2013 Z520C, livewell only fills half way up. I did some searching on here and the two things I read was that either one of the two pumps is not working or the flapper valves need to be replaced. This may be a dumb question, but I only see 2 pumps in there, (1) recirc/pumpout and (2) fill, so wouldn't it be obvious if a pump is not working? How do you get to the valve that has the flappers in it....remove the battery, battery tray, etc?
The two pumps do it all, in tandem: fill, recirc, and pump out. And yes, it is obvious if one is not working, but you have to look. The driver's side pump sprays down from the upper part of the wel, and the passenger side pump sprays outward from lower down. If there is water in the well, the passenger pump nozzle would probably be under the water level, so you wouldn't see whether it is pumping or not, but it may not be. When wells fill only halfway, it's more commonly a weak or failed pump than flapper valves.
John Clark — Findlay, Ohio
Both pumps are moving what appears to be a lot of water. So how do I troubleshoot then? I'd rather not just start replacing parts if I can figure out which component is bad. Is there a way to test that flapper valve? What about the pumps...if they are moving water, how do I know if one is not moving as much as it should?
On my 2014, when the pumps are operating properly, starting to pump water into an empty livewell the pumps will spray water very forcefully. Put your hand into the stream and water will shoot into your eyes and all over the back half of the boat. Without the two of us trading places, no way to accurately describe otherwise. It should not be a gentle stream: should literally hurt your hand a bit or it's not pumping at full volume.
I'll put it this way, having had pumps go bad on two previous boats, I now carry a spare. The cartridge is all you have to replace--30-some dollars last time I checked--and the cartridge just snaps out and in, plus it has a quick-connect plug on the wires. Flappers do go bad, but not as frequently, and they are much harder to access as well as rebuild. Throwing parts is seldom a good idea, but when there are only 2 possible parts and 1 of the 2 is easy and cheap...? That's where I'd go.
John Clark — Findlay, Ohio
I was out today and still have to close the lids or water splashes out, so figured the pumps were good. I pulled the pumps to make sure there wasn't any fishing line or anything in them and they were clean inside. Honestly, I wish they would keep the livewell nice and simple. My old boat had a drain plug to empty it and separate pumps to fill, recirculate. Never had any issues. I set my jon boat up the same way, simple and reliable. I don't understand this Flow-rite setup. Even if a pump is weak, would still think it would eventually fill the livewell. Do I need to replace both pumps or just the fill pump? I thought I read that either pump not working could cause it not to fill, is that right?
When mine stopped filling I discovered that both pumps were working but the impeller on one was slipping on the shaft. Your correct either the pumps or the flapper valve. Even with one pump out of service water will still come out of both nozzles.
Lake Norman, N.C./New Britain, CT.
An Khe 66-67
I didn't realize water would still come out of both nozzles if 1 pump is not working. In that case, I should be able to cut power from the pump one at a time and see if the flow changes. Thanks guys
i would think it was a flapper not a pump,on my 2000 ranger it has REC/EMP/AUTO on the cable lever it will not fill the livewell up when its on REC,switch it to auto and fill it then go to rec if you want and if that dont work i would get a flapper kit (pull the 4 screws out of the flapper valve and take the inside of the flapper out and put the new ones in and put it back in and you will be good to go)i just done mine but my lever has to be in auto when i first fill the livewell up,my pumps was working just fine
Fill the well in recirc, unplug a pump one at a time and monitor flow. Low flow from either one will be the one.
If water drains out of the boat, it's the valve.
Mike
2019 Ranger 520L w/ 250HO ETEC G2
2011 Tracker 175TXW w/ 75HO ETEC
Pumps are fine. How do you replace the flappers? I can't see how you pull the valve out. First issue the hose clamps look crimped on. Even if I cut them and replace with hose clamps, the valve itself is plumbed in to pvc fittings. Do you just leave it all in place and try to remove the side cover and cable in place? Doesn't look like enough room to replace the flappers and o rings without removing the whole valve assembly. I'm stumped and could use some guidance.
Last edited by schinkr1; 09-14-2017 at 08:52 PM.
I haven't done this in a few years, but here's what I remember. First, do not cut or remove the hoses! They are probably not long enough to reattach and running new hoses would be a ROYAL PITA!!! If I recall, they are not just slid in place, but also have some kind of sealant applied to them.
The top part of the valve, where the cable is attached on the left side of your pic above, comes off. I believe there are a few screws that hold the cap on. Once you lift the cap off, the entire internal assembly will come out and the flappers will be apparent. I believe each flapper is held in place by being placed over two plastic studs. Make sure that you put the cap put back on in the same position it is in now and that the arm that the cable connects to is also in the proper position. Otherwise, the position of the flappers will be off and they will not properly block the correct hose when you turn the selector. Having the valve mounted horizontally like that makes the job harder, but not impossible.
"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
make sure you put the rubber flappers back in the same place,put the lever in empty and then the other two positions and you can see how it works,i keep mine in the empty position and do the flappers one at a time,4 screws hold the outside piece on and 1 screw then holds the arm on (it has a small O RING on it)really simple job just be real careful with the large round gasket that goes around the outside cover
I've had this same issue with my Z-520 for a while. When you want to fill up the live well more than half way, switch the livewell control to "empty" temporarily. In a big open area, put the boat in reverse and turn the wheel full lock (I think to the left but if that does not work try full lock to the right). The propwash will fill the livewell up as the boat does a backwards circle. If you speed up, the water level will come up fast. With the livewell lid open you can see how much water you have and when to stop.
One thing, you must remember to switch the control back to recirculate or auto for the level to stay up. If you run the boat with livewell set to empty all of the water will be sucked from the well and your fish!
Mark
My buddy did this backing technique several times a day for years to fill his Ranger's live-wells....until the day we helped and found and replaced his non-working live-well pump and put new flaps in the valve.Originally Posted by IRONBLOCK
mine was doing that and had a small piece of fishing line inside valve. removed it and it worked perfectly
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