Official 390 E.C. Thread

HLCII said:
Hey guys. Have a 88 390EC with subfloor issues in the cabin. I've had the boat several years and have completed update of upholstery, floors, etc. in 2012. Floors seemed okay then, however I have noticed over the past few years an issue with the subfloor getting worse, seeming to give around the stairs and sink. No noticeable water leaks, and remains under a covered pier and out of the elements. I do know the water tank was replaced in 2009, so don't expect issues there.

About to tackle ripping out floors down to stringer and needed advice on how you address pulling the cabinets, as I'm assuming these have to be removed before pulling the subfloor. I've looked through several threads and see pictures with them out, but nothing on how to pull them out. Anyone have any advice on how to do this?

:smt100
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Bag of Worms. Screws are concealed under nailed on trim. Pretty much depends on which employee was installing. No step by step here. Go slow. Join Sea Ray Classics and other classic power boats and Sea Ray EC390 Owners on Facebook. Ask questions
 
Have an 1985 390, this past weekend i went to hook shore power to the boat, as i am on the hard im close enough to the dock to run power. Line 1 kept tripping main breaker if i tried turning any of the breakers on. even when i hit the voltage test switch it would trip now i can close the main breaker and it doesn't trip off. Its only when i do anything after that. Line 2 has no issues. Has anyone experienced this that could point me in a direction on where to begin? Thanks Adam.
 
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Chasntail said:
Have an 1985 390, this past weekend i went to hook shore power to the boat, as i am on the hard im close enough to the dock to run power. Line 1 kept tripping main breaker if i tried turning any of the breakers on. even when i hit the voltage test switch it would trip now i can close the main breaker and it doesn't trip off. Its only when i do anything after that. Line 2 has no issues. Has anyone experienced this that could point me in a direction on where to begin? Thanks Adam.
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I suggest you join the Facebook groups below:

Sea Ray Classics and Classic Power Boats

Sea Ray 390 EC Owners

I am a moderator on both groups. We have thousands of owners that can help you out.

Dr. Microchip
 
JC80 said:
Thanks guys - this was all very helpful information. We got the pumps replaced and in the process we learned from the mechanic (was willing to do the bilge pumps myself but didn't have time to do it soon enough) that we'll need to replace the fresh water pump and that our heat exchangers are 75% occluded, which might suggest why we've often been running low on coolant. Just a parade of horribles at the moment, unfortunately, but I guess that's to be expected with a nearly 30 year old boat.
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Hey friends. Back in September I posed about some of the problems we were experiencing with the boat. It has been out of use for the last FIVE months while we have been waiting to do a walk through with the mechanic, but the news is grim. I still haven't seen the estimate (it's being mailed to me by my uncle) but the mechanic has recommended $30,000 (WHAT?!?) in repairs to the engines. Bear in mind that the engines ran fine, but that these are recommended fixes to replace some parts that are still original from 1989 - the claim is that failure to do these procedures may result in damage that requires replacement of an entire engine if these parts fail.

I know this is vague and when I get more details I will post more, but does this seem right to you for what I understand is essentially deferred maintenance? My understanding is that these old diesels were extremely reliable and that maintenance on those components was minimal but maybe I'm totally off base. I'm also hesitant because our maintenance guy has "a potential buyer for $40,000 as is", so I'm trying to run down every angle before my family decides to sell. Thank you!!
 
Gosh at 30k I'd think you would be getting two new complete motors and trans, not just replacing pieces in them. Unless they are not gassers?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I don't know a whole lot about diesels but 30k sounds like an awful lot of money for replacing maintenance items. My guess is that anything that has raw water running through it may need to be replaced on both motors, and I know those parts can be expensive, but I would think more like somewhere under 10k for everything.
Again though, I don't know that much about those motors.
 
If you can post a copy of the list and prices, maybe some of us have the experience to know if the work is really needed and if the prices they are charging is fair. As an example, replacing the seawater pumps may be recommended, but probably not really necessary since losing one isn't a catastrophic failure. Replacing both pumps could run $4000-$4500 if you use Cat parts.......under $2000 if you use pumps from Cat's OEM vendor.....and $450 if you just need impellers and cams.
 
fwebster said:
If you can post a copy of the list and prices, maybe some of us have the experience to know if the work is really needed and if the prices they are charging is fair. As an example, replacing the seawater pumps may be recommended, but probably not really necessary since losing one isn't a catastrophic failure. Replacing both pumps could run $4000-$4500 if you use Cat parts.......under $2000 if you use pumps from Cat's OEM vendor.....and $450 if you just need impellers and cams.
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Thank you very much for the reply! As soon as I get it I will upload the list and prices! That would be a tremendous help.
 
Does anyone have a write of for the disassembly of the partition wall between the galley and mid stateroom? I want to take mine apart this spring and try to "tune it up". Any help would be appreciated. If you have done this before and have helpful hints or replacement part ideas, please let me know.
 
