1989 bass tracker pro 17 rebuild - livewell question

[WVfishnfool]

Front deck install lookin pretty good. I'm back home now so if you need to call I'll be home this evening anytime between 6-10 pm will be good.

 

[jalockwood]

hey man my apologies on not calling ive been busy at every turn it seems lol. More to the point the reason I was concerned was because I started my pour in foam process in the rear deck area and I poured one side at a time, starting with the side opposite the wiring harness tube. I immediately noticed the plates I put in below the livewell weren't enough to stop the foam from filling every nook and cranny so I finished foaming that side and stopped for the day. I regrouped and found some 1/2" pvc tube at lowes that fit in those drain channels so I thought I would at least put these on the remaining side in the channels not yet full of foam and tonight I poured the last of the foam in, I do have my concerns that area near the transom might have plugged these tubes because I can see where some excess foam made its way up close to the livewell pump. this may not make sense im trying to word it the best I can over the net but I just feel like ive made a big mistake somehow and I really don't want to flood the boat on the water because of something so careless on my part. That foam is unforgiving to say the least lol. I did lower my trailer at the nose to keep the boat as level as possible while I did this as well. Do you think ill still get some drainage to my bilge pump? If not do you know anything I may be able to try to make the situation a bit better? id hate to have doomed my rebuild at this point lol

 

[WVfishnfool]

OK if I'm reading this right the foam ran out of the back box and into the bilge area where your livewell and bilge pump are right? If so can you not take a saw and just cut the foam up in chunks and remove it from that area? I would think that if you cut the foam and removed it in small pieces you could eventually square it off behind the flotation box. If I'm misunderstanding then try and post some pics and maybe I can help or post some pics and then give me a call.

 

[jalockwood]

ive got some pics to try and clear up what im trying to ask about man, its not so much that excess foam filled into the floatation box but the excess foam that possibly clogged up the channels under the rear deck that allow water to make its way to the bilge pump area. I did a small scale test today with some smaller buckets of water I poured in the channels to see if the water would make its way to the bilge area and for the most part I got the feeling that water is going to eventually find its way to the bilge pump, however I think it could flow more freely. let me post these pics and see if it helps give a visual on what im talking about. I think the two channels in the center are marginally cleared of foam but the outer most two are pretty much useless and im concerned water wouldn't make its way to the bilge pump quick enough with the foam being in the way.

 

[WVfishnfool]

OK I see what you're saying now. I would cut out as much as you can back in the bilge area. In other words try and square it up some with your flotation boxes on the ends. After clearing that out then take the metal rod and punch as much of it as you can out of the drain channels towards the bilge area. Main thing is to open up the drains so water doesn't lay there and get absorbed by the foam. All though that foam is closed cell if it's constantly in water it will absorb some. Probably not enough to worry about but it can do it. Main thing to remember is if you're going to store the boat outside then keep the boats nose raised and the drain plug out so the water won't stay in it. That's why I said remove as much of the foam from the bilge area right behind the 2 flotation boxes where you poured the foam in to as you can. With the boat raised up during storage there will be some water back there because with an aluminum boat design there's no way that every drop of water will drain out and there will be some back there at all times any ways. As long as you remove a little bit of that foam in the bilge area and open up those channels going back there I don't see any problems.

PS: When I'm talking about flotation boxes, I'm talking about the box formed on each side of the boat where you're pouring the foam in to.

 

[jalockwood]

That makes me feel some better man thanks for your input. It's extremely hard trying to punch through that foam with a metal rod and the angle it's going into it at is making me worry that I'm hitting the floor of the boat too hard. Would you have any other suggestions of something I could use? Tried a gun cleaning kit but my brushes are breaking off on me lol

 

[jalockwood]

That makes me feel some better man thanks for your input. It's extremely hard trying to punch through that foam with a metal rod and the angle it's going into it at is making me worry that I'm hitting the floor of the boat too hard. Would you have any other suggestions of something I could use? Tried a gun cleaning kit but my brushes are breaking off on me lol

 

[WVfishnfool]

Can you clear out the excess foam in the bilge area first? I'd do that if you can then start trying to clear a place through the channel. Also since you made blocks of foam to go in under your floor I wouldn't think that the drain channels would be blocked completely but just maybe right at the front and rear where you showed me in the pics. So what you might be able to do is take a scrap steel rod(a piece of rebar maybe) that would fit through the channel. Sharpen one end to a point and then bend it on the other end to form a hand grip. Then take a torch and heat the sharp end up and not only push through but melt it as well. I'd try it on a scrap piece of foam first and if it doesn't catch on fire or make to big of a mess then go for it. I don't remember what I used to force the foam out with when I was cleaning and prepping my boat but I'll go take a look in my tool box tomorrow and see if I can refresh my memory.

