Arizona Crappie Association Forum

Fishing and Dock Talk => General Discussion => Topic started by: wadefisherman on September 21, 2015, 11:01 AM

Title: Ideas
Post by: wadefisherman on September 21, 2015, 11:01 AM
I found 2 problems with the boat that I'm having a hard time figuring out. 1st is the live well fuse keeps popping, I changed and tested the motor it worked fine, put a new motor in and it's still bowing out, all the wires look fine, ideas ? 2nd problem is the mounts on the trailer are cracked, they need to be welded or cut off and replaced possibly with bolt on brackets, any ideas on a welder or where to find the galvanized bolts? Pretty sure they fracked when my future son in law was helping me secure the boat back in May. It funny how when the boat sits unused all summer the kind of problems show up.
Title: Re: Ideas
Post by: craigm on September 22, 2015, 05:54 AM
ans to second problem , take the rig over to Ed in Wittman and have him weld it ,( sooner or later bolts get loose) he is close ,does good work and is very reasonable , ( I will text you his number) first problem Check any mechanical valves to be sure there are no obstructions or stuck valves ( blow out the lines) had a similar problem turned out to be fish scales blocking the flow and over loading the pump , if that is ok then ,next check all switches and contacts ,if there is a timer check all electrical connections and look for points of contact with your aluminum hull for possible breaks in wire insulation and arcing . it is either an overload problem or a short blowing fuses like that .
Title: Re: Ideas
Post by: wadefisherman on September 22, 2015, 07:43 AM
I think Bob (Lotsa luck) will be able to care of the welding issues. The short is another mater.
Title: Re: Ideas
Post by: Fishless on September 23, 2015, 12:52 PM
I have found at times a bad ground wire can cause problems with blown fuses especially on low amp draw items like a livewell pump, might ck the connections where the ground wire connects into probably a main ground block or harness.
Title: Re: Ideas
Post by: wadefisherman on September 23, 2015, 05:08 PM
The ground is shared with the bilge pump, no issues with that pump. I was wondering if the switch might have a short. How would you test it? I put a heavier amperage fuse (5 swapped with a 10) it didn't pop but it was warming up and the pump did not turn on.
Title: Re: Ideas
Post by: Fishless on September 23, 2015, 06:22 PM
Quote from: wadefisherman on September 23, 2015, 05:08 PM
The ground is shared with the bilge pump, no issues with that pump. I was wondering if the switch might have a short. How would you test it? I put a heavier amperage fuse (5 swapped with a 10) it didn't pop but it was warming up and the pump did not turn on.

Brian I think you said you put a new pump in and it worked before but then blew fuses? now it is not running? might be switch you could put 5amp fuse back in pull the switch connect up the wires direct to each other if it does not blow most likely the switch (but they are literally an on off switch so there should not be a source for shorting :dontknow: if the pump was working after replacement but now it does not that is a weird one, make sure there is no debris that got into the impellers where the motor is not turning. It sounds now like you have a positive wire that is touching something where it is grounding out :dontknow: if a ground wire is touching something (not positive) that would be no big deal.
Title: Re: Ideas
Post by: craigm on September 24, 2015, 06:51 AM
Quote from: wadefisherman on September 23, 2015, 05:08 PM
The ground is shared with the bilge pump, no issues with that pump. I was wondering if the switch might have a short. How would you test it? I put a heavier amperage fuse (5 swapped with a 10) it didn't pop but it was warming up and the pump did not turn on.
Fishless is on to something ; after a trip to Alamo with a live well filled to the brim with Crappies scales were knocked of and they  plugged my three way valve in the fill empty recycle hose system over loading the pump and causing the breaker to trip .If that system is Ok then as I said in our phone conversation, temporarily by pass the existing wiring with a piece of lamp cord first by pass the positive , then the negative if you get a short  either way your problem is with that wire simply put in a new wire and by pass the old one  . Then bypass the switch manually touching the pos and neg on the switch end if it works with no short the problem is the switch (I seems to remember your boat does not have a simple on and off but rather  a timer or rheostat for a switch to cycle the live well ( they are prone to failure ) . A common problem here in the mid west where boats are stored in close contact with mice is the little buggers love the nice dark interiors of boats and motors  and they love to chew on wiring insulation ( the plastic must taste great to them, they totally wrecked the wiring in my buddys Ranger ) ) So we store with moth balls to prevent this , But if a little critter got in and chewed on your wire or if when the boat was made ( Lund does not hire the Phd candidates  to assemble their Boats ) a wire was placed in an uninsulated passage through your hull compartments the insulation may have rubbed off now causing a short to your Aluminum Hull using a new piece of lamp cord to by pass all of that should tell you if the problem is the wiring. The timer may be a different problem  if that is what it turns out to be and you can not get one locally or they may have changed the design since your boat was made and that time is no longer made ( Martin Marine is a good source of old boat electrical parts they may have one or be able to get on for you ) if you can not get one that matches your dash etc text me a picture of the switch we have lots of Lund dealers here and there may be one here local where I could get one for you. Caution when doing this testing do not run the pump dry for anything other than a short bust as you may damage it  . Good luck let me now how this works out . Looks like with our selling the house here and moving to the Lake for my Minnesota Base it may be November before I get back to Sun City I will not make it to the October Meeting ,so Live well or no live well , good luck in October at Alamo and show em how it is done !















