2000 johnson 115 fuel pump???

[mattmann7]

Bought a 2000 Ranger with a johnson 115 last year that has been shop maintained since new by the original owner. Ran it about 30 times last year with zero issues. This year I was late to get the boat out and have used it in 3 small club tournaments. The problem I am having is the boat starts on the pumped bulb and will not keep pressure causing it to stall. Pump the bulb and it starts right up with the same result. Last 2 tournaments were on small lakes and I suffered the issue. I replaced the bulb with a new one. Still have the problem. The other thing that is occurring is the oil alarm is sounding. My first guess is that the fuel pump has failed? I have the replacement ready to install after it arrived this morning. If that doesn't solve the issue what would be the next possible issue that would cause the problem? Would a water separator or inline gas filter cause this? Both are getting replaced also. The lakes we fish are small generally under 300 acres so I can get by with the trolling motor just to fish. Open to ideas if I am missing something obvious. Thanks in advance.

[Bighare2]

What is your engine model number?
Before you waste any more money read up on this article on VRO / OMS. http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/VRO.html
You may not have a fuel pump problem once you read about the operation
what oil warning - low oil or no oil?

[ChampioNman]

Don't happen to have gray fuel lines coming from the tank do you? If it is a 60* motor have you replaced the in line fuel filter in the vapor tank?

[mattmann7]

What is your engine model number?
Before you waste any more money read up on this article on VRO / OMS. http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/VRO.html
You may not have a fuel pump problem once you read about the operation
what oil warning - low oil or no oil?

J115PLSSB alarm is continuous. Alarm light is the one on right. There are 4 alarm lights. It goes off on low idle. Shuts off with key and may or may not go back on with restarting. Most times it doesn't. I remember from last year one trip where I had to go through a no wake zone and the alarm went off one time. After restarting it was fine.

[mattmann7]

https://www.thehulltruth.com/boating...hot-again.html

This is very similar to what my situation is.

[mattmann7]

Don't happen to have gray fuel lines coming from the tank do you? If it is a 60* motor have you replaced the in line fuel filter in the vapor tank?

I will check. My service manual is 5 feet from me in a drawer barricaded by a band saw I bought last week that is wedged into the only floor space in my room. My GFs daughter and 2 grand daughters are arriving next Thursday to stay for 5 weeks. My fishing room is the default for any man tools in the house. Can barely move in here. Bottom line what and where is the vapor tank located? Also on my previous 89 Ranger with a 150 I was able to bypass the oil pump system and add direct to the gas tank. I ran it like that for years. I literally used less than 20 gallons of gas last year fishing 30 tournaments. Can this system be bypassed? Because of the gas price spike the club director is scheduling us to fish smaller lakes this year.

[ChampioNman]

Bottom right is low oil check the oil level in the tank and maybe pull the sending unit out of the oil tank and clean the screen on the pickup. You can still bypass the oil side and mix in your tank.
It is item 59 in the drawing sits on the front side of the motor next to the OMS pump. The white filter sits to the left of it.
https://www.marineengine.com/parts/j...%3B+Components

[mattmann7]

Bottom right is low oil check the oil level in the tank and maybe pull the sending unit out of the oil tank and clean the screen on the pickup. You can still bypass the oil side and mix in your tank.
It is item 59 in the drawing sits on the front side of the motor next to the OMS pump. The white filter sits to the left of it.
https://www.marineengine.com/parts/j...%3B+Components

Thank you sir. For the amount of gas I use disconnecting is an easy fix till I can get it back to the shop where it was purchased, which if I can avoid doing now will be after the season. They have all the maintenance records. The previous owners adult son had a fly by night former boat tech do the winterizing and then he prepped it before I received it. If I don't have any luck with the suggestions I may have to bite the bullet and bring it in sooner which will kill my season. Plan B would be to just use the trolling motor. As the motor sits if I continued to only use it to load on the trailer is there any harm done? For that matter if I used it like I did last 2 weeks to go about a 1/2 mile from launch would that harm motor? The run time is less than a minute.

[Bighare2]

++ to Championman.
I don’t mean to sound like a pain in the arse right now but I find it difficult to respond with time and knowledge when you already have the information in front of you. You spent more time writing us and using our time rather than digging in with what you already have. Sorry to say.

[mattmann7]

I am in the middle of a kitchen remodel in my home. I spent all day yesterday setting up equipment in the yard and milling boards to replace custom trim that will match the existing trim that cannot be bought. I bought a brand new thickness planer to make the trim and it seized up on me after using it an hour. 400 dollars wasted because the warranty expired when I had to put the project off after suffering a head injury that kept me out of work 2 months. I had to send for another better one last night that was out of stock when I bought the first one . 700 dollars added to the job that is once again on hold. I am trying to be cautious with the boat and if it sounds to you like I am bothering you I apologise. I appreciate your info on the VRO. I don't tear into mechanical issues till I have a good grip on what I am up against and what all my options are. I won't disable a boat or vehicle unless it's absolutely necessary. Norm grew up in the area I live in. We don't have good boat mechanics on every street corner. Once you drop your boat off this time of the year kiss it goodbye.