RT188 More Livewell Pump Issues

[jv83]

First cartridge died on me in the first couple of months. The new one started making a really loud grinding sound this weekend. I took the cartridge out again, didn't find anything at first. Finally, reached wayyy back into the housing and found a small sheet metal screw lodged in there....couldn't grab it out, so I blew it out by running a shop vac in reverse through the intake. Problem solved.

Couple of gripes:

1) The cartridge is absolutely impossible to access without removing two of my batteries. Has anyone re-rigged theirs so that they can access it on the water?
2) The setup is horizontal, which can present problems. I'd really prefer a vertical setup.

Has anybody re-rigged their livewell pumps or had similar issues? And how the hell does a screw get in there??

[King_Fish]

I too have replaced a LW pump cartridge but not because of debris, it just died.,.. yea w/ a LW full of fish....

I can vouch for the fact that I have vacuumed A LOT of debris from my bilge area and under the console, yes everything from metal shavings, aluminum welding rods, washers, etc.... and it kind of pissed me off i.e. shoddy clean-up effort. All the stuff I found would impact the bilge pump more so that the LW, less 'n there was debris in one of the hoses....

I just figure if that the worst that happens over the years then so be it.

[jv83]

I've also found metal shavings all over the place....in the storage boxes, on the floor, in the bilge, etc. Looks like we had the same quality inspector.

[tin wacker]

I have a 2015 188 replaced live pump after 2nd trip it was junk . Found plate the batteries seat on was push down on the motor. Moved it 1 inch toward gas tank . New one been fine since.

[King_Fish]

All this has me thinking that as soon as i get mine out of storage I'm gonna run a snake down through the intake hose just to be sure there is nothing jammed in there...

[tcesni]

I always carry a portable recirculating pump in case my livewell pump dies but so far my 5 year old pump keeps on trucking.

And I probably just jinxed myself.

[Gobblr addict]

Mine is taking on water somewhere...The dealer replaced pump, but leaked again...gallon or so in 30mins. Took it back other day they said they couldn't find a leak after taking it to lake....I know I'm not crazy, but it did leak after first repair...I think there is a leak under the livewell tank possibly on inflow fill hose where it enters livewell in front behind seat....Would be hell to find and fix.....I'm selling it as soon as I get her back. gobblr addict

[n2ratfishin]

Mine is taking on water somewhere...The dealer replaced pump, but leaked again...gallon or so in 30mins. Took it back other day they said they couldn't find a leak after taking it to lake....I know I'm not crazy, but it did leak after first repair...I think there is a leak under the livewell tank possibly on inflow fill hose where it enters livewell in front behind seat....Would be hell to find and fix.....I'm selling it as soon as I get her back. gobblr addict

Feel around where the livewell meets the top cap and make it is sealed well all the way around. I've seen more than one livewell leak over the top into the bilge. Hate to see you sell a boat over a simple fix.

[jbrew73]

Ranger apparently sucks at cleaning out the hull. I had a whole wad of crap in my drain plug the first time out and i didn’t see it when I put the plug in. Good news is that after I damn near flooded the boat it flushed even more crap to the back so I could vacuum it out.

[pabasshawk]

I have a Ranger 198P that I bought new. I was very disappointed with all the metal shavings, 5 loose screws, 3 clamps, screwdriver, plastic scraper and other loose debris I found in the battery area of this brand new boat. I also had to rewire the 24 volt battery setup due to it being wired for 12 volts, I guess this is a dealer issue not Ranger's fault.

[TexFisher91]

Where is everyone getting their pumps? Are you putting bigger pumps?

[billwvu05]

I just did exactly what you are describing over the winter. Replaced with a vertical pump and moved the battery charger to the driver side. I can now reach back and swap a cartridge without pulling batteries. It is still tight but possible. I went with the johnson 90 degree 750 gph. Its a tad less than the 800 rule but way smaller footprint. I had to remove the batteries and battery tray to get to the old rule cartridge. Too much work in my opinion hence the swap I did.

[TexFisher91]

Where did you get the cartridge and what brand did you go with

[FlFedAngler]

I have a 2015 RT that I just got about 4 months ago. First thing I noticed was the live well drain hole did not have a screen on it like all the fiberglass boats I've had did. If your pump starts making noise a lot of times it's because something from the live well got inside the housing. I purchased a screen from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I wrapped some double sided tape around the fitting to make it a snug fit and press it in to the drain hole. It's not perfect but stays in most of the day. And since the RT only has one aerator I purchased this as a backup. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[tcesni]

That’s a good back up system.