Jump to content

Welcome to TheMalibuCrew!

As a guest, you are welcome to poke around and view the majority of the content that we have to offer, but in order to post, search, contact members, and get full use out of the website you will need to Register for an Account. It's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the TheMalibuCrew Family today!

Anyone else feel their bilge pump is mounted in the wrong area?


wakebrdr94

Recommended Posts

Been here at the river for a week, between ice melting, and typical water, build up in the engine is a lot more than my 02 VLX ever got. I turn on the bilge, and nothing, it's as if they are mounted too far forward. Anyone else with this problem? Not a fan of the water touching engine components

Link to comment

The best trick I heard is to get up to 8-9mph so that you aren't quite on plane and the bow is sticking up in the air, then run the bilge. Wait till water stops coming out and shut it off.

Doing that I can get the bilge pretty dry on my '12 VLX.

Link to comment
Been here at the river for a week, between ice melting, and typical water, build up in the engine is a lot more than my 02 VLX ever got. I turn on the bilge, and nothing, it's as if they are mounted too far forward. Anyone else with this problem? Not a fan of the water touching engine components

Funny, this has been on my list of things to do for a while now and I just did it about two weeks ago. Ours is too far back thou, sitting on the mooring it collects in the ski locker area more then the back of the boat. We got another pump and mounted it up in the ski locker area. It seems the water is 4-5 inches deep there before the rear pump kicks on. Two pumps has got to be better then one if one of the bigger hoses starts to leak anyhow.

Link to comment

I was just thinking about this yesterday. My 04 LSV always seems to have 4 or 5 inches of water in the center access area. I was thinking about adding a pump in that area and plumbing it into the ballast drain line. Has anyone done this?

  • Like 1
Link to comment

Been here at the river for a week, between ice melting, and typical water, build up in the engine is a lot more than my 02 VLX ever got. I turn on the bilge, and nothing, it's as if they are mounted too far forward. Anyone else with this problem? Not a fan of the water touching engine components

I added a second bilge to the center of the hull, seems to help pick up more water. I agree, the one mounted in the engine compartment is totally in the wrong area. I think all boats should have at least two bilge pumps.

Bilge2_reduced.jpg

Edited by Fman
Link to comment

I was just thinking about this yesterday. My 04 LSV always seems to have 4 or 5 inches of water in the center access area. I was thinking about adding a pump in that area and plumbing it into the ballast drain line. Has anyone done this?

I have an '04 LSV as well and my ski locker always has 4-5 inches of water. I discovered last week that it leaks past the drain fitting that should keep the locker sealed from the bilge. My weekend project is to take the fitting out and seal it and then I am going to add an additional bilge pump forward of the stock one that like everyone else says is too far to the stern. I have not been comfortable with only on bilge pump.

Link to comment

Funny thing is I tried to run it, and nothing. I was under way at full speed an all of a sudden the auto bilge warning came on. Last time thy happened it slowed me and put me into limp mode, but not this time. Some water drained, but still a lot there by my standards. I'll probably add a center one as mentioned, but pretty annoying.

Link to comment

I added a second bilge to the center of the hull, seems to help pick up more water. I agree, the one mounted in the engine compartment is totally in the wrong area. I think all boats should have at least two bilge pumps.

Bilge2_reduced.jpg

Fman,

I am looking at doing the same installation. How did you power it? Is it switched or only auto?

Link to comment

Bilge sucks on all of these hulls.

If you need it to drain; wedge down full, full ballast in both lockers, all other ballast empty. Run at whatever speed shoots the nose up the furthest, and it will drain most of the water. Sucks, but that's what it takes.

Link to comment

Bilge sucks on all of these hulls.

If you need it to drain; wedge down full, full ballast in both lockers, all other ballast empty. Run at whatever speed shoots the nose up the furthest, and it will drain most of the water. Sucks, but that's what it takes.

This is what we have always done and your rite it gets most of it out that way, but it also would have enough in it to cause the pulleys to throw water around if it was close to the point where the pump was about to come on at a normal stance, tilt the boat way up in the nose and it gets alot deeper back there at the engine. Maybe why one of the posters said his boat went to limp mode? This has caused our hot engine alarm to come on twice from water getting thrown up there on the sensor and allowing a ground to be made. Problem for us mainly, was with our boat sitting on the mooring the swim platform was just at the water line, if it rained and got a little water in along with the shaft seal dripping in, it would fill with water just enough to put the platform under water before the pump would come on and make a mess of it in a hurry. The second pump doesn't allow it to do this.

Ours is just wired to the bilge pump switch like the stock pump is wired, then we added another thru hull. yes if I turn it on manually one pump has a chance of running with no water for a bit, but I think they will take that for a while without causing damage.

Link to comment

My 06 VLX has the pump in the center compartment just in front of the fuel tank. Works better but I still wet vac out the last inch of water it won't suck out. Rear transom plug is useless for trying to drain on ride home, still have just as much in there with it removed and pulling it all the way home through the hills.

Link to comment

I added a second bilge pump to my boat as well and wired it to the dash switch. Hardest part for me was finding a way to adhere the pump to the inside of the hull- I tried an epoxy and then 3m sealant and it still likes to move a bit.

Link to comment

Guys, I have an 05 v ride. I too have the same issue with too much water in the center bilge area and the rear pump is totally mounted incorrect. I was going to do as another suggested, add the second pump in the center bilge area. I'm also going to relocate he main bilge pump to a deeper section of the engine compartment.

I was going to buy a y fitting that I could tie into at the ballast tank overflow hose. That way I would only need a small piece of hose from new bilge pump to the y fitting on the overflow hose. I thought this would be a better location than on the main discharge hose from the ballast tank as I don't know if you would get any back flow from the main discharge through the new pump when draining the center ballast. I guess you could add a bypass valve and close it when draining ballast tank.

My thoughts are this would be the simplest way to add a second pump with no drilling through side of boat required and you could utilize an existing drain location. I have an empty toggle switch next to current bilge pump switch on the dash that I was going to tie into. No need to worry about burning out he second pump that way if using only one switch.

Any thoughts if this will work?

Link to comment

I moved my one in the res r to a lower spot, just about 4" forward of the factory placement. From the factory it was up on a raised area that would take 4-5" of water before it would kick on.

For my drives home, I remove the rear and the drain plug in the ski locker

Link to comment

Fman,

I am looking at doing the same installation. How did you power it? Is it switched or only auto?

Tied into existing rear bilge wiring. Also changed the fuse to a larger amp to handle both pumps. Works with MTC just like it was factory install.

Link to comment

Tied into existing rear bilge wiring. Also changed the fuse to a larger amp to handle both pumps. Works with MTC just like it was factory install.

Now is the factory wire rated to handle the extra capacity that your larger fuse will let try to pass through it?

Link to comment

Tied into existing rear bilge wiring. Also changed the fuse to a larger amp to handle both pumps. Works with MTC just like it was factory install.

Thanks. So does that mean the second pump triggers a warning when it is running?

Link to comment

Which one did you get?

I bought the 500. I mounted it to a piece of flat stainless under the oil pan and wired it to the excisting bilge wiring.

Edited by haycutter
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...