210 Sundeck - bilge pump fuse

[GoFastr]

I was off on vacation and came back to find the light on my bilge pump switch at the helm on. I moved the rocker switch to the other positions to turn it on then back off and the pump didn't make a sound and the light did not go off. I can operate the pump manually if I want but it is wired directly to the battery too and will automatically come on if water raises the external float.

The battery is on a tender and has 12.9 volts. In checking out some other things I see no water in the bilge but I know it was raining pretty hard while I was gone plus the drain plug is removed so water can drain there too. I now see where the separate float is broken away from its mount in the hull. Dang, the mechanic must have stepped on it when he was changing the water pump on the engine. I guess depending on its position, would this cause the pump to always be on and maybe it burned out? Is the light on because of a bad ground?

I switched the main power on then blowers at the helm and tried to turn the key to start the boat. No alarm beeps or fuel pump noise like normal.....plus no start.

It was too dark to continue any real investigations so I'll have to get back at it after work today.

I think I'll have to start with the main fuse panel under the helm. Any other ideas where to check things out? I'm not too familiar with the electrical stuff yet. Thx.

 

[bahamabreisus]

If the float switch was out of the mount, it probably ran the pump until it burned out. Most likely a new pump will take care of it.

 

[GoFastr]

Yeah thanks, the mount and the float are toast as the plastic parts that attach the two are all broken up.

I saw my mechanic standing in there when he was working on it but it never occurred to me that his feet could only be on top of the bilge pump and float! Not sure why he wiggled his way down in there like that. I know it is a pain to be bending over and on your knees the whole time though.

I'm not worried too much about the float and pump as I have a new one I can install. I need to troubleshoot the "will not start" issue now.

 

[bahamabreisus]

Pump running most likely ran the battery down.

 

[GoFastr]

Pump running most likely ran the battery down.

After disconnecting the battery tender and trying to start the boat, that was one of the first things I did was to put a volt meter on the battery and it read 12.9 volts after it wouldn't start.

It is like some of the power is not getting to the helm. I hope it is just a fuse in the panel under the helm.

 

[bahamabreisus]

You may also have red push button breakers in the bilge.

 

[GoFastr]

Well....the resolution to the no start was that somehow the master switch had become corroded and was not feeding power though to the rest of the system.

When I was tracing the current flow from the battery to each connection point I noticed no current from output of the master switch. I would switch it off then on and then I would sometimes get current. I ratcheted the master switch it back and forth a few times until I got pretty consistent current readings and then tried to start the engine and it started fine.

I knew we had some pretty heavy rain over the Christmas/New Year period but I can't believe that water would have reached that high in there to corrode the master switch.

I didn't see any way to pull the master switch apart and clean anything inside of it. I normally coat the back side connection lugs with grease as they are the only thing exposed.

Anyways, if I replace it with a new one hopefully I won't have any surprises out on the water.

Are there any upgraded models that are more sealed than others and less likely to fail?
Thx.

 

[Lazy Daze]

When you say "master switch"... you're referring to the battery switch?

If you had gotten water high enough to get to the battery switch, then there would be other problems!

It's probably just a case of it being 15 years old and maybe in a high-humidity, salt environment. Generally, though, battery switches are one of the most reliable things on a boat. Before you replace it, remove the battery cables from it, clean the lugs and the cables, then reattach making sure everything is tight. It could simply be a combination of corrosion and loose connections. Even connections that, at first appear to be tight, sometimes are not tight enough to pass the amount of juice needed to start an engine.

Don't forget to remove the cables (at least the negative) from your batteries before doing this! And, just to cover all bases, do the same inspection/clean to the connections at the battery and other connections you find by following the wires.

 

[GoFastr]

Yes sorry it is the battery disconnect switch I'm referring too.

It is located on the port side under the corner seat cushion and is at deck level. the battery is in the engine compartment right next to it and maybe a tad lower down by about 5-6 inches.

Yeah, I only boat in salt water and with the rain it is pretty high humidity so I guess corrosion set it.

All the lug connections seemed tight at the rear of it but I think the connection points inside the rotary piece may be corroded or faulty. It was after I had twisted it back and forth a couple of times that it started giving me more consistent readings.

I didn't even think to check on this component initially because it was one of the first things I had removed and cleaned up 2 years ago when I first got this boat....but the volt meter rarely lies!

Thanks for the tips as I will clean all connections again and make sure they are tight when installing a new switch.