My automatic bilge is no longer auto

[deafgoose]

I have noticed lately my bilge does not turn on unless I force it on with the toggle switch.

Any idea what could cause that?

[Mikey]

I would guess that the float inside the pump housing is stuck,not allowing it to come on automatically. Just unsnap housing at bottom of bilge area,i recall two tabs ,one either side of pump un click from base and check and probably clean . I have outback dd but i assume very similar if not the same.

[04OUTBACK]

also,
there is a manual knob on the bilge pump..
turn it and see if it comes on.. that may free up anything stuck in the float.
BW

[Laz]

Is my bilge pump automatic? I have always had to manually turn it on.

[smokedog2]

I have been known to just drop in a hose to wash the crud out. Sometimes saves pulling the pump

[Sled491]

Hey sometimes they just go bad, if I remember correctly Z's didn't run on auto from day one and had to be changed out.

[deafgoose]

also,
there is a manual knob on the bilge pump..
turn it and see if it comes on.. that may free up anything stuck in the float.
BW

I tried that and I could feel that the float is not stuck. When I turn the knob the pump turns on and stays on until the water is pumped out.

I will take it apart today.

[smokedog2]

yea, but when will you put it back together?

[kaneboats]

I think I remember a post where somebody said the "auto" feature is on a separate fuse. Might want to trace that out.

[ian ashton]

Ours was the opposite; it was always on. When we took it in for the 20 hour service they replaced the bilge and is well. I guess from construction that little pieces of carpet typically get stuck in the bilge causing it to malfunction.

[jmvotto]

Yeah just like my cooler drain. I can't fish the carpet/ insulation, etc out that it was full of during delivery. I put the plug in and will let the dealer fix it in the winterization oops I realized i hijacked

My bilge is very dry and finally got the auto to work with extra water (buckets for the ski locker clean out), we keep it in the lift, even manually the bilge hardly ever pumps water even with the wet kids in and out of the boat, it does work though.

sorry this didn't really help much:rolleyes:

[deafgoose]

The fuse was fine because I could trigger the pump to turn on by raising the float on the bilge pump.

The only way it will turn on is if I slam the float up..

If I raise the float slowly all the way up it wont turn on. Strange.

[04OUTBACK]

goose..
sounds like something is jammed in there blocking it.. sounds like taking apart is the need..

[deafgoose]

goose..
sounds like something is jammed in there blocking it.. sounds like taking apart is the need..

Yeah... unfortunately.

[Chris_B]

I know that your float switch is still working intermittently, but if it's the Attwood float switch, you can buy a new one for about 15 quid at Walmart and be done with the problem. You can also unbolt the original, take the float out of the shroud and see if something's blocking it.