 

[jalockwood]

i took a small fishing trip this morning but just got back in and im gonna try to remove two panels in the bilge area to gain some access to the foam near the transom and try to clear it out more. i thought about the idea with heating up the rod but wasn't sure if it would be a smart move with the gluv it being laid down in the bottom, maybe it wont effect it. like you said ill try it on a piece of scrap first before i send the whole thing up in a ploom of smoke haha.

 

[jalockwood]

got those channels clear the best I can man there not perfect but Ive worn myself out trying, I do know that ive got some drainage to the back bilge area so im going to try and not sweat that too much. Ive got a whole new challenge on my hands now lol once I button up my carpet ill be looking at doing something with this console and ive gone over the wiring diagram time and time again but I get turned around bc half of the gauge wiring isn't even connected on my console and the diagram makes it hard to piece it back together. I have thought about just making sure all my switches work and running without gauges but would that be a bad idea? im at a loss at the moment and im definitely going to have to find some help with this one lol

 

[WVfishnfool]

Having your tach work is a good thing because if the charging system on your motor quits working the tach stops working, fuel gauge is nice :lol: , don't worry about the speedo just make sure the pick-up tube on the transom is taken off or it will shoot water up in the air behind the boat if the hose is unhooked or you can plug it off with some silicone. Don't know what other gauges you may have. My console only had a tach all the other stuff was either broke or gone. Matter of fact my console was busted up really bad and I bought a new and different style to replace it with.

 

[jalockwood]

you have any suggestions as to where I might find one similar to yours (console) mine is cracked from sun exposure over the years and I wouldn't mind replacing mine either. Had a few thoughts of putting new fiberglass over mine but I just don't know, that's kind of like putting a bandaid on a broken bone lol just a patch job. Any who I did get lucky and find someone whose console is in good condition and is willing to send me pics of his wiring to give me a reference to go by along with my diagram im hoping I can make sense of what is what. Also was curious if the over heat alarm was made into the throttle control box, I see the temp sensor on the engine but that harness runs directly into the throttle box and from there I don't see a separate alarm made into the console or any indication from my wiring diagram that there is supposed to be an external alarm mounted somewhere.

 

[WVfishnfool]

Over heat alarm is inside the throttle control box. It's basically a horn type. Don't know how to check them to see if they work. I'm not much of an outboard mechanic. Heck I'm not much of any kind of a mechanic anymore with all this computer controlled crap and my aging and aching body. :lol: What brand of motor? Mercury, Johnson or something else ? If the motor hasn't been used in a while there's several things that need to be checked. For starters the thermostats and the poppit valve to make sure they're not gunked up and working this controls your water flow and cooling. Also would be a good idea to pull the lower unit and check the water pump housing, wear plate and replace the seals and the impeller to make sure you're getting good water pressure. If you pull the lower unit replace the shift shaft seals as well. The lower unit lube will need to be drained to make sure there's no water in it. If there's water present it will be milky looking and if it's real bad the greasy water will come out first followed by milky looking gear lube. Take the prop off and make sure there's no fishing line wrapped around the prop shaft. That crap can eat out a prop shaft seal and let your lube run out and water run in ruining the entire lower unit. I've seen them get so hot the gears blew apart and knocked a hole in the side of the lower unit. Don't scrimp when it comes to gear lube and grease for the prop shaft and other things on the engine that need lubed. If you've got a Mercury or Mariner Mercury OEM stuff is the best. Not to mention if your motor is a carb engine you may have to clean and rebuild them. Your a service tech you should know what fuel varnish does to your fuel system. With all this ethanol you may need to upgrade your fuel and primer bulb to the new type which I would do anyways if yours is very old. All right I know I've hit you with enough bad news here but I'm just trying to give ya a heads up on some things that you might run in to. Hopefully you won't have it to bad. Dang forgot about the console. Here's a link to the guy I used click on the products and it brings up the models he makes. I bought the side console that is at the bottom of the list. https://www.fiberglassboatconsoles.com/Home_Page.html

 

[jalockwood]

the engine is a mercury 35 hp to answer that question man. ive already replaced lower unit oil with quicksilver brand lube and the old didnt seperate any water out when put in a plastic bottle but i will probably run it a time or two when im on the water then re check. i have already replaced my fuel line as well as a brand new water pump kit, i have ran it on muffs since then and i know the engine is peeing so i believe all is well with the water pump. i ordered a seloc manual so i can do some more things that i have question about. i havnt replaced that shift shaft seal but i did however find the answer to one of my questions in an older post about that reverse lock on the engine. i was missing the cam gear that operates a lock rod to wrap those claws around the bar on the swivel mount. i have since ordered those parts lol just gotta put em in. i found a wire to be burnt up on the throttle box in my boat and i found a replacement set up im seriously considering putting in now rather than later, although it looks like taking the harness out of the old engine may be a headache all in itself. just figure if ive came this far might as well not scrimp lol. anyways im sure ill have a new set of questions in a couple days haha ill just take it as it comes man i didnt plan on doing this work at this point but i want it all right before i carpet the rear deck, because from there its gonna be carpeting seat bases and putting this thing back together!

