuel tank as the original was completely shot. I had to replace some fuel lines that mice had chewed up. Then to my disbelief the motor actually started right up, it sat there and idled without any help although a tad rough and of course it smokes a bit more from that extra oil. Fortunately, it was ALWAYS my habit to run it out of fuel when I was done using it. And to help avoid any possible seizing I pulled the plugs and squirted oil into the cylinders around 20 yrs ago. Now I that's as far as I got running that motor as the boat's interior is trashed so I just bought another boat. I don't know if it would run at speed or not, but I know that carb should be cleaned before hitting the water. Now if I had not run it out of gas, I'd be looking on eBay for a new-old carb. Ok just thought I'd share my little story as it's related to this video. Speaking of, I love your videos. I also have a 1980 Johnson 70hp and a 1993 40hp that I've needed a little help with, so I watched many of them to help guide me. I especially benefited from your trim unit rebuild video. Don't know why your videos are so easy to watch, it must be the southing sound of your voice. 🤣 Thank you and take care.

[@hartshut]

I always run my outboards out of fuel. And when the RPMs start to go up because of a lean mixture I put the choke on (if it has a real choke) and let it run to get every last drop out that I can. Never have starting problems and never have engine problems. In my experience the fastest way to fry a two stroke is ignition timing being too advanced and/or too lean fuel air mixture. But only under a load not in neutral running a carburetor out of gas.

[@t-bone43]

You are correct. I haul gasoline, diesel & ethanol. According to the certificate of analysis for pure ethanol it contains approximately 1% water.

[@johntalbert6096]

Great Video Brandon, I followed you when I was building a 50 HP for my boat.Up here in Michigan we have what they call Rec. fuel that is ethanol free and is 89 octane, I only use this fuel for my lawn equipment, snow blower , generator. So it was the only choice for my outboard. Being a auto mechanic for over 30 years, when ethanol first started showing up, we seen allot of problems with carbureted vehicles, we started using alcohol rebuild kits to help out.

[@chasecalvin8863]

My mentor has been a strictly Johnson Evinrude mechanic for 45 years and has always unplugged the fuel line to run the gas out of the carbs while flushing. Anyone saying otherwise is just plain wrong in my opinion = D! love watching these larger horsepower videos since we mainly work on 70s and under. Also, I completely agree on the VRO delete, some people love them, but it only takes one failure people! Your engine will be an anchor! Great info as always! Keep it up Brandon!

[@samtate1260]

I never liked that VRO stuff at some point in time you know it’s going to fail great videos 👍🏻

[@kenfrazier616]

was glad when I found your channel, when got my 90 horse with a vro I removed it as well now I understand why you were doing it. Always have closre fuel supply on most things that is not operated for periods

[@billscreations1999]

I deleted the oil injection on my 1990 130 yamaha best thing I ever did. I won't get stuck in the everglades at all.

[@whays]

I had a motor sit for 4 years and start right up. It was a Mercury! Seriously though I love your channel. I’m down with any old outboard content. Have a nice 70 Johnson on my Whaler.

[@jimdrechsel3611]

I always run fuel out of my small engines/outboards or drain carbs it’s been working for me for many years. Lawn mowers always fail because of fuel left in the carbs. My outboard drains fuel from the carbs when you tilt the engine but yes it can ruin fuel lines I guess. Years ago my brother deleted the oil line to the VRO and we just added the oil with fuel ourselves. We never had to worry miles offshore if the VRO would fail. When I used to use 6 gallon tanks in an older boat we had a designated tank mixed 100/1 just for trolling. We marked the tank so we couldn’t mix it up. We never foiled plugs again. Worked great. Just remember to switch the tanks back at the end of the night!

[@simonilett998]

I might be doing myself out of many carb rebuilds, but I tell all my customers to run their outboards and small engines out of fuel, either after every use or at the end of the season before storage. Not only does it reduce the amount of old gas left in the carb that might gum up the carburetor jets and passages, it also ensures that the carb float drops to the bottom of the bowl and the needle valve doesn't stick in the closed position, ready for new fuel to enter the float bowl as soon as the fuel is switched back on or primed up with the sqeazy bulb.👍🇦🇺

[@slowstang88]

Evinrude and Johnson engines are slower to get water out of the heads than Mercury. If theres no water pissing out in 10-15 I shut mine down but never had a problem on the water. I have a VERY well maintained 88 120hp VEO with bypassed oil injection. I put a brass fuel valve after the filter and sgut it off at the ebd of the season and let the engine shut off and make sure the tank is full to the top with non ethanol pre-mix (50:1) and shake it every month when its not boating season. Every other year I pay my my marine mechanic to clean the tabk, tune the carbs, and replace the fuel filter. My 88 challenger 17.5 runs 52mph trimmed out on fairly smooth water

[@bartdaw6681]

I am in Canada and there are still gas stations that have ethanol free fuel but the obtain is 91.