! ax l
Title: Re: Ideas
Post by: wadefisherman on September 24, 2015, 01:59 PM
I will bring this problem with me to the lake, a fish basket will work for now.
Title: Re: Ideas
Post by: IAMMAC on September 24, 2015, 05:02 PM
Bob will probably weld it for you.  If you need his number let me know.
Title: Re: Ideas
Post by: cousinlll on September 24, 2015, 05:55 PM
Brian:

How about a few more details to help with the troubleshooting.  Not sure of your setup so......

You said you installed a brand new pump, correct?  And with this new pump installed the fuse still blows?  How did you go about "testing" these pumps?  Did you by chance just install the pump connector without actually installing the pump in your boat then turning on the switch?  Meaning plug in the pump, hold it in your hand and then turn on the switch?  Did the fuse still blow?

Did you try turning the live well pump switch on without the connector installed on the pump?  Did the fuse still blow?  Is your live well switch a lighted rocker type switch?  Meaning an indicator light (most often red in color) comes on when the switch is placed in the on position.  I'm assuming there is a timer associated with your system.  Do you know if its the same switch or do you have a separate timer adjustment knob?  Does the fuse blow with the switch placed in manual and auto?

Are there any other components connected to the same circuit that you know of?  It should be a dedicated circuit but you never know.

Does the pump connector show any signs of corrosion?  Any signs of corrosion at the ground?

LLL
Title: Re: Ideas
Post by: wadefisherman on September 25, 2015, 12:29 PM
I tested the old & new pumps directly to the battery. They worked fine, the switch is not lit when turned on. When it is switched up it is automatic mode, down is manual. I have not tried it without a load attached.
Title: Re: Ideas
Post by: wadefisherman on October 25, 2015, 10:22 AM
Problems solved 😊 Bob (Lotsa luck) did a great job of welding on some new brackets for the tie-downs 😉 The live well was fixed when I started messing around with the wires, looking for a short. I noticed that the leads further up the line were corroded so I cut them out, respliced the wires and bingo, no popped fuse and the pump kicked in 😎
Title: Re: Ideas
Post by: Fishless on October 25, 2015, 01:33 PM
cool glad you found the problem
Title: Re: Ideas
Post by: sandman on October 25, 2015, 02:16 PM
Good news. Those can be really frustrating.
Title: Re: Ideas
Post by: FishMan on October 25, 2015, 06:56 PM
Don't fix the stereo, I like having the magic power of wiggling the wires under the dash to get it working again. "Shiela put the knife down".
Title: Re: Ideas
Post by: wadefisherman on October 25, 2015, 07:19 PM
Fixed that awhile ago Tom...lol
Title: Re: Ideas
Post by: FishMan on October 25, 2015, 07:46 PM
I guess I'm left with worm and minow management as my useful skills.
Title: Re: Ideas
Post by: sandman on October 25, 2015, 08:29 PM
Quote from: FishMan on October 25, 2015, 07:46 PM
I guess I'm left with worm and minow management as my useful skills.

How are you with a net?