My wife and I are proud new owners of our "new to us" 1990 Sea Ray 390EC. We can't thank all here enough for all of the posts and information that allowed us to make sure we were aware of all possible perils in this purchase. Absolutely love this boat and have been searching for the right one for 3 long years. Found a fantastic example on the other side of the pond (Lake MI) last year and have been pursuing it ever since. Dr. Microchip and his experience with water issue and rot gave me all of the information I needed to make certain we did not jump into that bag of worms. The boat is solid as a rock, all systems are fully functional, most issues that have been listed on this forum have been addressed by the previous owner and we cant' wait to begin this beautiful boat's second life. Ironically, this boat was originally moored in the same town and marina that we will be brining it back to in the next couple of weeks. 634 hours on the engines, 108 on the 8K gennie, dry as a cork, newer leatherette on boat the settee and the second berth, vinyl in good but original condition (plan to re-upholster next winter), great canvas with full enclosure, updated electronics, replaced water tank, wood floors in cabin, L seating (factory) at the aft seating area, wet bar in cockpit, very dry hull, full set of replacement window glazing and seals ready to be installed, new Nibral props, and the list goes on. Looking forward to adding many of the update/upgrade ideas that I have read here in the forum. Thanks again.
 
Welcome to the 390 world, don't forget no pictures it didn't happen. Maybe we will cross path this summer.

Jim
 
13088.jpg

At the dock after successful sea trial. Temps were 82 at 3 pm yesterday in Waukegan, IL and then dropped to 48 in less than an hour. Hope to bring her back across the lake (80 miles) in the next week or two.
 
Just purchased my 1987 390 Sea Ray Express this past August. (will post pictures soon) Just discovered this website this past week and it has been very helpful. I am in the process of having 12x12 additional trim tabs added and now debating on going to the 4 blade 19x17 for quicker plane.
 
I ran last year for the first time with two 12 in. tabs and it made a big difference, do not think you have to go to 4 blade props.
 
Thank you-I think I will wait then on the 4 blades and see how she runs with the added 12x12 tabs
 
How do you add a profile picture or add a photo on here of my boat? I am attempting to use fbis site from my cell phone, do you have to upload from a computer only
 
Ok, this will be my first post but I have been reading and learning from a few of you on your posts. Last year I found water coming from the fresh water tank and decided this spring to replace it. After reading a bunch on here I figured I would find liquid under the subfloor in the open cell foam searay injects under it. Sure enough it was saturated. I removed the subfloor, removed the foam and dried the whole thing out. After a few weeks of running a furnace blower on it and running a dehumidifier 24/7 I figured it was dry enough to proceed. Nope, arrived one day to 2-3 inches of water in the v of the hull below the subfloor. Dried it up again and it kept returning for a day or so. Started checking possible sources and could find nothing wrong any where. Things I checked. T fitting through the bulkhead that circulates the water through the heat exchangers for the two heatpumps, Condensation pans for the heat pumps and the drain tubes for them. As most of you know the forward heat pump drains into the shower sump and the rear one drains through the bulkhead into the engine room. I replaced the rear drain tube and ran it all the way to the rear engine room sump. I also re siliconed the condensation pan where the hose goes through. I traced the front condensation line to the shower sump and there are no leaks there. Also, since the first issue I have only been running the heat pumps on heat not ac so there is no condensation from them to cause the problem again. I also dried up the engine room completely and sealed a leaky transducer(pulled the boat from the water) in the unlikely event of water penetration through the bulkhead. So, yesterday(2 weeks after last water issue, been completely dry until this point) the wife and I were at the boat. I was installing a new kitchen sink faucet and water purification system. Up until this point I hadnt tested the new water system for leaks(forgot to mention everything has been put back together). I filled the tank and saw no visible leaks(new poly 80 gallon tank) and I ran the 12v water system to purge the antifreeze and test for leaks and proper operation. No leaks and everything seemed good. Then I hooked up to city water and also ran the system and again everything looked good. I didnt mention that during the process of putting everything back together I decided to leave an access in front and behind the tank in the subfloor to monitor if the problem happend again. I think you can guess the next line, it happend again. Probably 5 or so gallons of water in the bottom of the hull below the subfloor. Its been bone dry for 2 weeks. All I can remember that I did yesterday was, turned on the refrigerator for first time(its dry behind it) filled the new water tank and ran on the 12v and ran off the city water. Also, it poured like cats and dogs last night(i cant recall if it rained or not last time). The water that I pulled out is clear. My thought is that if the water system was leaking (except for the section from the city inlet to wherever that ties into the system) then I should have antifreeze under the subfloor and the water I removed should have been slightly pink with an alcohol smell. Same thing with the drain lines if they leaked. If the refrigerator were able to produce 5 gallons of condensation then I would assume some of it would have to be on the floor behind it and besides, how would it get under the subfloor anyways. The rain I suppose could be possible but I'm confused how it would get from the the outside of the boat to the very bottom center without making anything on the interior wet. So, thats were I'm at, totally confused. I am going to rig up a pump to alleviate the problem as it arises but what I really would like to do is solve the mystery of where it is coming from and fix it. Any help or idea is welcome. At this point I will try or investigate almost anything. I am going to mark up some pictures and try to upload them to clarify some of the details (new to uploading pics on here so quality sucks, the pics show my 2 access points and the third pic is just for reference to show where I am seeing the water not how much I had this time, the amount I had this time was a whole lot more than the tiny bit shown in that pic). Thanks for any help in advance.

 

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