'89 Merc 100HP Oil Injection - To bypass or not to bypass ?

[MartyTn]

Hi All - I'm new to this forum. I'm considering bypassing the oil injection on my '89 100HP Merc. I'd like to see if anyone else here has done this and get your opinions. This system appears to me to be an accident waiting to happen - and when it does - it's gonna be really expensive for me. There is an alarm system that sounds when the oil tank is low/empty, but the system could have other failures, such as oil line breakage (tank to oil pump or oil pump to fuel pump) or oil pump failure - and these failures (I believe) would not cause an alarm. Couple all this with a leaky oil tank when trailering, and it just seems to me to make more sense to pre-mix and bypass this system. I've also had two outboard mechanics suggest this to me. I've owned many outboards before, with both internal and external fuel tanks, and have been fine with pre-mixing, winterizing, etc. At this point, the pre-mix - to me - seems to be the lesser of the two headaches. Many thanks for all your thoughts.

[pyro]

Pro's and con's here:

It's a 100 hp 4cyl, right? Injection systems fail from high RPM's, high hours, or from both. The plastic drive gear on the crank usually strips out. If this happens, the alarm has a motion sensor on the pump shaft that will set off the alarm. I have never heard of the pump itself failing, but it could happen. As long as the short hose from the pump to the fuel line stays put, you'll be alright, especially on your engine, assuming that it's not turning 7000 rpm regularly. It's convenient not to have to mix oil in the gas.

But, you're right, the system can fail, and there are conditions that can cause the alarm to not sound or to not be heard. If you don't mind mixing oil and gas, then pull the system! I think there's a blockoff kit for the 4 Cyl.

Get your blockoff plug and other parts from our parts guru, Rickracer ([email protected] I think??)

[MartyTn]

Thanks pyro for the info. I've sent an email to Rick. Many thanks, Marty.

[MartyTn]

oops - emails were returned as "invalid address" when sent to "[email protected]" and also to "[email protected]".

If anyone knows the correct email address or phone# for Rick, please let me know.

Many thanks, Marty.

[vector mike]

Here it is. You forgot the "S".

rickracers.com

[MartyTn]

Thanks Mike.

[vector mike]

Glad I could help. :)

[pyro]

oops, sorry about the address. Rick has helped me out several times, so I try to help him out...