Ballast pump water damage due to installation under transom cup holder (Supra 2013+)

[JASONZ]

Hi,
I had this problem in my 2014 Supra SC and I believe that others who own newer Supra's should perform an inspection and consider adding a cup holder drain.

Problem:
Water dripping from transom mounted cup holder onto the ballast pump motor can breach the motor casing on pumps mounted sideways. This is possible because the pumps have notch gaps in them and are not waterproof.
Action Required:
1) Inspect installation location for ballast pump on the starboard side (driver side)
2) If necessary:
a. Dismantle and clean ballast pump with electrical cleaner and electric grease.
b. Install drain hose to cup holder draincock which will route all water directly to bilge area.

Procedures:
* Remove rear panel by removing two top screws and two sets of 4 L-bracket bottom screws.
* Wiggle panel out of place.
* Inspect ballast pump installation area.
If problem is noticed:
* Remove ballast pump from boat
* Remove cover on the side where the electrical wires are (opposite the pump side)
* Clean with electrical cleaner and brush
* Apply electrical grease
* Also Inspect impeller and lubricate with marine grease
* Reinstall pump
* Cupholder repair:
o Unscrew fitting on bottom of cupholder
o Install 3/8 clear plastic hose using a hose clamp. Hose should be long enough to route water directly to bilge area.

pump_removed.jpg

notch_pic.jpg

water_damage_pump_pic.jpg

cupholder_fix.jpg

[sivs1]

Thanks for the write up, never thought of this being an issue but when looked at this way could be very damaging. Based on the work you did were the pumps salvageable or did you have to replace them? I'm curious as it seems my rear pumps sometimes don't even run.

[JASONZ]

The pump was salvageable. It was in bad shape when I took it off but it still ran (barely). It took and hour of cleaning to make it right.
When I removed the pump from the boat all this watery slime poured out of the pump motor. Everyone should check this as replacement pumps are $200.

[sivs1]

looking at the individual Moomba and Supra models, there is a chance this could affect everyone as all Moomba and Supra models have cup holders on the transom. The question is whether or not the pumps are directly below the cup holder.