1995 Ranger 354V "issues"

[BurntEndz]

Hey guys- I am back again with some gremlins. Starting to work on the boat after the winter to prep it for the Spring fishing season....the gremlins have been hard at work this winter. Last fall (you can read that post if you choose) we launched without the drain plug....water quickly swamped the boat and at that point we found that we had a dead/bad battery.....so no bilge. We were still at the dock so we got it quickly on the trailer and got it dried out. Since then we have had some issues...that frankly I put off fixing.

I bought a new 12v Group 31 Die Hard for my cranking battery and we fished a tournament the next weekend. Everything worked as it should- except the bilge never activated the whole day.....the inboard battery charger appears to work but in reality it doesn't seem like it's charging. I am attributing all of these issues to the swamping from the drain plug issue (that back compartment was FULL of water).

1. I cleaned up all the connections to the battery and used buss boards to put positive on one board and negative to another to make sure I had good connections, cut off the terminals and re-crimped everything (with new heat shrink). No power at ignition. Put a jump box on it and had enough power that the switches at the console light up but still no ignition switch. I put a noco genius 1 charger on it for ~8hrs and nothing, put a battery tender 1.25a on it for 24+ hrs and still nothing and not showing green. Tomorrow I will check on it again and if still no power take the BRAND NEW battery out and take it back to Advance Auto to test and warranty it if necessary. Am I missing something?

2. Bilge pump...this seems like a royal PIA to fix. Once I get power, is there an easy way to test it? Pour water into the compartment to see if it kicks on? Assuming it needs to be replaced, how do I get to it? My old, fat body isn't contorting underneath that battery/oil tray and I didn't see an easy way to take that tray out without removing the gas tanks....ideas?

3. If I have to take the tray out, does it make sense to go ahead and replace the livewell pumps at the same time?

4. Wanting to put butt seats in front and back....front I have under control and know what to buy (already have the seats). The back has the base post already installed, so thinking I need an insert only? Lastly, How would I remove the existing post if I wanted to just start from scratch with a new pole.....I messed around with it a bit but couldn't get it to budge and see no access to it underneath.

Thanks in advance

[WarEagle24]

Your bilge pump may be a manual type instead of an automatic. Do you have a switch that's labeled bilge? If so, turn it on and you should hear the pump come on if it's operating correctly.

[wmitch2]

1. I cleaned up all the connections to the battery and used buss boards to put positive on one board and negative to another to make sure I had good connections, cut off the terminals and re-crimped everything (with new heat shrink). No power at ignition. Put a jump box on it and had enough power that the switches at the console light up but still no ignition switch. I put a noco genius 1 charger on it for ~8hrs and nothing, put a battery tender 1.25a on it for 24+ hrs and still nothing and not showing green. Tomorrow I will check on it again and if still no power take the BRAND NEW battery out and take it back to Advance Auto to test and warranty it if necessary. Am I missing something?

Make sure you haven't missed a wire, both POS and NEG. You can use a meter to test if the battery has 12.8v. If so, it sounds like you've missed connecting a wire.


4. Wanting to put butt seats in front and back....front I have under control and know what to buy (already have the seats). The back has the base post already installed, so thinking I need an insert only? Lastly, How would I remove the existing post if I wanted to just start from scratch with a new pole.....I messed around with it a bit but couldn't get it to budge and see no access to it underneath.


Take a "Nut" just smaller than the release button on the side of the post. Put a Hose Clamp over it on the button. Tighten it so that it pushes the button all the way in. Try turning the post as you pull up on it. If it won't turn, then it's frozen into the insert. It's glued in so you'll need to break it loose. Soaking it with WD-40 or Marvel Mystery Oil can sometimes help. If all else fails, you can use a pump jack to force it up. Jack up tight, bang on post, jack up, bang, jack up, bang. It's going to trash the post more than likely, so using a pipe wrench to move it back and forth helps too !! Good luck

[BurntEndz]

It does not run that I hear, I do hear the live wells run (dry)

[BurntEndz]

Perfect- will try that.

fixed my battery issue- there was ground that was black wire with no positive indicator (red tape, red shrink). Once I got that in the right spot that fixed the electrical problem.

still wondering about an easy Bilge fix

[BurntEndz]

Update- pole/clamp trick worked. Two new poles and butt seats installed, battery charged. Bilge pump definitely does not make any noise when switch is activated. Live wells do hum when switched on.

[WarEagle24]

Check the fuse first and if it's not blown then it's time for a new bilge pump.

[BurntEndz]

yep...checked all fuses in the fuse holder....might need to double check the wiring to power/ground for an inline fuse.