Bilge pump problem

D

DavidP

New Member
Apr 30, 2015
5
Miami, Florida
Boat Info
2007 Sea Ray 340 Sundancer
Engines
Twin mercruiser 8.1 Vdrive
Hello all,

I am a new owner of a 2007 340 Sundancer and I'm trying to wrap my head around this incredible but complicated cruiser.

i have a bunch of questions but the most pressing is that the manual bilge pump is not working. When I press the button at the helm, the indicator does not light up. I found that the 12V circuit breaker in the engine room is popped, but will not reset. I'm talking about the small white button.. The larger black and yellow breaker on the other panel in the engine room is OK.

in addition, for the last half hour of today's cruise, an alarm at the helm started to sound - two beeps about every sixty seconds or so. Is this alarm related to the pump problem? There is some water in the bilge, but it seems within acceptable range.

I would appreciate any direction on how to troubleshoot this.

Many thanks,
DavidP
 
The pump is more than likely shorted and/or bound up and popping the breaker by pulling too much current. Reset the breaker , then switch pump on; if it pops immediately then unwire the pump and turn on again. If it doesn't pop you have confirmed a bad pump. Of course putting a meter on the power to ensure correct voltage (12-14v) to pump as well. The beeping is more than likely not related to the bilge pump failure. Do you have you any messages at the helm? There are lots of late model 340 owners on here, let's see what they say.
 
Problem is the breaker won't reset. It won't stay in, so I can't get to the next step.

There was a message on the digital window for the starboard engine that said "system error"., but I couldn't get any additional information.

Thanks for your help. Tryng to get up to speed on the new boat.
 
Do a quick search for Mercruiser 2 beeps and you will find the list of potential items. IAC failure is common, as are many other sensor failures.
 
There is some water in the bilge, but it seems within acceptable range.

There is no acceptable level of water in the bilge. especially with no bilge pump. But Wait, shouldn't the other 2 large capacity bilge
pumps be able to handle the flow? You are equipped with more than 1 pump, right?
You need to have pumps that can handle the biggest hose you have that can fall off. If you have 2 inch hose on the motor/thru hulls/ seacocks etc you need pumps (2) of the same size. 2 inch discharge.
 
The bilge pump issue should be straightforward to diagnose and repair.

Typically, the wire splices attaching the pump and float switch to the boat's wiring harness get submerged in bilge water and fail due to corrosion and high resistance. In this case, if the breaker won't reset, then there is a short in the wiring to the pump or the pump is bad, i.e. frozen or grounded internally.

Start by pressing the 2 red ears on the pump and pull it out of the housing then see if the impeller turns, if it does, then follow the wires back until you identify where the 12VDC +, the ground, and the float switch wires are. Cut the 12v+ and the ground loose, then reset the breaker. Now, then check the voltage between the + and the ground. If you have 12V. then the problem is between there and the pump, so replace all the butt splices and try raising the float switch to turn on the pump. If it does, you are done. But, if you don't have voltage, then your problem is in the wiring between where you are and the source for that circuit.

Hope that gets you started..............

BTW, where in Florida are you?
 
DavidP said:
Problem is the breaker won't reset. It won't stay in, so I can't get to the next step.

There was a message on the digital window for the starboard engine that said "system error"., but I couldn't get any additional information.

Thanks for your help. Tryng to get up to speed on the new boat.
Click to expand...

Is your float switch submerged? If it is, then it is supplying voltage and that's why the breaker will not reset when your panel switch is off. Follow what Frank has outlined and you should be able to fix this fairly quickly. If you have that much water in your bilge, find out where it's coming from as this is not normal.

A failed IAC valve is typically common with 2 beep warning, but the boat would not start and idle without supplying some throttle, so it's more than likely something else .

It actually can be related to the short that is popping the breaker.

Look at page 8 for your motor:

http://media.channelblade.com/EProWebsiteMedia/3506/Mercruiser warning horns.pdf

Putting a scan tool on the ECM would let you know what it is; your Marina mechanic more than likely has one or you can pick one up .. Google "Rinda scan tool for Mercruiser"
 
Last edited:
I will try to trace the problem as you suggest (sounds like a good Fathers Day project) and see what I come up with. I've accumulated a short list of other issues that need to be addressed, so if I can't resolve it, I'll have to ask the mechanic look at it.

Where in Florida? - I'm in Miami, Aventura to be exact.

David
 
Thanks for pointing me to the beeping information. In addition the smart craft display indicates System Fault or something like that. I'm going to the boat shortly and I'll try to flesh it out, but it does sound consistent with a short circuit, explaining the popped breaker etc.
 
Some parts of Florida are sparsely populated with decent mechanics, but in the Miami area, you should have no trouble finding a guy to help you if you need a professional.

The various systems used on Sea Rays are usually very straightforward and easy to diagnose. It won't take long before you understand the logic.
 
Well, the plot thickens.

This morning, when I got to the boat, I again attempted to reset the breaker for the bilge pump, and lo and behold it did not pop back out and the pump worked. Not sure what changed/dried out/jiggled etc. but the pump circuitry will have to be looked at.

Running the boat, the double beep alarm was still going off every 60 seconds, but on start up and again while running at idle, the starboard motor cut out, leading me to believe that there is also a problem with the IAC valve, and that is triggering the alarm.

I will discuss with the mechanic tomorrow.
 
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