[@Steve-wz5pz]

The issue isn't simply 'running out of gas'; its having some, but not all, of the cylinders run out of gas in a two-cycle engine in a multi carb setup (in which the some carbs will be sucked dry sooner than other). This leaves some cylinders reciprocating without ongoing lubrication till the last carb runs dry. Is that a real concern? Got me. The gumming/corrosion/deterioation problems you mention can be avoided by running 100% gasoline - which we have available in MN, but you may not in CA. I haven't had to rebuild a small engine carb since swearing off ethanol.

[@mjodr]

After 25+ years of working with motors, etc, I finally put a drain on my dirtbike carb (XR650R) so that I can get that crap out of my carb for long sits. On other things with carbs I will try to run it out of fuel by shutting it off upstream. I keep trying to remember to do something similar on my Evinrude 175. I'm also tired of the oily mess it leaves after I shut it off and tilt the motor forward, so running the bowls dry would be amazing. Also, you can't hurt the engine by starving it of fuel while idling, it's WOT max power that will cause damage. If you shut off the fuel on any healthy engine with a carb it just slowly rev's a bit higher until it dies gently and I have never killed anything doing that.

[@Yamahaoutboardguy5090]

on the oil injected yamahas they mix oil in the intake manifold instead of mixing it in the carbs so you can run them out of gas without leaving residual oil in the carbs and there is no lag in oiling when you throttle up because it doesn't have to fill the bowl with richer fuel

[@jimdrechsel3611]

A lot of great points to think about and consider. Can you tell me what symptoms and things to look for when a VRO or fuel pump is failing or has failed? Will they leak? If so where? Loss of power ? Just at WOT? My VRO has been working as far as oil usage. I don’t seem to have the same WOT power and rpm. I did notice a kinked fuel line at a sharp bend but that doesn’t solve the issue I was wondering what else to look for. I have a separate small tank and was thinking of using it to eliminate the main tank and lines as an issue. Any advice. Subscriber here. Enjoy the videos. Thanks.

[@nickromaniuk7012]

I always run my motor out of fuel, Mine sat from May 2020 until August 2023. Started right up. Not even any hesitation at all.

[@DougsMessyGarage]

This was a timely video. Reminded me I need to do the oil and filter on my 100 hp Yammy. And hey, someone left a convenient affiliate link to Amazon. I hope you get the commission for my oil and filter purchase.

[@Mikebrown-lg7dd]

Hello brandon, I've got a question for ya. I'm almost done restoring this 82 j150 I purchased and I needed a few pointers and this is what I received. I wanted your opinion on it or if you've ever heard of it.

[@Mikebrown-lg7dd]

He said I needed to detune the older motors do to detonation issues. Retard my max spark advance and add 6 high speed jets all do to the newer fuel they sell with low octane.

[@notsure7874]

I wonder if the fuel being exposed to air and allowed to dry out in there might be worse than leaving the system full - as long as it's stabilized and running frequently. I don't really want to spring for rec90 but I'm considering just running that.

[@jims4539]

I have a 1975 85HP Johnson and I'm using E-free 90 Octane - Good/Bad? Also, with such a old engine is a 50/1 mix still ok or should more oil be used? Thanks.

[@mbreckwoldt9813]

I drive to MD to buy my 90 octane Ethanol free. Costs 65 cents more per gallon but peice of mind. Todays gas is cowpiss

[@jims4539]

@@mbreckwoldt9813 I don't mind the higher price either. If the engine requires it and I want a vintage boat. I am looking for a newer motor. Maybe a rebuild for a winter project. Power trim would be nice.

[@jims4539]

Got another boat with a Force 125. My boat mechanic is not impressed with the motor so looking for a 115 Johnson/Evinrude for just such a winter project. Another 85hp would do but more is more. The boat is a 1965 MFG Erie Custom 20'.

[@gillgetter3004]

I start all my small engines every 30 days all year long haven’t had a problem. The only one I don’t is an old outboard I run out of gas and drain carb bowl in case there’s any fuel left in it. Fog the cyl.s and it starts next year been doing it since 1992.

