Was headed out a week or so back on a 18- 20 degree morning with about a 1.5 hour drive to the lake. I had fished the week before, so I know I had some water in the lines here and there and Im sure the Control valve had some in it too. Long story short, I flipped my controller knob to Auto and nothing happened, no water was filling. So I figured I would pull the main plug and get some water in it to help thaw things out. Once I put the main plug back in and waited about an hour nothing happened. Kicked the aerator on and it didnt seem to be climbing in water height. Later in the day when temps were above freezing, same issue, no water other than what came in from the drain plug. I got home and I noticed that turning the control selector wasnt moving the Control valve arm. Under further investigation I could feel where the pinch clip was loose that held the cable housing tight on the valve. Let me tell you, its in a tough place to work on. I disconnected the rear hose, scooted it over as far as I could, got a very short knob style Philips screw driver and even then, cut an inch off the knob so I could just have enough to hold and turn with. I got it tight and back together, but it wasnt easy, especially if you have belly like mine.
If you do have cable troubles on the water (gets loose) with the livewell, you can reach down and manually move the arm with your finger, unless the cable is jammed up or frozen. The Arm all the way towards the back of boat is Auto, middle is drain and all the way forward is closed.
I hope my control valve last a long time, because even with those quick release clips on the front and rear hoses, it is tucked way under there.
Maybe they changed it to be more accessible in the more recent years.
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Originally Posted by Gary Morgan
