My Bilge pump not working

[wan888]

Went for wakeboarding today with the kids ... went through a huge wake from a Nautique on surf mode .... a gush of water went into the cabin and when I turn on the bilge pump. It's not working ... somehow the ski storage water doesn't flow to the engine area .... anyone knows why? I was checking the pump hose and I think it should also suck out the water from the storage.

Anyone had problem before? How to change?

Also does the toggle switch light turns on?

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

The bilge pump switch should have a light if it works. If there is no light, I'd start by checking your fuse that is located in the console. See the attached photo to find which one and correct amperage.

So although it's probably a blown fuse, the next question is why did it blow. I would pop off the intake side of the bilge pump (it just pulls out, held in place via an o ring only) and make sure the intake is clean and no major debris in the bilge area. If something is clogging it, it can blow the fuse.

Multiple drain holes in the boat go directly to outside the boat. So for example, the two drains inside the boat that are located beside the driver and passenger side goes through a pipe and directly to the stern of the boat and out. The water doesn't go in the bilge. The storage locker has a drain hole, but I don't remember if it drains in the bilge or out of the boat. I'd have to check.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Yeah, I checked, the drain in the ski locker definitely goes to the bilge of the boat. There is no hose or drain port at the stern.

 

[n8id]

Luc

I just wanted to say thank you for all the insight you provide on this forum!

Matt

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Luc

I just wanted to say thank you for all the insight you provide on this forum!

Matt

No problem! I kind of enjoy this stuff... probably because it's soooo different to what I do for work. It's my "escape". Also, I was so frustrated when I first got my boat, there was very little info around here (or anywhere). I promised myself I would share and help where I could. Glad you find it helpful. But obviously, I'm not an expert on everything! There are many others that are very knowledgeable and helpful around here.

 

[Scottintexas]

I agree @Luc Lafreniere is a great asset !

@wan888 - not sure how your bilge is wired, do you know when you flip the switch is it in the "ready" mode and will pump when it senses water or is it on an on/off "manual" mode where it's either trying to pump or not,

if you have a "ready" mode it's always best to flip the switch to make it look for water as soon as you launch the boat, that way if you take on water (cooling line leak or carbon seal failure) while the engine hatch is closed it will buy you some time before it gets critical.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

I agree @Luc Lafreniere is a great asset !

@wan888 - not sure how your bilge is wired, do you know when you flip the switch is it in the "ready" mode and will pump when it senses water or is it on an on/off "manual" mode where it's either trying to pump or not,

if you have a "ready" mode it's always best to flip the switch to make it look for water as soon as you launch the boat, that way if you take on water (cooling line leak or carbon seal failure) while the engine hatch is closed it will buy you some time before it gets critical.

lol Careful, it's getting to my head! haha But thanks!

His pump has both. It has an automatic sensor and a manual mode. Assuming the wiring is done as it is from the manufacturer, the pump always has power even if the master switch is off. Of course, it's a different story if someone played with it. But definitely worth checking. I had to replace my pump this season after 170h. The pump still worked but the auto portion stopped. I popped in a new one and everything is working as it should. I bought the same one, so I didn't even have to remove the glue. Just redid the wiring and swapped it in.

 

[wan888]

Thank you everyone for all the info. It definitely helps a lot! Thank you Luc. You're great!

Here's my switch which I tried flipping but not reaction whatsoever:

 

[wan888]

Here's a video of the switch not functioning and the water.
Sorry, I'm speaking cantonese and basically saying that the bilge switch has no reaction and the blower works.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Did you check the fuse yet?

Side comment, I'm not a fan of the fire extinguisher being in the engine bay. If there's a fire, it will be very difficult to get to since it's by the engine which is most likely the thing that would be on fire! lol I installed mine under the bow seat instead. I used a second velcro strip to hold it in place. Quick to remove and holds perfectly.

 

[wan888]

In hong kong, we store our boat at the shipyard as we are not allowed to tow anything behind our car. I've towed it back last night and have asked the dealer to check on it. Hopefully it's just a fuse.