[@davekimbler2308]

I don’t fog but I run rich and have never had a problem but I do run the gas out !

[@PunkR0ckz09]

This might be a dumb question, but how do you run your motor out of gas? Do you simply unplug the fuel line while the motor is still running? Would it shut off by itself then, or do you need to "listen/watch" for a specific sign before turning off the key? I have never owned a boat, but I always thought it made sense to do so. I just bought my first used 1989 boat this month, and I'm hunting down the mechanics for it (control box, tilt and trim with pump and a motor) because the owner (he was the only owner of that boat, bought brand new in 1989) needed the motor and control box for his pontoon. I may have found a good kit, but the engine's a Johnson 65HP from 1971-72, I would like to keep it running fresh for a long time, and I know the owner had the electric control box rebuilt and the spark plugs replaced last year alongside a tune-up, and it ran this year (around april-may)...

[@BrandonsGarage]

Unplug the fuel like. Eventually the motor will die. Then I push key in for prime, and restart while holding key. Hold in key until dies again. - engine and primer is now out of fuel. ....or mostly is.

[@PunkR0ckz09]

@@BrandonsGarage Thanks a lot Brandon! It totally makes sense, I just wasn't sure if I needed to turn off the engine, unplug then prime-start or if it would make a difference to what you describe. Will totally do that :)

[@templesong]

Greetings, I have a 2000 Johnson 90 that I was told had a cracked block. My question is I also have an 81 Johnson 90. Will the power heads interchange? If not, what years will interchange with my 2000? Thanks in advance.

[@loadsamonkeys]

I've read that if you run dry on multi carb/cylinder engines then one carb will likely run out of fuel before the others, so that cylinder will be kept running without lubrication until the others run dry. What's your thoughts on that?

[@lenbartley9444]

Two cylinders are hot on the right and two on the left are cold. Any tips?

[@rosscox6935]

I need a fuel pump for my 1990 140 hp looper. Which one do you recommend?

[@jj-eo7bj]

Possible to put a fuel line shut off on the mini bike ?

[@AN-kg4ei]

isn't the ultra/high test gas ethanol free? That's why I use it.

[@gbass7328]

Yup ethanol is not good for older motors. I run ethanol free gas now but had to ream my choke solenoid out after the plastic got swollen. So realizing what was going on, so I drive a good bit away to get zero eth gas. A pain but I like the drive in the country as a City boy. 1985 70hp VRO still works fine and motor runs great.

[@derekmcdougal262]

I have a 1991 evinrude xp 150 I took the vro off and just put a electric pump problem solved now I just premix

[@mikecalvin1402]

We have plenty of non alcohol fuel in my area

[@dalecarpenter8381]

Your outboard has a Thermostat just like your car when you first start the engine water will not flow till the engine reaches temperature

[@machew2009]

I Run My old 2 strokes out of Fuel Also when i know that my outboard is not going to be running for more then a couple of weeks. I Use non Ethenal Fuel in my outboards and still run them dry. i know for some people it is hard to get.

[@hammer9856]

Check you local marina or boat shop. Many carry non-ethanol gas. Yes it cost more up front, but it saves you headaches and expenses down the road.

[@TimsWorkshopTJY]

Hi Brandon, I have been debating removing the VRO on my 60hp merc and due to trusting your opinion I've decided to do it this year. One thing that will be nice is not having the tank in my way when working on this motor. I'll have to use my auxiliary tank for my 4 stroke kicker though. It was nice running both motors off the main. With the oil mix in the main probably not good to run the 4 stroke with 50:1

[@BrandonsGarage]

Please don't allow me to talk you into it. Join some Mercury forums or groups and ask someone with morw insite to the Mercury pumps functuion first.

[@TimsWorkshopTJY]

Ok, thanks

[@MicahsMotors]

You are correct! New gas is the worst!(and they ask to much for what it is!)yes delete the vro and run pre-mix though them! It’s just another thing to fall!

[@davekimbler2308]

I can think of another reason to delete the VRO is people forget to do certain things before they go out and the #1 thing is the plug #2 is the tire pressure and #3 is checking fluid levels ( unless your boat has a gauge for oil level ) and if the alarm goes off ( sometimes they don’t ) is almost to late bringing me to #4 plenty of fuel and OIL ! How many boats have you seen sinking because of no plug ? At least when there fueling up they usually remember to add oil and I think 100:1 is way to thin , I run at the most 75:1 but usually 50:1 and have never fowled out a plug and on some I run 16:1 , you know what outboards I’m talking about ! LOL

[@LOUISPADUIS420]

where are you from and can you help with mine if your from florida

[@vb9300]

luckily my small town gas station still has reg 87, little more pricey, buy well worth it.

