Too much water in Hull, drain plug

[jessie leyva]

hello all, I recently purchased a 2002 Yamaha LX 2000. I took the boat out a few times but was unaware that I had to pull the main drain plug underneath the boat. Well while I would at the lake the boat wouldn’t start I got towed and brought it home after reading the owners manual and finding out it should be drained everytime. I drained it and a it let out a steady water for about 4 minutes. Once I did that the engines fired up. Do you think I did any damage and is it normal to have that much water In there even though I didn’t train it for 3 trips?

 

[tdonoughue]

Don't panic. Yes, it is best practice to let it drain after each outing. But not doing so will not ruin anything. It will just let more and more water accumulate until there is enough to trigger the bilge pump. But 4 minutes does show you had a goodly amount of water in there. Sounds like you should open the engine compartment and any bilge access you have at the back to check how much water is coming in and from where... Don't know your boat well enough to say much more about that process, but sounds like you have a small leak.

And perhaps an issue with the engine. Because 4 min of water that did not trigger the bilge pump should not do anything to the engines.

 

[mdchachi]

Make sure you check that the bilge pump works and fix it if not. On my previous boat the bilge pump partially worked. I had to plug it in otherwise it would run all the time so I left it unplugged. But the problem is you may not know you need it until it's too late. I left the drain plugs out (typical newbie mistake) and by the time I realized I had a problem the water had nearly reached the bottom of the engine. Luckily there was no damage but I learned the value of a properly working bilge pump.

 

[jessie leyva]

Don't panic. Yes, it is best practice to let it drain after each outing. But not doing so will not ruin anything. It will just let more and more water accumulate until there is enough to trigger the bilge pump. But 4 minutes does show you had a goodly amount of water in there. Sounds like you should open the engine compartment and any bilge access you have at the back to check how much water is coming in and from where... Don't know your boat well enough to say much more about that process, but sounds like you have a small leak.

And perhaps an issue with the engine. Because 4 min of water that did not trigger the bilge pump should not do anything to the engines.

Thank you! I appreciate it

 

[jessie leyva]

Thank you! I can hear it turn on and when I’m in the water it shoots a little water out, is there a way to trouble shoot a bilge pump to make sure its working properly without having it in the water?

Make sure you check that the bilge pump works and fix it if not. On my previous boat the bilge pump partially worked. I had to plug it in otherwise it would run all the time so I left it unplugged. But the problem is you may not know you need it until it's too late. I left the drain plugs out (typical newbie mistake) and by the time I realized I had a problem the water had nearly reached the bottom of the engine. Luckily there was no damage but I learned the value of a properly working bilge pump.

ear

 

[tdonoughue]

@mdchachi makes a very excellent point: I assumed your bilge pump was working. Check that...

With the bilge not working, and a little leak, over several trips... That could turn out un-good. That said, if the engines fired up after the incident, you avoided the biggest potential problem (hydrolock from water in the engine). So check that bilge and then look for leaks.

 

[tdonoughue]

First, make sure it is clean. Bilge pump will usually have a screen at the bottom. Little latches on the side of the pump will let you lift the pump and clean that screen.

Then, if there is a float, lift it and make sure the puppy spins. If there is no float, skip this step.

Then, fill the bilge with the hose (plug in, of course), until it is up high enough that the bilge should be pumping quite nicely. Make sure it does. If it is only dribbling or not getting the water out, replace the pump or the hose to correct the problem.

 

[jessie leyva]

Make sure you check that the bilge pump works and fix it if not. On my previous boat the bilge pump partially worked. I had to plug it in otherwise it would run all the time so I left it unplugged. But the problem is you may not know you need it until it's too late. I left the drain plugs out (typical newbie mistake) and by the time I realized I had a problem the water had nearly reached the bottom of the engine. Luckily there was no damage but I learned the value of a properly working bilge pump.

