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Fuel Pump Relay getting fried


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I have a 2019 Malibu 24MXZ and have had different electrical issues since I bought the boat in fall of 19'. One of the consistent problems I've had is the fuel pump relay burning up. This past winter, it got sent into a Malibu dealer and they told me they found a ground that was loose and our battery terminals were no good and they changed those out. 

Well, I took the boat out for the first time this year and sure enough, the fuel pump relay burns up. We got the following codes:

1. Fuel Pump Relay Short To Ground SPN:1348 FMI:4

2. Fuel Pump Relay Open SPN:1348 FMI:5

Having had this issue before, I had a couple extra relays on hand so I went and changed it out, and the boat fired right back up. The relay I changed out was ridiculously hot.

From the beginning I've thought it was the wiring harness needing upgraded but the dealers are telling me that's not the issue and won't even try it. Even after it being in the shop 4 or 5 times at multiple malibu dealers, and no one being able to figure out the issue.

Has anyone else had this issue or have any idea on what might be going on? Any help or ideas would be much appreciative.

Thanks!

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Yep. Getting my wiring harness changed in my 2019 A20 for this same exact issue. It’s a common issue on 2019’s according to my dealer. 

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On 5/22/2021 at 11:49 AM, cspires said:

Yep. Getting my wiring harness changed in my 2019 A20 for this same exact issue. It’s a common issue on 2019’s according to my dealer. 

Thanks for the reply. They are going to change out the fuel pump and see what that does but we are still convinced it's the wiring harness.

If you're willing, let me know if that ends up fixing the issue. If the fuel pump takes on our end, great, but if not, the wiring harness needs to be the next step in my opinion.

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I had this happen on my 04.  Replaced the Relay multiple times.  Finally came here and received the great advice to replace the harness that holds the relay.  This has now solved my issue.

Once the first couple of relays failed and created all the excess heat, then the metal tines in the harness lost their tinning, the plastic melted a bit and the relay was sloppy in the harness and caused poor connection and kept having issues and the Relays kept failing.  

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  • 2 weeks later...

Is your engine a PCM?  The fuel relays on those motor melt inside the fuse box and you do have to replace the engine harness.  And it should be covered under warranty as long as you are the current owner.

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So we also have a 2019 23LSV with pcm 450 engine. We have had NOTHING but issues with this boat in general. It is definitely a wireing harness issue. They are on backorder. They will continue to swap out the relays, and it will get you back going. We've had our fuel pump burn up 2 times in 4 days, we had to be towed 4 times last summer. Now our top valve train is making some god awful racket.  This is just some of the issues we have. Our wedge is also not working, and they've swapped out everything on the boat in order to fix it with no success. Now our surf gate is intermittant as well.  Keep pushing for the wiring harness. It's a big issue. They know about it. Our relays burnt up so bad it melted the box and the relays... Could have caught fire. Very dangerous!  

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi All: This sounds like my problem too.  I had to get towed in to the dock about three weeks ago, local dealer diagnosed as a fuel relay failure.  This past Friday, the boat didn't start again.  By playing leap frog with the different relays, we were able to determine it was the ignition relay.  I was able to buy a matching relay at Napa, put it in, and the boat fired right up.  On the way back to my campsite, the fuel relay failed again. 

In all, I've fried 3 relays in about 15 boat hours.  This seems excessive.  From reading this thread, it seems like it's the harness that needs to be replaced.  I'm headed back to my dealer now, hopefully this problem can be solved quickly.

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  • 11 months later...

2019 t23 axis with fuel relay over heating. Have changed it myself 4 times now and yes the connection looks thin now in the wiring harness. Would change it myself but boat is under warranty and Malibu should do a recall on all 2019 boats sold with this harness in it. The problem is the cheap metal female contact in it. To much heat from the fuel pump pull. SO WHATS UP MALIBU WHY NOT STEP UP AND DO RIGHT. I would be glade to show up at your factory in vonore Tennessee with my boat and show you how it feels not to have my boat in the water today. 

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9 hours ago, jeffbanks said:

2019 t23 axis with fuel relay over heating. Have changed it myself 4 times now and yes the connection looks thin now in the wiring harness. Would change it myself but boat is under warranty and Malibu should do a recall on all 2019 boats sold with this harness in it. The problem is the cheap metal female contact in it. To much heat from the fuel pump pull. SO WHATS UP MALIBU WHY NOT STEP UP AND DO RIGHT. I would be glade to show up at your factory in vonore Tennessee with my boat and show you how it feels not to have my boat in the water today. 

Most electrical issues that I have seen, including the one you described, are often originally caused by loose ground and power cable connections.  Those connections all need to be tight, clean, and the connectors stacked correctly (larger cables connect at the base and smaller cables at the top by the nut).

If the wiring or connections in the main engine harness have been damaged I would recommend replacing the entire engine harness, or possibly just the damaged wires and connectors depending on the condition, to prevent further problems.  Whether you have warranty coverage or not, you should really have your local Malibu Axis dealer do the repair.

Do you have the Pleasurecraft engine or the Malibu engine in your Axis?  If it is the Pleasurecraft Challenger, you can show up at their factory in Little Mountain, South Carolina.  If you show up in Vonore, Tennessee you will probably just find the Mastercraft factory.  Malibu is in Loudon, Tennessee. 

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