[@regularboating]

I know VROs can be reliable if you maintain them correctly but I just don't want to put a few thousand dollar outboard in the hands of one. Mixing oil and gas is easy, rebuilding power heads is not.

[@mjodr]

3:06 It's either crap in the cooling system, or my new favorite excuse: those mud dauber wasps who have hit 9 things around my house.

[@mikesmith1191]

I double oil , basically to fill carbs. For storage ,With vro discontinued. First thing , pull drain plugs in each bowl in spring, flood with mix, replace gaskets on plug , reinstall plug. , prime bulb, and crank

[@fishawk90]

That motor seems like it has low hrs for it to fire up after sitting so long with out hi idle start & sounds like it’s idling @ a low rpm. Something I rarely sees with these v4s. Mines in the water idle is 1000rpm & if I don’t have it trim up & the exhaust ports r close to the water it will die. I always have to start in hi idle & let it wram up so it won’t die when I back off the lever to put into gear. It’s really inconvenient especially coming & leaving the dock & the wind is not cooperating. But thanks for pointing out the old fuel in the bowl. When I first got my motor it was a nightmare getting to start in neutral because of that exact problem old fuel in the bowl. Even with fresh fuel in the bowl, once the motor gets cold it would still hardstart on low idle. But with urs it only to a few cranks & fired up cold. I’ve also notice a lot of ppl with these motors have the same exact issue I have that they have to advance the throttle & timing to get it to run. & am not sure if this relates to a compression issue.

[@mikedurhan9941]

Usually the "flat-back" V-4s idle good. It's typically the "bubble-back" models with poor idle qualities. Just to clarify, those two terms refer to the tuned (or not) exhaust cover between the two cylinder heads. The 85s, 90s, (late 1970's) 100s, and the early 115s were "flat-backs". The 135s, 140s and later 110s were bubble-backs. The exhaust cover bulged out on them. Big difference in idle quality between the two types. In this video you can see the older motor he is bolting to the work station is a bubble-back - probably an old 135.

[@fishawk90]

@@mikedurhan9941 all the v4 I've notice this hardstarting issue with were flat back & I think it's because of cyln damage from overheat that takes the sheen of the walls.

[@mikedurhan9941]

@@fishawk90 I was addressing the poor idle quality issue you mentioned. Overheating will often cause cylinder wall glazing - or much worse if it gets really hot.

[@coastalcleaningandmaintena2884]

I assume yur talking about oil injection on a 2 stroke? I've found injection to be very reliable and very abusive use. Totally agree on the gas issue tho. Mostly cheapo carbs that break down and varnish that quick. Never seen it happen in a month come now. I leave my 4 units for 2 to 4 months without issue. But you gotta run chevron 94. In BRP products it's part of the warranty. Now with gas prices at what they are I'm riding the scooter the most I can lol.

[@hawkeyemarine]

All you have to do is run Non-Ethanol gas. 100% gas. It will last a year.

[@BrandonsGarage]

Cant get it locally.

[@joevanvalkenburg]

@@BrandonsGarage Every Mavrick C Store has Clear Gas that is Ethanol free in SLC . Do you have them in Vernal.

[@Nayr6297]

My Local Gas Station Is A Phillips 66 and They Sell A 92 Octane 100% Ethanol Free Fuel ... I Run It In All My Small Engines and Boat Motor ...

[@mbreckwoldt9813]

I drive across the border into Denton Maryland to buy ethanol free 90 octane fuel. Shame on Delaware that we cannot get it here. I will be advocating for it. The best you can do if you buy e10 is to use starbrite startron treatment and get a quality water separating filter with drain. Yes, todays fuel is cowpiss and 2 strokes hate it.

[@dsciarrino3663]

The best money can bay 👌

[@hammer9856]

I always use non-ethanol gas in my 1985 9.9 Johnson outboard and run it dry at the end of the season before fogging and storing it indoors. Don't have to worry about VRO in my case. It still runs like a top.

[@jayhavey1170]

Cool, every fuel myth in one video. Meanwhile, he's charging a dirty as hell battery. A one stop video of everything you shouldn't believe.

[@mikecalvin1402]

Always run it out😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@RodneyTicknor-kt8lt]

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