Help with new 08 180 Challenger bilge pump problem

[usctrojan]

We bought the boat last week brand new. Stuck it in my girlfriends garage. (Hasnt been in the water yet) I went to her house this weekend to test my trailer lights and I hear a noise coming from the bildge area. The battery is switched to off so I figure the only thing it could be is the auto bilge. After searching for a few I found the red center bilge in front of the motor running. I put my finger down there and there is about an inch of water, probably from them cleaning the boat. My guess is there is just enough water to turn the bilge on but not enough for it to suck it up. Am I correct? If so how do I fix this problem for the future? It hasnt killed the battery yet and I dont know how long it has been running. I unhooked the battery to be safe. We are taking it out tomorow so I am sure on the ramp the water should run out. But I don't want this happening when I clean it myself and get water in there.

Thanks

 

[mynorocks]

gotta be careful w that thing...
mine blew out, and caused my engine to drown...had to be replaced under BRP warranty, and the bilge itself...

mine was the opposite, jus didnt work period!haha..
good luck, and keep an eye on it...
make sure u dont have the bilge switch on the dash switched ON

 

[usctrojan]

gotta be careful w that thing...
mine blew out, and caused my engine to drown...had to be replaced under BRP warranty, and the bilge itself...

mine was the opposite, jus didnt work period!haha..
good luck, and keep an eye on it...
make sure u dont have the bilge switch on the dash switched ON

Thanks. Dash switch was off as well as the batter switch itself..

I could take it to the dealer but if it's an easy fix I would rather not. Kind of time consuming to take it to the dealer.

 

[seatys501]

simular problem with my 08 180 challenger

My 08 i only ran for a total of 5 hours last season. Just last week i pulled off the cove rto get it ready. I have the drain plugs out in the back ove rthe winter so no water would build up. But I closed them off and started to clean my boat as I always did. Usually i would here the pump kick on as it would drain the accumulated water. As I got to the center storage compartment I notiec I had about 3 inches of water in it. I know its got a hole at the bottom to drain. So i opened the engine compartment and noticed some water at the bottom. i turned on the battery and switched on the pump manually and it worked and pumped out a lot of water. But the automatic one didnt seem to work yet. I am concerned because I am keeping it docked this year and dont want it to sink. Does the manual switch operate a secondary pump or is it the same pump? am just trying to see if there may be a problem with the pump or the automatic switch.

 

[rexsteiner]

My 08 i only ran for a total of 5 hours last season. Just last week i pulled off the cove rto get it ready. I have the drain plugs out in the back ove rthe winter so no water would build up. But I closed them off and started to clean my boat as I always did. Usually i would here the pump kick on as it would drain the accumulated water. As I got to the center storage compartment I notiec I had about 3 inches of water in it. I know its got a hole at the bottom to drain. So i opened the engine compartment and noticed some water at the bottom. i turned on the battery and switched on the pump manually and it worked and pumped out a lot of water. But the automatic one didnt seem to work yet. I am concerned because I am keeping it docked this year and dont want it to sink. Does the manual switch operate a secondary pump or is it the same pump? am just trying to see if there may be a problem with the pump or the automatic switch.

they are the same pump. the bilge is kinda a flaw on these boats in the sense that the ski locker is actually lower than the hieght of the bilge pump. so some water ( about an inch or so ) always stays in the bilge. at least on mine it does and they probly havent changed anything on the 180 yet.

 

[JThomasLambert]

Yeah, my 08 180 is the same. I'd guess more than an inch in the center compartment though--might be 3. Water in there is crazy hot after a trip too.

 

[Craigmri]

On my Utopia 205 their always seems to be some water in the ski locker as well. Silly really.

As to the OP, the float switch needs to be adjusted. I've never done this but the switch is obviously activating the pump at too low of a water level.

Craig

 

[GarySuperior]

most automatic switches are like the one for your HVAC system in your house..Mercury filled !..they go bad and keep the motor running..It doesn`t hurt the little motor but you should be able to fix it yourself..Call your dealer and see if they will allow you to fix it under warranty if you bring them the old switch/pump..It may come toghether as one!Keep your battery disconnected till then..

 

[LogicAl2008]

Just had a similar issue. Ran the boat all weekend w/o bilge issues. Got home and cleaned out the boat, big time. A ton of water accumulated and when I switched on the bilge pump, nothing was pumping out. When I switched it off, the automatic bilge kept it running. So, I ...

1. disconnected the negative battery terminal,
2. disconnected the outlet hose from the bilge pump,
3. blew in the tube to make sure it wasn't clogged,
4. reconnected the negative terminal to make sure the bilge pump could actually pump water (it did),
5. disconnected the negative terminal again,
6. re-attached the outlet hose to the pump, and
7. reconnected the negative battery terminal.

When I switched on the bilge, it pumped out water like crazy.

So, it's in the shop to determine why the float sensor did not automatically turn the pump on when I reconnected the negative battery terminal.

In the meantime, I'm looking for a replacement bilge pump I can replace myself and better rely upon. Based on the SeaDoo on-line parts catalog, Chapter 10, Electrical Accessories 1, the pump is very similar to a Johnson Pumps cartridge bilge pump - modified to be mounted on its side, the garden-hose-style hose connection mounted pointing straight up. The SeaDoo dealer wants US$170+ for this pump from BRP ... I'm thinking I'd do better with Johnson Pumps or Rule Mate.

Has anyone yanked out their bilge pump to get a true manufacturer's name off of it? Has anyone gone with another brand of automatic bilge pump and had better success? If so, please share details.

Cross post to this similar thread.

 

[dootndo2]

My sensor went bad

The pump in my 2006 Challenger is a Johnson pump. I had the sensor go bad on mine and kept finding 6-10 inches of water in there after a few good rains. I posted my experiences fixing it here:

http://www.jetboating.net/jetboating/common/forums/threadview.aspx?forumid=-1&page=1&threadid=15336

dootndo2