Ok I checked the bilge pump and it’s working fine shoots out like a water hose... maybe it had too much water because I didn’t have the bilge on at all times. Now I know to have it on at all times. Still not sure if that’s the exact problem. I figured that was the problem because it started right up after I drained it.

 

[tdonoughue]

Very well may be that you have a wire not waterproofed and hanging down somewhere. Electrical short to the water killed the engine and allowed it to fire up when it went down. Make sure all your wires are tied up and don't have holes in the insulation, etc.

 

[jessie leyva]

Got, thank you so much for all the advice!

 

[Grover70]

While you're looking at the drain plug, you may want to remove it and check the seal. My 2017 had very little silicone there and I filled it in, especially where the screws meet the hull. Water was getting into the hull through the poor sealant application. An older boat, especially, will have degradation of the silicone.

 

[jessie leyva]

While you're looking at the drain plug, you may want to remove it and check the seal. My 2017 had very little silicone there and I filled it in, especially where the screws meet the hull. Water was getting into the hull through the poor sealant application. An older boat, especially, will have degradation of the silicone.

Wow, I checked and the seal was poor and the screw threads are stripped! Thank you I didn’t even think about that!

 

[Smarshek]

So I purchased a 2003 - Yamaha AR210 today. I took it out for a few hours and really enjoyed my first jet boat day. When I trailered it for the drive home I opened the drain plug. I had quite a bit of water pour out. The salesman said it had a “Automatic float” type that would pump when it needed to. I had the bilge pump button on the whole day and didn’t really see it squirt out the side.

So when I get home I open the engine compartment to shut off the battery switch and notice water in the lower areas of the engine compartment. Then I open the under deck storage hatch to see if there’s any water in there and it’s half full.

So now I’m lost. I did a superficial look in the engine compartment and didn’t see a bilge pump. Any help would be appreciated as I’m new to the Yamaha jet boats

does anyone have a picture of where the bilge pump should be? How can I check it to insure the automatic function is working?

 

[tdonoughue]

Hello and welcome!

First, always a good idea to start a new thread for a new issue. That way folks will notice it better.

Not certain on the '03 models, but usually the bilge pump is back in the engine compartment, very near the center at the back (aft side) of the engine compartment. Go google bilge pump and you will see what they look like, generally. Either a little oblong block or a little cylinder looking thing.

There should be a plug at the bottom of the ski locker there. That will let the water drain from the ski locker into the bilge so it can be pumped out (or, on shore, so it can drain out the bilge plug in the back). There are probably 1 or two at the forward side of the engine compartment, too. It is a point of debate, but Yamaha says to put all the plugs in when running and take them all out when you take the boat out of the water. Downside to that is that if you get water in the ski locker (as you did), it never makes it to the bilge pump to get pumped out...

I suspect your bilge pump is not working. The way you test most definitively is to put the boat on the trailer, crank up the forward part of the boat, and fill the engine compartment with water (use a hose-it will take a lot) up to the bilge pump. It should go on and pump out a bunch. The bilge pumps have a little screen on the bottom of them that needs to be cleaned periodically, so that may be gummed up. Also, there should be a breaker (at the helm next to the switch?) and/or a fuse in the fuse box that will protect the circuit. Those may be blown (like if something got caught in the impeller and the motor overheated). Or the pump may be just dead and need replacing.

Hope that helps some.

 

[Smarshek]

Hello and welcome!

First, always a good idea to start a new thread for a new issue. That way folks will notice it better.

Not certain on the '03 models, but usually the bilge pump is back in the engine compartment, very near the center at the back (aft side) of the engine compartment. Go google bilge pump and you will see what they look like, generally. Either a little oblong block or a little cylinder looking thing.

There should be a plug at the bottom of the ski locker there. That will let the water drain from the ski locker into the bilge so it can be pumped out (or, on shore, so it can drain out the bilge plug in the back). There are probably 1 or two at the forward side of the engine compartment, too. It is a point of debate, but Yamaha says to put all the plugs in when running and take them all out when you take the boat out of the water. Downside to that is that if you get water in the ski locker (as you did), it never makes it to the bilge pump to get pumped out...

