My drain plug is 4 years old. My problem is it will not seat completely so every few hours the bilge pump kicks on! If I crawl under the boat the plug will push in about 3/16 of an inch and then it will seal. I replaced the o ring and lubed it well but I still have to push in manually to complete the seal!
Any suggestions?
Mich007
Did it ever seat properly? If it did then maybe the cable has slipped on one end.
Worked great up until a month ago!
mich007
I experienced the exact same thing. This was the problem and how I fixed it. I tested it, aggressively, and it worked 100% and has to date.
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The problem is the adjustment. I had to adjust the cable on the switch by the helm.
It is kind of a cheesy setup, just a locking screw that holds the cable. At least on
my skeeter. if you are in heavy waves and taking a beating, it can get out of adjustment.
Clean the dirt off the plug And apply some grease. The cables have been know to break loose from the switch. Its a vulcanized connection. If this is the case Flow right will send you a new cable.
2024 Phoenix 818, Mercury 175 (3B414035) Trick Steps, 3 Garmin 106 SV,s, LVS 34. BoatEFX dual bow mount. Ionic 12V 125AH, 2 12V 100 ah LiTime’s for the TM. Minn Kota 345 PCL charger,
Need more help on what I need to do??? Start at the switch?
Start at the plug and work backwards......as is typical my issue was the at the end of the search and the last thing I checked (because I had to pull the deck). You might well simply have a dry plug and is its as simple as a lil dab of Vaseline.
Yep.... exactly.Originally Posted by ifishinxs
Is there an adjustment on the system to tighten the cable?
mich007
Make sure the cable is seated in the switch properly, if so check the plug to see if the cable has slipped.
I agree with lubing it every so often. Go to the swimming pool store and get a tube of the kind they have that is more water resistant, works great!
Remove the "O" ring from the plug. Move the switch to CLOSED. Now check the plug. It should be all the way in. If not, then the cable needs to be adjusted. If it is all the way in, then the "O" ring needs to be lubed. When everything is adjusted and lubed, you should feel a slight "Click" when you switch to "Closed".
Ranger Boats / Mercury Motors
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Raymarine / MinnKota Ultrex
Garmin / Live Scope Plus
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The problem is most likely the design of the system. The anchor for the top of the control cable is thin aluminum, and too thin for the purpose. It bends under stress. When it bends it does not set the plug perfectly. If you bend it back, it will eventually break because aluminum does not do well under bending without getting metal fatigue.
Just buck up, lube the O ring, and push it the last 1/8 of an inch by hand.
This is what I do...
Bend down, reach for the drain plug, turn it 3 times, done.
Never had an issue.
Why do we always have to complicate things?
Because I'm pushing 80, and Stratos put the plug 2 steps down, in a different time zone.
Now that is different.
The time zone reference was funny!
80 and fishing, that's fantastic as I'm quite younger and soon may need that remote plug also.
Few more years and I'll need one as I have to lay on the ground to reach mine.
Been looking and reading about them for several years. Hope they start building it better before I have to get one.
IMOP they're A-ok....weak point seems to be primarily where mine broke. However, once I fixed it with epoxy my plug has functioned really, really well.
These are great items especially for the bass boats of today. They do have to be lubed a lot IMHO. I've had one for years and I spray it with silicone about every other time I use my boat. Now that may be overkill but never had a problem in over 5 years. Not lubing it will put stress on the components and it will get out adjustment.
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