Bilge pump replacement

[Eck74]

Hey guys I recently got a 96 278 and I need to replace the bilge pump. Actaully I need 2 livewell pumps and a bilge pump. My question is how difficult is it to replace and do I have to get a certain model for that?

The shop I was at quoted me 525 to replace all 3 and I think that is a little high. They did the diagnostic and found that the pumps are bad, not a power supply problem. I am not tournament fishing right now, so the livewells dont bother me, but I would think I can change the bilge pump myself.

Any help, tips, is appreciated.

[rchavis]

I replaced minds from wal-mart and they was that hard ( Bilge ) pump .....just took a littler time as i am 250 lbs and near blind .

[Eck74]

So I can get one at Wal-Mart. Perfect, are they all universal?

[rchavis]

You will have to check and see , minds did . They where a littler diff, made as minds where from the 80's . Look at your hose size then i get a general ideal what will fit , are better take one out and take them with you . As the stores in my area the fishing department is in the back of the store where the auto are gardern selection , go thru there and tell the cashier what you doing try to match the pumps up. I think i went back with some ATTWOOD pumps and the one that comes on auto , has a knob that you can manual trun and check if its works .

[meatballs9]

If you can use a pair of needle nose pliers and a screw driver you can do this yourself! $525 is crazy!!! Take one out and go to the store is a good idea, i would guess that the are around $40 each, replace one at a time. There should be hose clamps one on each end of pump. You'll see two wires ground and power, make sure batteries are disconnected. Cut wires close to old pumps! I would use the splicers that you clamp and heat. I replaced both my bilge pumps in less than an hour. Good luck

[Eck74]

Thanks guys for everything. I am picking up the boat tomorrow and will do these pumps Saturday. They also mentioned a breaker needed to be replaced. I am not familiar with boat wiring, but I am assuming there is something under the counsel that holds the breakers. Any idea where to get them or what they look like?

[meatballs9]

Not sure what you need to replace fuse or breaker, my 285 has NO breakers or fuses under dash. I have a fuse off of my cranking battery that runs to my bilge. At the top of this forum you'll see wiring diagrams for stratos boats.

[Eck74]

Not sure what you need to replace fuse or breaker, my 285 has NO breakers or fuses under dash. I have a fuse off of my cranking battery that runs to my bilge. At the top of this forum you'll see wiring diagrams for stratos boats.

Yeah, I tried looking at that and didnt see any breakers either. Until I pick it up I wont know. I may ask them to show me what they mean. They made it sound as though the diagnosis took so long and that was why the quote was so high. If that is the case they may not be too willing to show me in depth what needs to be fixed. I dont know.

[meatballs9]

If you take a picture of what the problem is and post on the forum or try and explain it on here these guys are awesome to work with 99% of all questions get answered on this forum. Good luck!

[rchavis]

When you get the boat cut the wires near the pump . Then stripe the ends of the wire and put a volt meter on the ends to see if you have power . You will have to turn the main power on the dash and then the pumps , but most boats that has the lowest pump with a wire thats stays hot all the time , thats the auto pump and the other one is manual. The live wells pumps you will have to do the same as the pumps will be under the live well are in the side of it . The same thing cut the wire and unscrew the hose clamp . It my be hard for the hose to come loose as that they been on the pumps a while , just turn and pull . Just take your time they will come loose . If you think you have some slack hose , you can take a box cutter and split a 1/4 or 1/8 inch on the hose on the nippler of the pump to make it easier to come loose then after the pump is off cut the hose evenly and also when going back on you can put some vaseline in the inside of the hose to make it easier . The hardest part of the job is leaning over in the boat and one more thing the bilge pumps may also be screw down to the bottom of the boat or expoy , look for screws .....you cant hurt them they are bad any way .

[meatballs9]

Try and reuse the same holes if you can, I hate drill new ones in any boat, the vaseline is a nice trick never done that before!

[Eck74]

Thanks for the tips guys. I will get some pics up if I see something funky in there. I am going to tackle this tomorrow.

[Eck74]

So my new one is working fine, but when I installed it the old one only had 1 screw in it and i used that for the new one only. It seems to be able to move around and not very secure. How much room is there to screw in? I want to put another there to help hold it in place, just not sure how deep I can go before any real damage.

[rchavis]

I would unscrew the screw in the unit now and install the same lenght or shorter , one . Also put some slicone on the ends of the screws or in the spot you going to install the pump and it will help hole it and stop water from getting in the wood .

[Bubba2262]

Hey guys, I hope this is posted in the right place. I recently purchased a 1984 Cheetah 156 Pro and have been doing some wiring work and getting ready to re-carpet. My current problem is; I need to replace my bilge pump and it is UNDER the 16 gallon fuel tank and I can BARELY even rech the wires, let alone the pump itsself. How would it be attached? I do not see ANY WAY to remove the fuel tank through the lidded opening. Any suggestions?

[javelin90]

You can get the correct pumps and install. Shop price is what they are charging. Probably they quote high as they really don't want to do the job. I would guess $125 labor/hr and a min 3.5 hrs of labor.

[tdt91]

Hey guys, I hope this is posted in the right place. I recently purchased a 1984 Cheetah 156 Pro and have been doing some wiring work and getting ready to re-carpet. My current problem is; I need to replace my bilge pump and it is UNDER the 16 gallon fuel tank and I can BARELY even rech the wires, let alone the pump itsself. How would it be attached? I do not see ANY WAY to remove the fuel tank through the lidded opening. Any suggestions?

First, forum etiquette is to start a new thread with your issues and questions. You will need to remove the fuel tank and if you are lucky you will find someone here who has experience with that brand on vintage boat. They often come out the front after the seats are removed. Some has a way of removing a portion of the deck above. My guess on your is through the front with seats removed. Get the tank out, cleaned up and check your sending units and pick ups. Get your pumps in and wired well in the original location or if possible elsewhere so you have access.

Good Luck