I suspect your bilge pump is not working. The way you test most definitively is to put the boat on the trailer, crank up the forward part of the boat, and fill the engine compartment with water (use a hose-it will take a lot) up to the bilge pump. It should go on and pump out a bunch. The bilge pumps have a little screen on the bottom of them that needs to be cleaned periodically, so that may be gummed up. Also, there should be a breaker (at the helm next to the switch?) and/or a fuse in the fuse box that will protect the circuit. Those may be blown (like if something got caught in the impeller and the motor overheated). Or the pump may be just dead and need replacing.

Hope that helps some.

Thanks for the response. I have just started trying to learn how to get on these chat room things so I’m not sure what “Start a new thread” means or how to do it.

So I just took my boat out again and had the same issue again. I am familiar with what a bilge pump looks like and do not see anything in the engine compartment that resembles one. There are 3 drain holes at the bottom of the engine compartment that allow water to drain down beneath the fiberglass. I’m wondering if the bilge pump is located below the fiberglass. If it is, how am I supposed to clean the intake screen, or perform any maintenance for that matter.

I don’t see any access hatches that would allow me to get below that fiberglass base the engines sit on, so I’m still at a loss.

I did get a small plumbing snake from my garage and snaked the drain at the back of the ski locker. It had a pretty good clog of old moldy oak leaves keeping the ski locker from draining. It now drains into the cavity under the engine compartment and then out the drain plug hole.

now I just need to address the location of the bilge pump because it appears it isn’t functional even though the dash switch lights up when I engage the pump.

 

[Julian]

Thanks for the response. I have just started trying to learn how to get on these chat room things so I’m not sure what “Start a new thread” means or how to do it.

So I just took my boat out again and had the same issue again. I am familiar with what a bilge pump looks like and do not see anything in the engine compartment that resembles one. There are 3 drain holes at the bottom of the engine compartment that allow water to drain down beneath the fiberglass. I’m wondering if the bilge pump is located below the fiberglass. If it is, how am I supposed to clean the intake screen, or perform any maintenance for that matter.

I don’t see any access hatches that would allow me to get below that fiberglass base the engines sit on, so I’m still at a loss.

I did get a small plumbing snake from my garage and snaked the drain at the back of the ski locker. It had a pretty good clog of old moldy oak leaves keeping the ski locker from draining. It now drains into the cavity under the engine compartment and then out the drain plug hole.

now I just need to address the location of the bilge pump because it appears it isn’t functional even though the dash switch lights up when I engage the pump.

The bilge pump on a 2003 is in what we refer to as the "true bilge". The only way to get to is is through the clean out tray which is the tray that holds the clean out tubes for the clean out ports (under the hatch in the very stern of the boat). Sounds to me like your bilge is not working at all. It could just be blocked/clogged.

So remove the clean out tray, get down in there and unclip the pump and see if you can get it to spin. If so....then you just had a clog. If not, you'll need a new one.

 

[Smarshek]

I located the bilge pump and it appears the impeller is semi seized up. I verified power to the unit but there is no movement, no humming, nothing. Thanks for helping me out with this issue.

Also, there is another device located in the bilge (See attached) with a wire coming out of it. not sure what this is and I have no owners manual to refer to.

can anyone help me identify this device.

thanks to all who respond

 

[Crob83]

I located the bilge pump and it appears the impeller is semi seized up. I verified power to the unit but there is no movement, no humming, nothing. Thanks for helping me out with this issue.

Also, there is another device located in the bilge (See attached) with a wire coming out of it. not sure what this is and I have no owners manual to refer to.

can anyone help me identify this device.

thanks to all who respond

Transducer I would assume

 

[1WetBoat]

I think in the 2003 that was the speedometer wheel for your speed. Does your model have a depth gauge on it?

 

[Smarshek]

No depth gauge. The speedometer doesn’t currently work…..