Bilge Pump Not Working

[skippabcool]

I had been discussing this in another thread, off topic, but decided to make it its own thread in case it would help some one else. I am hoping that the mechanical section is the place for this and not the electrical.

Little back ground, 2007 22Ve that I bought last fall and was only able to use a couple of times before winterizing it. One of the lakes I went to had me turn the bilge on while inspecting for mussels. I did not think much about it but I wondered how they knew anything was on. I started checking it and it did not seem that the bilge was working. Now that I have started to get ready to take it out again I have started to trouble shoot the issue.

If I flip the switch there is a bar at the bottom of the switch that should light up and it does not. I have also turned it on and gone to the bilge to see if it is doing anything and it is not.

The direct line goes from the battery through a fuse, not the one in the pic but similar, had power to it. It goes from there to the connector that is just above the bilge down to the bilge. I have power at the connector that leads down to the bilge from the line that is directly from the battery. I don't remember if I had anything for the one going to the switch, don't think so. I need to go recheck. I do not think that I did and even when and flipped the switch on the dash to see if that made a difference.

I checked the fuse by the battery switch and I had power there when I turned the switch on, if it is off there is no power. (see pic)


On the dash, the bilge switch where it says bilge comes on if the nav light is on.

The little bar light doesn't ever come on. It was tight and I could not remove the dash without have to undo a lot of wire. There are two brown wires that would be under the little white bar that does not light up that did not show anything with a voltmeter. The other wires that are used for the nav light showed power when tested.

I don't know if any of this helps. I still need to fill the bilge to see if the pump actually works.


Does anyone know where the two brown wires come from or go to? I need to see if I can trace them.

[chpthril]

Dont worry about where the wire are located on the back of the switch in relevance to where the little light is as the internal circuits of the switch are completely different as to where the wires are plugged in.

on the back of the switch you will need: a constant B+ coming in, its probably a red wire, and there would be switched 12V coming out that gets B+ when the switched is turned on. There will be a ground wire, but its only for the lights and doesn't go to the pump. There will be a switched 12v that goes hot when the NAV lights are turned on. Find this one and then ignore as it too has nothing to do with the bilge operation.

Given the fact that A) the pump doesnt run and B) the light doesnt come on, I'd say you have either a faulty switch or no B+ at the back of the switch. My gut says the switch is good and you have no B+. This is where a meter or test light come in handy. You will need to determine which you are loosing...the B+ in or the switched 12V out. If you have the B+ in and nothing out when the switch is "on", then you have a bad switch. If you have no B+, then you need to backtrack to the source. The first thing you will come to next is the breaker under the helm (have you check it yet to make sure its not tripped?). If its not tripped, then you will need to open the breaker panel and check the connection to the breaker. One leg will be connected to the BUSS bar feeding all the breakers and the other leg is what is feeding the switch. You should have B+ on both sides.

Now, for a diagnosis like this, I really like a test light over a meter. For a meter to read voltage, it only takes one strand of wire, but that's not near enough to pass current for the pump to run on. A good test light with a nice 3A bulb will actually require some current to light the bulb.

Meters are great for when a particular voltage level is needed, but a test light is best for simply checking for the ability of a circuit to flow current needed to run a basic 12V DC motor like a bilge pump.

[skippabcool]

Thanks for your help, Chp. You have always been great to share your vast knowledge.

I believe I do not have the B+. None of the breakers are tripped. I will open it up an look.

On the back of the switch there is the ground, 12V when the Nav lights are on, and two brown wires (these had nothing whether the switch was active or not). No red.

Dumb question as to a test light is this the same as one that you can check electrical sockets in the house? Like this one:

[chpthril]

One like this. It has a battery clip and a probe with a bulb in the middle.

Clip the alligator to battery - and you can probe for B+. Clip the alligator to B+ and you can probe for ground.

Any auto parts store, Sears, Northern Tool, Robert T carries them.

[skippabcool]

Chp, is the man

I think I have found the issue now how to fix. The circuit was not tripped but I noticed that all of the caps have a little play in them but the Bilge. It almost looks like it was jammed. I checked the back and I have B+ on the BUSS but not on the leg that feeds the switch. I checked the other ones to see what they had and they had B+ on both the BUSS and the leg.

Can I replace just the circuit and where do I get those? Do you have to take the whole BUSS off to get to the one circuit?

Thanks again Chp

I was looking for a needle in a haystack.

[kko]

I could not find a match for the breaker aftermarket that would fit in the box.So I had to get it from Tige.Yes you have to take the whole buss bar out so the breaker can slide out of there. Its not as bad as it looks to do. You just need to know what amp breaker and call your dealer. They should be able to order it from Tige and get it to you.

[skippabcool]

Got it out. Now to get one. Thanks kko. Is it common for these to go bad? What causes them to go bad?

[chpthril]

Snap me a pic and I will see if i can find a match but odd are If KKO couldnt, I may not. I bet we buy from some of the same marine distributors.

If getting an exact replacement is looking tough, I would just go with a more typical marine breaker with 2 male spades. Come off the BUSS to one leg and then connect the original wire that goes to the switch. might not look at neat and pretty as OEM, but it gets the job done.

[skippabcool]

Here are the pics. I looked on Carling Technologies website. I saw a PDF with a guide for them.

[skippabcool]

Got my new circuit breaker today. Installed it and tested. The switch is now working but the bilge pump does not work. I am going to replace it then test it again.

Question - There are 10 amp fuses inline but according to the manual they should be 2.5 amp and the circuit breaker is 3 amp. Should I replace the 10 amp with 2.5 amp fuses?

You can get the circuit breakers from Tige through your dealer. You can also get them through Wes-Garde Components Toll Free: 800-554-8866 however you have to buy a minimum of 10. Wes-Garde worked with Fuses Unlimited at 972-907-8600 to broker a minimum of 2. I went the route of the 2, based on cost.

Going to get a new pump.

[skippabcool]

Got a new Rule Mate 500 at Bass Pro Shop, would have liked the 750 but they did not have that in stock and I wanted to get this wrapped up. The base and over all pump is bigger. However, the mounting holes line up. I got the pump spliced into the old plug and got it in. The biggest pain is reaching it. I was tempted to place it lower in the center but decided to leave it in its original position for now. Everything works, the switch and the auto. The new bilge pump has a test button on it.

I did change the inline fuse to a 3 amp on the auto line from the battery as was required based on the manual. I also changed the inline fuse that is by the factory on / off switch for the EDIB to a 3 amp. They were both 10 amp before.

[Ewok]

Sounds like there was a problem with the pump, are you the original owner? Sounds like a previous owner or dealer put 10a fuses inline to keep them from popping but it eventually burned up the pump. Nice bit of trouble shooting and fixing. I HATE changing bilge pumps. I changed the 500 on my old boat to a 1000 gph pump and used a solid state sensor for the automatic switch. I want to change out the little pump on my Tige to a bigger pump but I don't keep this boat in the water and I'm really not motivated to do it. I'll do it when I get back from a business trip this summer and add the MLA special surf package.

[skippabcool]

Second owner. After going through as much as I have there were things that were neglected, IMO but I have taken care of almost everything so it looks pretty good now.

Once I took the old bilge out, I took it apart and the impeller was locked up. Almost looks like it was rusted.

[skippabcool]

I'll do it when I get back from a business trip this summer and add the MLA special surf package.

What is the MLA special surf package?

[Iwndr]

What is the MLA special surf package?

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