HELP! No Power to Live well switch or Bilge pump switch.

[allidap]

I have an older Skeeter Strada f80 with front and rear live wells, as well as a bilge pump. I was told by previous owner that they were working the last time he had it out (8 months ago. Old man with no reason to lie.) I have been unable to get either livewell to work and checking the switch for the livewell in the rear, there is no power to the switch. I have checked all of the fuses under the dash, and all of the fuses at the batteries and they are all good. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. I hate to rewire all of it and then find out that I missed a simple repair. The boat has been sitting outside unused for a year or so.

[mxmike]

First, Is there a main/ master power switch on the dash that is not turned on?

2) You need to check with a light tester to see if you have power on both sides of the fuse. May need to clean fuse contacts.

[ring fry]

I would go through each and every electrical connection for them. Even if it looks and feels tight, loosen the screw or connector and then reconnect.

SE Kansas grass grower.

[allidap]

I have no master switch, and I have checked each fuse on both sides, power to the fuse, not to the items. I have cleaned every connection I can find

[wmitch2]

Check to see if the pumps even work by wiring them directly to the battery. You should also remove the pump from the housing and make sure they turn freely. If they work, then you'll have to check at the switch for power.

[bobcoy]

Good point Mich. Setting for a year those pumps could be locked up. Allidap, They would be silent even with power to them. No master(Power) switch? I am not familiar with Skeeter but no master sounds strange. Bob

[Bill Reynolds]

You don’t mention your year model or model but I found this wiring diagram. If this is not your year model, you may still find it on this site.
https://skeeterboats.com/sites/defau...ERS_MANUAL.pdf
I would check for presence of voltage starting at the pump. If you have voltage and the pump does not run, you could have a mechanical problem with the pump. However I doubt that being the problem since none of the pumps work.
If voltage is present but the pump does not run you could have a break in the ground circuit.
I use a test light with long cord to check for presence of voltage in a circuit.

I modified the test light so it can be attached directly to a battery terminal. This allows me to move around the boat by pulling the slack out of the cord without pulling it loose at the connection.
When checking for presence of voltage, I attach it to the negative battery post this assures that I have a good ground circuit. If I had voltage at the pump, I would move the test light connection to the positive battery terminal and check the ground circuit (black wire). If the ground circuit is good, the test light will glow.
There are no switches on the ground side but in the older boats there are a lot of wire to wire connections that could be corroded.
If there is no positive voltage at the pump, you need to look at the wiring diagram and back up the circuit to see where you lost it.
Hope these trouble shooting tips are helpful.

[allidap]

So I have checked all of the possible connections and have cleaned each one. I have been able to get the bilge pump to work but no luck on the pumps for the front or rear live wells. I am getting no power to the switches for either one. I have the wiring diagram downloaded now (thank you Bill) but I do not know what series my boat is. It is a 1987 Strada f80, but nowhere is there any other identification other than the serial number, and that tells me the year model and year built. Perhaps the cure is to rewire the livewells completely? I am getting somewhat flumoxed at this point. The livewell pumps work when wired directly to the battery, so it is not the pumps.

[Jonestrollingmotor]

Could be several places, and you should follow the electricity. If there is power in to the switch and no power out, then the switch isn't carrying the current. From the switch, it should go to the fuse again with power in and power out. From the fuse, it should go straight to the appliance. All voltage checks should be made with the switch on. If voltage shows on voltage in, and the switch is activated, the voltage will either remain constant, or will drop. If it drops, it indicates a bad connection or wiring. Hope this helps.
John

[allidap]

Thank You everyone for your help and suggestions. I will get this rewired and that should solve the issues.

[Bill Reynolds]

Allidap,
I couldn’t get this off my mind, and kept digging into it. I think the following two pics are your wiring diagram. You will note that power to each of the livewell panels is brought in on an orange wire. If you trace that orange wire back to the fuse panel, you will see that it starts at the 10 amp fuse that is the last one on the left.
Since there is no power to any of your pumps, this is where you need to start.
Check for presence of voltage on the red wire coming into this fuse and then on the orange wire coming out.
If you have power on red but not on orange, that fuse or fuse holder is bad.
If you have power on the orange there, then trace it through the wiring diagram to find where you lost it.
I can’t over emphasize to use a test light and ground it to your negative battery terminal to eliminate a possible failure in the ground circuit as you test for voltage.

[allidap]

Allidap,
I couldn’t get this off my mind, and kept digging into it. I think the following two pics are your wiring diagram. You will note that power to each of the livewell panels is brought in on an orange wire. If you trace that orange wire back to the fuse panel, you will see that it starts at the 10 amp fuse that is the last one on the left.
Since there is no power to any of your pumps, this is where you need to start.
Check for presence of voltage on the red wire coming into this fuse and then on the orange wire coming out.
If you have power on red but not on orange, that fuse or fuse holder is bad.
If you have power on the orange there, then trace it through the wiring diagram to find where you lost it.
I can’t over emphasize to use a test light and ground it to your negative battery terminal to eliminate a possible failure in the ground circuit as you test for voltage.

Thanks for the info Bill. I actually traced the wire from the rear livewell switch to the fuse panel and after cleaning the panel up (vinegar and salt/baking soda) and cleaning the fuses, I now have power to everything! What do you suggest using to protect the connections? I have seen Vaseline and dielectric grease as possibilities. Your thoughts? And thanks for following up with the diagrams. I will keep them in case I have to trouble shoot again.

[bobcoy]

[Bill Reynolds]

Thanks for the info Bill. I actually traced the wire from the rear livewell switch to the fuse panel and after cleaning the panel up (vinegar and salt/baking soda) and cleaning the fuses, I now have power to everything! What do you suggest using to protect the connections? I have seen Vaseline and dielectric grease as possibilities. Your thoughts? And thanks for following up with the diagrams. I will keep them in case I have to trouble shoot again.

Sorry I don’t have any experience with Dielectrics or other coatings but there are sone very knowledgeable guys on here that will probably weigh in.
Now that you have cleaned it and the boat will be used regularly I doubt that you will have another problem with it.

[yupitsme]

Thanks for the info Bill. I actually traced the wire from the rear livewell switch to the fuse panel and after cleaning the panel up (vinegar and salt/baking soda) and cleaning the fuses, I now have power to everything! What do you suggest using to protect the connections? I have seen Vaseline and dielectric grease as possibilities. Your thoughts? And thanks for following up with the diagrams. I will keep them in case I have to trouble shoot again.

Corrosion X would be the way to go... It sprays on and gets to places it's pretty hard to get with dielectrict grease. Stuff won't come off and if you've left some corrosion behind it will eliminate that as well.