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Rear ballast no draining


KristiW

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We have a 2016 Malibu LSV. Both back ballasts will fill but will not drain. Any ideas on issue? Also how to drain the water so we can but our boat back up on our lift. Too heavy full. Both front ballast are draining. Seems like electrical issue. Blower will not run also. Any help is appreciated. Thank you. 

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I had the same problem on mine.. 

2 quick checks

Fuse

Also the connectors are sometimes strapped and or pulled very tight.. take out the rear tub on the left rear side and the connectors are strapped to a bunch of wires down there check the connectors push and pull the wires I had to replace two of mine

Edited by The Hulk
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5 hours ago, KristiW said:

We have a 2016 Malibu LSV. Both back ballasts will fill but will not drain. Any ideas on issue? Also how to drain the water so we can but our boat back up on our lift. Too heavy full. Both front ballast are draining. Seems like electrical issue. Blower will not run also. Any help is appreciated. Thank you. 

do you hear drain pumps running? snd if sumo sacs a over side sumo pump will empty at least the sacs or you can pull a hose and use the bilge, though hard tanks will stay full ( i carry a pump i used to use for ballast bags before lead for this purpose so as to not empty into bilge)

you might be able to jump start rear pumps putting a wet vac to thru hull and it may dislodge some debris not allowing pump to turn,  i maintenance mine this way, 

Edited by granddaddy55
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Another very likely cause is the wire joints/connectors but  mainly the pumps can easily fail if under water often, if u get a lot of bilage water from time to time the pumps will basically be in water as it holds there easily and they are on their sides. The round wall cut out back there is up a few inches so that very back area can hold a bit of water. If they are submirged often they will fail over time.. the capacitor blows or rusts and depending if the factory has a wire connector in water etc.. 

Replacement is Not difficult but a PIA to do as u have to take out side panels and then floor boards to access and replace. 

Not difficult but if u can replace for a few hundred at shop it's worth not having to be a contortionist! 

Check fuses and connectors first

Fuses if they keep popping time to replace pumps they may be shorted/rusted out.  

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If you can't get the tanks to drain, remove the aft plastic covers over the tank to access the pumps, then remove the small screw on the blue pump motor ring and unscrew the ring to remove the pump motor.  A lot of the water from the tank will drain into the bilge so you can get the boat back on the lift until it can be repaired.

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  • 2 years later...

I have this situation where the blower isn’t running and the rear ballasts won’t drain.  Sure seems like they would be related.  Is there a fuse that covers some wiring for both?

rear ballasts fill but won’t drain. 
Thanks!

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Thanks @csleaver
I checked all fuses and they are fine. Even replaced with new fuses just in case.  Tried using the bypass fuse slot as well.  No luck getting the two pumps or blower to run. 
I pulled all 3 items out and just bench tested them. They all run when wired to direct 12v power. 
Any ideas from here?  

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The ground for the starboard and port drain pumps (and the shower pump) is circuit #14, the ground for the blower is circuit #10 and they both go through the port stringer and are combined to a single 3/8 eyelet connector on the engine ground stud.  That is really the only thing shared on those circuits.  Otherwise, there could be problems with both power modules, or the PM connectors, or the wiring between the modules and the blower/drain pumps, but I think that is very unlikely. 

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It is more likely that the shared ground is causing the issue and it is less likely the that both power modules are faulty, so check the ground connection first. 

The power for the blower is a yellow wire that goes from the blower connector to the primary power module connector pin 7.  The power for the MLS stbd drain is a brown/tan wire that goes from the pump harness connector to the secondary power module connector pin 2 and the MLS port drain power is a brown/ white wire that goes from the pump connector to the secondary power module connector pin 4.

  • Like 1
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Well, it was the ground. My wonderful Malibu dealer did not connect that ground wire when they were fixing my power wedge last Fall. 

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  • 1 month later...
David2015lsv

I have a 2015 lsv and I can't seem to locate the pump for the front anyone have a location? ,

Edited by David2015lsv
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The bow ballast fill pump is located in the center bilge area under the deck access plate near the center bilge T-handle belly drain plug.  It is just to the port of the center ballast fill pump. 

The bow ballast drain pump is attached to the bow ballast tank.  There is a carpeted vertical panel at the bow walk-through that must be removed to access the drain pump.

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