 

[WVfishnfool]

Sounds like you might be OK on the lower unit. One question though did you fill the unit from the bottom up with one of the pump type fillers until the fluid ran out of the vent hole on top ? This is the proper way so you get all the air out. Then once it is full you drain about 1 or 2 ounces back out to allow for expansion when the gear lube gets hot. This keeps it from putting excessive force on the seals. Also since you didn't have any water in the L/U you might be alright on the shift shaft seal. Glad you got the reverse lock figured out as well. The wiring can you not just replace the wire that burned out by splicing some new wire in? That is once you find out what the problem was. As far as changing out a wiring harness the existing harness running back to the engine from the control should have a plug somewhere so you can disconnect it from the engine without having to remove all the wiring from the engine. It maybe under the cowling(hood for you being and auto tech :lol: ) somewhere. But on an older engine I don't know you may have to disconnect it all.

 

[jalockwood]

to answer your question I did in fact fill from the bottom but im not sure that 1 or 2 oz drained out before I put the plugs in I just filled then capped the top then removed my pump and replaced the bottom plug. with that being said, on the wiring I believe I can make a separate ground wire but im not sure if the internals on the control box felt the heat so to speak lol. I think Im going to run the engine at idle on the muffs this weekend and see if I have any signal for my tach at the harness and also do some ground investigation to see if I can wire things back the way I mentioned. ground should be a ground no two ways about it, its not a load carrying wire so hopefully it all ties back to the powerhead and I can do what I want without replacing the control box. my problem is that yes I do have the separate plug so that the engine harness itself can detach but the harness that feeds from the control box to the engine harness routes under the starter and is a very tight fit. from what ive read power head removal may be necessary to remove the starter....thus removing the wiring I just havnt had time to fully research the issue at this point. its always something isn't it?? haha

 

[WVfishnfool]

Yeah with a boat it is always something. My dad used to say" If it wears a skirt, has a set of wheels, or floats it's going to give ya headaches." :lol: :lol: I would probably crack the drain plug on the lower and maybe drain an ounce out just to be safe. But as for wiring man I get totally lost sometimes unless it's simple stuff like lights and things like that. I do know that on the tachs there is a switch on the back of a lot of them where you can move to be used with different engines. If the boat had a Johnson on it originally and then someone switched over to a Merc and didn't switch the tach over that can cause a problem. Also if the tach isn't working that's a sign that your stator or something else in the charging system isn't working right. Sorry I can't be of more help but I'm sure you can get it lined out eventually. I've decided to take mine down to Fish ON Fabrication and have them do some custom build on mine. I'm going to do all the prep work and design my layout and then let them build it. After that I'll carpet and wire everything else. I hope to have it complete by fall fishing season. I've been busy doing things around the house where I've got so far behind the past 3 years and plus I've had to do a few things for my mom and wife's mom and dad as well. All of them are in their mid to late 70's. Keep me updated and when I get the pics sorted out and get some later on from Fish On's work I'll post them up.

 

[jalockwood]

thanks man and I understand on the wiring, like I said usually I have no problems but these older schematics are a lil off for what im used to....all the principles are the same of course but its just slow going work having to analyze every last detail. I plan break out my electrical meter soon and see if ive got some charge going back to my battery and then see whats going on for a signal to the tach off my control box. im actually trying to make my own console using the old as a mold ive reshaped and covered in foil so I can lay some fiberglass over it and hopefully pop it off once the glass is set up. ill have to reinforce it with wood on the inside like the old one of course but im having a hard time biting the bullet on a 200 dollar console after putting the cash into carpet and materials not so long ago. hopefully everything will pan out for me soon im ready to lay the last bit of my carpet and get on the water man I didn't expect having to do this work im doing now but ive come this far might as well try to get it all right. good luck on yours and ill be interested to see what those folks work up for ya!

 

[WVfishnfool]

Well I might be going thru another change of plans. I've always wanted another glass boat and the wife knew I'd buy one eventually but neither one of us figured it would happen this soon. I'm going to South Carolina this week sometime to look at a 2009 Ranger. It's a very nice boat and if I buy it I'll be finishing the rebuild on the Tracker with no custom work and will then put it up for sale with the 9.9 four stroke motor. I'm still going to take my 14' MonArk to Fish On but just not as soon as planned. It's not a done deal yet but if the boat checks out to be OK and we can agree on a price it's going to happen.

 

[jalockwood]

nice man i hope that works out for you! was kinda curious about the replacement console you bought for your tracker, have you installed any of the steering wheel/ gauges yet? just trying to weigh my options on what im gonna do with my boat as far as a console, i know youre in the middle of your rebuild as well so you may not have even gotten that far with the new console just thought it was worth asking! let me know how that ranger deal turns out for ya!