You mentioned that the ski holder drainage hole goes directly to bilge, but for some reason i still have a lot of water inside the ski holder, don't know why.

Are there any diagram that shows where the bilge pump is located and how it's wired?

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

You could just swap ANY 5A fuse into the bilge slot and try it! I takes 2 seconds. You'd know right away. You should have spare fuses on the boat at all times. There are spare ones usually inside the fuse box by the battery. But you should keep multiple on board.

The ski locker drains to the bilge BUT the ski locker is lower than the bilge when sitting in water. The water won't drain to the bilge unless it's above the drain hole inside the ski locker. If it's above the hole and not draining, then something is clogging it.

The bilge pump is bright yellow and located underneath your muffler/air intake. Just look under and you'll see it. It's pretty obvious. There are only three wires on it. Positive that connects to the switch on the dash, positive that connects to the battery (brown wire) which is used for the automatic function and negative/ground. That's all.

Start with the fuse... it's the most likely. This should not require a dealer! lol You definitely should learn how to change/test a fuse if you don't know.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

In your picture, look under here:

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

looks like this:

 

[Nexus]

Are there any diagram that shows where the bilge pump is located and how it's wired?

I can't say for sure because I have a 2019 195 and it uses a different bilge pump but if @Luc Lafreniere is correct, then you can find the installation manual here. The link should take you to page 5 where you will see the wiring diagram. basically, the black wire is the ground (-ve), the brown wire is connected directly to the battery (+ve), likey via a fuse or circuit breaker, and the white is wired to the switch.

 

[wan888]

my dealer checked and found out:

1. the switch itself it short circuiting.
2. the pump itself failed

diagnosis:
- changed new pump
- by passed the switch to permanent on/off
- still has the 2 min interval.
- ordered new switch

further questions:

The water in ski locker is not going anywhere and its does not seem to be blocked.

new pump in



drive at sunset

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Wow, unlucky bilge pump problem if all of that failed. But glad you got it fixed.

It is normal to always have some water in the ski locker. As I mentioned before, it's the lowest point in the boat. Jet boats are not as stern heavy as "normal" propeller boats. They are lighter at the stern which means the boat sits more levelled. If you've confirmed there's nothing clogging the hole, then yes, what's left is whatever is levelled with the engine hatch water.

Personally, I just stand on the back-left corner of the swim deck. Stay there for a min and a lot of water will drain (eventually, give it a min for all the water to accumulate) towards the bilge pump. That will allow it to pump out a decent amount of extra water and you won't have as much in ski locker. Getting that ski locker completely dry won't happen unless you use a sponge.

My OCD is bad, you have some zip ties missing on the bilge pump pipe. lol

 

[Scottintexas]

@wan888 I think you're our first Hong Kong member, lets see some more pictures of your boating excursions! What is boating like in HK ? Do you do water sports, ski/tube, just scenic drives, fish or anchor and hang out ?

 

[wan888]

Thank you for all your help and comments! It really helped a lot with knowing the boat inside out which is important.

Hong Kong is a small island surrounded by the sea, we have 5 marinas in HK and many beaches but mostly rocky. The nicer beaches are around an hour's drive. Speedboats are usually used for towing tubes, ski, wakeboards, and recently wake surf.

Here's a video I took before I have the Scarab which I will use it to tow toys and tender to the beach. It's probably better with an outboard to the beach but I'm quite worried about safety from the propeller. So the Scarab seems to be the better option.

Only problem is we run it on Salt water and we keep it in a dry dock which is covered and can be quite humid. Cos Hong Kong does not allow towing anything behind the car. Not to mention very few people live in houses with spaces.

Here's my private video, you may want to fastforward it as it might be quite boring ..

Dry dock

 

[Nexus]

It's probably better with an outboard to the beach but I'm quite worried about safety from the propeller.

Propeller safety was certainly one thing I considered when I got my first Jet boat. However, I don't know that an outboard is necessarily better than a jet for the beach. With a jet, you can back the swim platform right near the shore. Then use the on board stereo for entertainment.

Frankfort - Sleeping Bear Dunes 07.jpg

• Nexus
• Jul 14, 2020