stuck livewell drain switch

[Frank Ingram]

My livewell drain switch on my 2002 tracker pt185 is permanently stuck to the empty position. I have pulled the switch and looked at it and all appears normal. Where else could I check to correct this problem. I cannot physically turn the switch hard enough to get it to go to the auto position. The livewell is a type 2 system from flow rite. I emailed them and they were kind enough to respond to tell me it sounds like there is a serious instruction inside the valve itself. My question is, how do I get to the valve and where is it located? I have looked at the livewell pump and I need to rent me a trained baboon to be able to contort enough to reach it. Flow rite recommended using a mirror on a long pole maybe?



All suggestions would be greatly appreciated.



Thanks in advance.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Mine's stuck too....I just leave it open and use a bailers plug for fill. I got tired of messin' with it. The valve is on the BOTTOM and is impossible to get too.

 

[Frank Ingram]

what is a bailers plug and where might i find one, if you don't mind me asking? also, it doesn't make sense on these livewells to have a screen on the drain plug. how do you get the scales/chunks of regurgitated bait/slime/etc... that builds up when you put fish in there? i thought about getting a bilge pump to suck out the livewell after use but i just don't know. this seems like a poorly designed system overall. it is very frustrating.



i just hate having something on the boat not working as it is intended.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

You can get a bailers plug at Wally World...I think it's 3/4", you'll have to measure it to be sure.

And it definitely makes sense to have the screen on because all the crap will be in your pump before you know it. Always when draining...use it.. you just have to clean your well out when used.

That's one resaon I went a replaceable cartridge pump. Also...you need a screen for the intake also or you'll be pulling the pump.

And yes it's not a good set-up......

 

[Bass Tracker]

I can tell you from my past month of bull**** with my aerator on my 175 that they SUCK to get to.



The way i got to mine was to "bend" the tab up a little bit untill i could see the screw that was holding it on the side. Took about 20min to get the screw out and then the aerator pump could be taken out. giving access to the vavle.



Although to be honest i dont think i could have done anything to the vavle on my own as it was way down there and thank god i only had to change my aearator pump. But the screw being there i did not know about untill i lifted the "tab" up. At that point i didnt care if it broke right off..but luckily it didnt..



hope that helps you atleast take the aearator pump off to get to the vavle if you choose to do so.

 

[Frank Ingram]

honestly at this point i'm considering going with some type of plug in the bottom of the livewell and purchasing a sump pump from northern tool to suck out the goo when i get back from a trip. i don't have the manual dexterity to reach down into the bowels of my boat to reach the flipping sucker. i hope to god it doesn't burn out on me ( the livewell pump) if it does, i guess it will be off to the dealer and 90.00 per hour plus parts for me.

 

[Frank Ingram]

TEE



I got a screen over the intake. For some reason they didn't have one installed on the boat when i took delivery of it so I bought one online and epoxy'd it over the intake and my first pump burned out (factory warranty at the time). Also, my livewell didn't come with a screen over the drain plug when i picked the boat up. This is my first boat so I didn't know it was supposed to come with one. I had BPS give me a screen to fit into the drain plug after the pump burned out the second week I had the boat from it sucking up leaves and pine needles from the lake.



I read somewhere that they make screw in intake screens for the lower transom. The drain is threaded but I already got the epoxy set on this screen and it has been on the boat for well over 5 years.



Live and learn I guess.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Okay...apparently Rule doesn't make the 200 Series cartridge pumps like the one I replaced but, called them and found out the 400 series is the replacement. You guys will like the idea of when it does get debris in there all you have to do is snap and twist.

Of course this cannot be done on the water..........



Down at the bottom of the page is a screen but, it's a female. I suppose you could adapt it.
http://www.cgedwards.com/Rule/rule03.html

 

[Frank Ingram]

got it fixed finally. there was a free floating gator clamp laying at the bottom of the bilge area near the drain hole. this extra gator clamp (apparently one fell down while they were rigging it and the rigger didn't remove it) kept the actuator from moving. the dang actuator is only 3/4 of an inch from the floor of the boat in the bilge. the gator clamp is at least 1/2 and inch thick. i contorted my body and my arms to reach the clamp, took it out and had my wife move the switch from open to auto. it worked perfectly. so glad i don't have to replace the derned thing. it would be a nightmare to get all that pluming undone and a new pump in place. if i ever have to do it, i'm going to have to figure out how to remove the fuel tank because i don't think there is any way that I could physically put a new pump in the bilge area of this boat.



as it was, i had to remove the cranking battery and move all the wires around to be able to reach underneath the bilge pump to blindly feel the actuator to see why it was stuck.



tracker did some poor design plan on this year model boat. i'd like to punch the engineer that drew up the plans for this boats bilge area in the throat.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Amen

If I do EVER have to replace the bilge...it's ALL coming out and reconfigured!

 

[Frank Ingram]

tee:



i had a warranty issue with the livewell pump about 3 months after i bought the boat. i know they replaced the bilge and livewell pumps because both had burned out from sand/debris.



they both say rule on top of them. the livewell pump has a red top and it looks like it is has a removable cartridge. i'll try to take a pic of them and attach later. if it is a removable cartridge, how do you remove the cartridge? just twist it? i'm not having problems blowing fuses....yet but should the time come, i'd like to know how to remove the cartridge. and of course, i can't find a manual online at all. i went to the rule website but they don't have a manual listed.



my livewell pump looks just like the ones you linked by the way.

 

[Frank Ingram]

nevermind on the manual



finally found it online



http://www.rule-industries.com/files/itemdoc134781.pdf





but, what do they mean when they say "block off the thru hull before removing cartridge"?



what the heck is the thru hull? my pump has a flexible tube that runs from the livewell pump to the intake at the transom.

 

[Jim in VA]

Frank - that may refer to swapping out the cartridge if the boat is in the water. The "thru hull" is the intake at the transom that allows water to go "thru" the transom into the pipe. Once you remove the cartridge, since the intake is below the water line, nothing keeps the water from flowing through the thru hull opening and into the boat (I think). So blocking off the intake will keep water from pouring in once you unsnap the cartridge. No issues if the boat is out of the water on a trailer (no water to pour in!).



On mine, to undo the cartridge, there are two white tabs on the cartridge itself that hold the red capped motor on. Just squeeze the two white tabs together against the cartridge enough to disengage the snap on motor and pull straight up. FYI, you can buy just the replacement cartridge motors at iboats.com (link below).
http://www.iboats.com/Pro_Series_Re...64952661--session_id.696521014--view_id.39575