Bilge pump won’t stop running 96 seadoo speedster.

[Briankeithv]

So I bought a speedster and when i got it. The bilge pump wasn’t working at all. Went out and bought a new one wired it up and noticed that one of the wires to the switch had came lose. Connected that it worked, as far as manually turning it on goes( not sure about automatic, the replacement wasn’t a automatic one). Well it ran great for a couple of lake trips. Then i took it to the lake and noticed that the bilge pump was running even though the switch wasn’t turned on. The bilge was dry and it was still running. It eventually ran the battery dead when i got it back home. So i went out and bought another pump for thinking maybe it was a bad one, the new one won’t turn off as well. I checked the switch with a multimeter and it opens and closes as it should. The fuse will kill the pump. My only guess now is the water sensor located near the pump has gone bad or am i missing something? Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[alkiseadoo]

So this happened in my 1997 Challenger I cleaned the water sensor (it is next to the pump on my boat) really well with that purple cleaner (can't remember the name) and it worked fine

 

[Briankeithv]

So this happened in my 1997 Challenger I cleaned the water sensor (it is next to the pump on my boat) really well with that purple cleaner (can't remember the name) and it worked fine

My water sensor has a tan cover on it. It looks like the cover has rivets holding it on. How did you get the cover off to clean the actually sensor?

 

[Dadasaurus]

I have the same boat. If you have the same water sensor I do then that tan piece is not a cover, it's some solid molded material encasing the wires inside. Mine was not working and I replaced it. Afterwards, for fun, I decided to take the old one apart. I had to cut/scrape pieces off until I had cut it all away and had just the 2 wires left. As far as I could tell, the 2 encased wires are connected to the metal posts on the left and right sides of the tan assembly. When water comes up high enough to cover the metal posts the water itself is used to complete the circuit between them. To test it's functionality you use a small wire to connect the 2 posts together. Anyway, did you try unplugging the sensor to see if that stops the pump from running? If I am remembering right, I think it's connected to a plug very close just above it.

 

[Briankeithv]

I have the same boat. If you have the same water sensor I do then that tan piece is not a cover, it's some solid molded material encasing the wires inside. Mine was not working and I replaced it. Afterwards, for fun, I decided to take the old one apart. I had to cut/scrape pieces off until I had cut it all away and had just the 2 wires left. As far as I could tell, the 2 encased wires are connected to the metal posts on the left and right sides of the tan assembly. When water comes up high enough to cover the metal posts the water itself is used to complete the circuit between them. To test it's functionality you use a small wire to connect the 2 posts together. Anyway, did you try unplugging the sensor to see if that stops the pump from running? If I am remembering right, I think it's connected to a plug very close just above it.

I disconnected the plug but it just keeps running constantly. How did you go about removing it to actually replace it?

 

[Dadasaurus]

It was not easy or fun to remove. I had to carefully drill out/cut/break the rivets.
I wonder if you could trace the plug wires back and see if tthey are worn and shoring together somewhere? Maybe try disconnecting it further up the chain...though I don't know where it runs to, sorry not more help. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will have a better idea.

 

[alkiseadoo]

This is simple but is the switch in the on position? If so it will override the water switch. With the switch in the off position the water sensor will still turn the pump on and off

 

[bmarks]

Hi folks, I am new here. I bought a used 96 Speedster last year. I've had it out on the water a few times, but have noticed that I have never heard the bilge pump come on (automatically). I recently had the boat looked at by a nearby mechanic and he said it seemed the boat was taking on water. When I pulled the boat out of the water recently, I noticed a fair amount of water in the bilge. I turned on the bilge pump manually at the switch, and it pumped out a bunch of water. I would appreciate any help or advice. I've searched inside the bilge for my pump, and following the hoses, it appears to be down under the starboard engine? Is there any easy way of getting access to the pump? I can't even seem to see it. Even after tracing the exhaust hose I can't seem to reach it down there. Any recommendations or advise how to:
a) Access the bilge pump
b) Access the separate float switch
c) Possible source of the water intake
Thanks

 

[ottawaguy]

If your drain plug is in the middle then the bilge pump is just on the inside of that. The float switch is next to it. I just bought a 95 speedster and am having water issues too. Fuse for bilge pump blown and solenoid for bilge switch is sticking on (probably why the fuse blew).

 

[FlyboyX]

i guess its more of a water level switch than a float switch. looks like two probes about 3/8" apart that detect resistance. until after i read this thread yesterday and did some searching through my manual supplement, i had no idea my boat (or any of these for that matter) even had an automatic system. i need to spend some time working on mine since i will frequently get a few inches in my bilge. apparently that syst isn't working on my boat either.