Bilge not working

[Briannorton]

Has anyone had problems with their bilge pump? And if so how did you solve them? I have a 1980 with auto bilge. I mistakenly left the drain plug open when I backed the boat today. Not the first and probably not the last time. In the past the auto bilge kicked on and alerted me to my mistake. This time I noticed on my own a few moments after backing away from the ramp. I thought it was weird the auto bilge didn’t kick on so I opened the lid to see if any water actually made it in. Sure enough there was 6” of water in the transom area. When I tried to turn the bilge on manually, I got nothing. Luckily I was still at the ramp so no big deal. Especially, because it’s my fault for not closing the drain plug. But the problem remains. Still no bilge function. I suspect it’s a fuse but I guess it could be the pump. The boat is only 2 months old so I find it hard to believe the pump failed. But then again it’s not this first issue I’ve had with my brand new boat. The closest dealer is way too far away to bring the boat just for minor trouble shooting if I can do it myself. Any insight is much appreciated.

[kurt1305]

Have you reset the breaker on the console?

[Briannorton]

Have you reset the breaker on the console?

What breaker are you talking about? The 30a one at the transom? Or is there another one I don’t know about. All other electronics, switches, and components are working fine. The bilge switch on the dash still lights up to indicate it’s on. It just doesn’t turn on

[BoatNoobie]

What breaker are you talking about? The 30a one at the transom? Or is there another one I don’t know about. All other electronics, switches, and components are working fine. The bilge switch on the dash still lights up to indicate it’s on. It just doesn’t turn on

Those little black button looking things on the console switches.

[Briannorton]

Those little black button looking things on the console switches.

Nothing appears to be tripped. Again the toggle switch lights up when I flip the switch on.

[Briannorton]

I pulled everything apart this morning to acces all the wiring. I have power at the dash switch. I have power at the bilge wire connector closest to the pump itself. Which leads me to believe the bilge pump itself is bad. Does that sound right?

[Tx Champ]

That would be my next shot. Might pull it and make sure a piece of trash didn't work its way in there and jammed the impeller. On the boats I've worked on, the float should be wired to a constant 12v source like the battery and have a fuse near the source.

[Jonesslk]

If you have power at the switch and at the bilge pump, the pump is either seized(impeller) or pump itself failed. IMO Should be an easy fix, once you get the replacement. I had a few minor issues with mine and like you, the closest dealer at the time was ~5 hours away. Either the dealer or Vexus would overnight the part to me as I had no interest in taking the boat in for something that I could easily address myself.

[Lou22]

If you have power at the switch and at the bilge pump, the pump is either seized(impeller) or pump itself failed. IMO Should be an easy fix, once you get the replacement. I had a few minor issues with mine and like you, the closest dealer at the time was ~5 hours away. Either the dealer or Vexus would overnight the part to me as I had no interest in taking the boat in for something that I could easily address myself.

When I took my boat in for the recall, I had dealer look into why my automatic bilge wasn't working. They found that that it was wired incorrectly.

[Briannorton]

I spoke with Tim at Vexus warranty today. He is shipping a new pump my way as it seems the pump is the issue. Thanks for the input everyone.

[swampdog]

Yes mine was not working from factory but bilge was fine. My probem was in wiring dept beside the driver seat.

[kschuhk]

Is the auto bilge supposed to work without flipping the bilge toggle?

[Jonesslk]

Yes.