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  1. #1
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    Livewell pump electrical issue

    Boat is a 1997 Ranger R80 Sport. Recently my port side live pump stopped working. When I turn on the switch, it illuminates, so I not the switch is getting power. I have also supplied power directly from the battery to the pump, and it works fine. So I know the switch is powered, and pump is good. So obviously something is wrong between the switch and the pump, and the only thing there is a 12 guage brown/white wire. Is it common for a wire to just go bad? possibly punched or rubbing somewhere that could cause it to fail?

  2. Electrical/Wiring/Trolling Motors Moderator CatFan's Avatar
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    #2
    You could easily have a wire pulled off the back of the switch or bad switch. The light has an internal power route so wiring issue wouldn't affect it. Track the wire to the back of the switch and verifiy it's hooked up, then measure voltage between that pin and ground as you operate the switch to see what it happening.
    If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity,
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  3. Member
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    #3
    As said above, the light works off a connection from the ground to switched power source, but doesn't take near as much current to burn the light. Check the connections at the switch with a voltmeter with the switch turned both on and off.
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  4. Member
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    #4
    check your fuses

  5. Member
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    #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Creek Ranger View Post
    check your fuses
    Fuses are good, pulled and checked all fuses in the box. A few had some corrosion, but were cleaned and tested, getting > 12V in each one.

  6. Member Jeff Hahn's Avatar
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    #6
    How do you know that the pump is good? Could the pump be working, but the impeller might be spinning on the shaft, so that it's not pumping water?
    "The man of system is apt to be very wise in his own conceit; and is often so enamored with the supposed beauty of his own ideal plan of government that he cannot suffer the smallest deviation from any part of it…He seems to imagine that he can arrange the different members of a great society with as much ease as the hand arranges the different pieces upon a chessboard.” Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments

  7. Member
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    #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff Hahn View Post
    How do you know that the pump is good? Could the pump be working, but the impeller might be spinning on the shaft, so that it's not pumping water?
    When I flip the switch, it does nothing, it is not receiving any voltage what so ever. When I supply power directly from the battery to the pump, it works as it should.

  8. Member
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    #8
    The switch breaks the positive connection. Use a voltmeter and make sure you have voltage in, flip the switch and check for voltage out -- do not rely on if the light burns the switch works. If you have voltage out, follow the wire to the pump. If there is a connection at the pump, check for voltage there with the switch flipped. Also, the connection is probably a two wire plug with one side being ground. Put you meter on the positive battery post and and ground to the ground wire of the pump, making sure the ground is connected also. If you trace the wires with the voltmeter, you will find where it's loosing the voltage.
    John
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  9. Member
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    #9
    The receiver pin inside the fuse block had snapped and was not making contact with the fuse.