1996 Stratos Livewell question

[1996Stratos288DCR]

All,

I purchased a 1996 Stratos 288DCR recently and it appears i cannot close the livewell valves. Can anyone tell me if they have had to deal with this before? I am not sure if the problem lies at the switch or the valve itself. Any suggestions on how to troubleshoot? Does anyone know where the valves are located at?

I have the simple system, factory switch (open or closed).

[ScottOz]

Valves are in the bottom of the bilge between the livewell and the transom. Take the cable off the valve and then see if the switch moves easy back and forth. If it does I would say time to work on the valves.

[Buccaneer]

Probably got an obstruction in the flapper. Flo Rite sells rebuild kits.

[1996Stratos288DCR]

Valves are in the bottom of the bilge between the livewell and the transom. Take the cable off the valve and then see if the switch moves easy back and forth. If it does I would say time to work on the valves.

Thanks will try this out. do you think it is easier to get to them by taking the batteries out or by taking the bench seat out?

[CDN Bass]

Battery and the black aluminum tray underneath. Centered over the keel in rear bilge compartment.

Have fun!

[1996Stratos288DCR]

thanks all!

[SkidooSteve12]

I would first take a garden hose and backflush from the outside of the boat up the livewell drain to see if you can dislodge any obstruction in the valve. Definitely worth a shot.

[1996Stratos288DCR]

I would first take a garden hose and backflush from the outside of the boat up the livewell drain to see if you can dislodge any obstruction in the valve. Definitely worth a shot.

Thanks for the suggestion definitely will try this as i am not looking forward to clearing out all the batteries.

[Troy250]

Garden hose or an air compressor. You shouldn't have to take the batteries out. The live well drain valve is under the black metal foldable part in the middle of the compartment.

[96Stratos278DC]

I would first take a garden hose and backflush from the outside of the boat up the livewell drain to see if you can dislodge any obstruction in the valve. Definitely worth a shot.

...were you able to figure this out? I bought what appears to be an extremely well taken care of '96 278 DC, that runs extremely well (Evinrude VRO 150). I paid more for it than I wanted to for a boat of this age, but this thing is spotless, aside from the carpet needing to be replaced eventually.

This boat is a bit tricky when it comes to the livewell. I see that there's only one "open/close" lever for both the front and the rear livewells. It feels stiff to me. More importantly, I can't get the front livewell to come on. It worked on the test drive just fine. I can get the rear to work very well, just not the front. Either I'm doing something wrong, or I have extraordinarily bad luck. I would certainly think the front works the same as the rear. I'm also interested in learning the wiring for this boat. None of the LED's on the switch board work on the left side of the console however the switches themselves seem to work. That has me scratching my head. And, I can't figure out why the little rubber nubs are underneath the switches, either. I built a fuse box in another boat, but it was based on fuses at the box, not this. It's very foreign to me. And, with no manual/diagram it makes it that much more confusing.

I was reading the replies to your original question, and I'll be looking in the same spot on my boat to see if I can see any issues, and what may be causing the stiffness on the open/close lever. But, I agree between the gas tank, and the batteries, it get's tight back there. I'm going to refurbish that entire console with up-to-date wiring, but simply want to figure out the layout "as-is" for now.

How did this turn out for you? Were you able to get it fixed?