Trouble shooting switches

[Amy Hucker]

I have a 2017 scarab impulse 165 HP, 7hr on engine. After bilage pump and blower motor running for about an hour, we were in the "possidin adventure" on a lake, whew.
I checked all fuses in engine Fuse box,all good. Tested power in wiring harness to blower and bilage No power. Dismantled console to get to switches for dash,ug. No power at switches. I only see one inline fuse in dash wiring and its good. So where have i lost power or ground?
Strange no fuse in fusebox labled pump,or blower,but all good. No corrosion in fuse box.I am wondering if a wire shorted,or broke if wiring harness and throttle cables comingling along that area.
Well hoping someone
might have some experience or
have had similar issues? I might start searching for a service manual, as owners manual is only pdf and lumps all sarab boats together. I miss printed materials.
Thanks, Amy

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Hi,

Your boat has TWO fuse boxes. There is one by the battery inside the engine compartment. But there is another fuse box inside the driver console. Look inside the hatch access and UP. It's no easy to find on the newer models like yours. The picture here includes the labelling of each fuse.

A few side notes. You should not be running the blower or bilge pump continuously for that long. That's probably why you blew the fuse. The blower is designed to run for a few min before you start the engine. That's it. The bilge of course should only run when there's water and hopefully you're not sinking lol. The bilge pump also has an automatic sensor that will trigger if it senses enough water in the bilge pump. Get familiar with it by testing it out. Grab a a few buckets of water and put some water in the engine hatch until the bilge pump is covered. You'll see it should start automatically (this assumes you've replaced the fuse and fixed the pump first of course).

Your boat model is a 165, but the engine HP is not 165. It's either 150, 200, 250 or 300HP. Just so you know.

 

[Amy Hucker]

Hi, Appreciate the reply. I will look further in console to fond second fuse box. Normally I would not run both at same time. We were in hail storm idling slowly and had taken water over bow repeatedly.
Thanks again,take care. Amy

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Running both at the same time won't/shouldn't matter. It's more the length of time that matters. But of course, if you took on water, I would gladly risk the fuse in order to avoid sinking! lol But definitely find that fuse box and ensure you have spare fuses on board. The rear fuse box usually has a few spares in it, but I carry more. If it blows while on the water, you can pop one back in quickly and easily once you find that other fuse box.

So blower should only run the recommended 4 min before starting the engine, and then it should be turned off (most people don't turn it on that long, but that's the recommended number). The bilge pump should only run once in a while if you took on water. If it runs continuously for a long period, there could be issues. The other thing to check is to make sure there's no debris inside the bilge pump or at the intake. Any clog can make the motor take more amperage than it should and would blow the fuse again. If you reach deep down at the pump, you can simply pull off the intake side of the pump. It's only held by an o ring, no threads. Then make sure it's clean and the water in there doesn't have twigs, leaves, zip ties, etc. lol

Good luck!

 

[ALAN MANN SR.]

I run the blower ALL the time the engine is running to keep the engine compartment cooler. It is recommended to run it before you start the engine and at idle. The only trouble I have had with the blower is with the switch. 258 hrs. The trick with the bilge pump is to keep it clean.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

@ALAN MANN SR. I stand corrected. Found it in the manual. Didn't realize they recommended it ran when "below cruising speeds". Now I know. Guess it is designed to run long periods.

And yeah, debris in the bilge pump is very common.

 

[Amy Hucker]

@ALAN MANN SR. I stand corrected. Found it in the manual. Didn't realize they recommended it ran when "below cruising speeds". Now I know. Guess it is designed to run long periods.

And yeah, debris in the bilge pump is very common.
ft.

Running both at the same time won't/shouldn't matter. It's more the length of time that matters. But of course, if you took on water, I would gladly risk the fuse in order to avoid sinking! lol But definitely find that fuse box and ensure you have spare fuses on board. The rear fuse box usually has a few spares in it, but I carry more. If it blows while on the water, you can pop one back in quickly and easily once you find that other fuse box.

So blower should only run the recommended 4 min before starting the engine, and then it should be turned off (most people don't turn it on that long, but that's the recommended number). The bilge pump should only run once in a while if you took on water. If it runs continuously for a long period, there could be issues. The other thing to check is to make sure there's no debris inside the bilge pump or at the intake. Any clog can make the motor take more amperage than it should and would blow the fuse again. If you reach deep down at the pump, you can simply pull off the intake side of the pump. It's only held by an o ring, no threads. Then make sure it's clean and the water in there doesn't have twigs, leaves, zip ties, etc. lol

Good luck!

Hi, My boat is the 165 Hp. I looked for second use box no luck. Do you have a scarab? I am looking at owners manual,and all models lumped together,err Thanks, Amy

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

That is the correct manual. There is no specific 165 manual, or at least, I've never seen one.

I own a 2015 165. You most definitely have a second fuse box but the design of the newer versions of your boat is not the same as mine so I can't use my pics to describe it.

However, here's another person on Facebook who had trouble finding it and DID find it. You have to apparently look inside your side hatch on the driver console and look up inside. Here's a pic.

 

[Amy Hucker]

Hi Luc, Omg I was reading pdf manual and till didn't come across info. I feel stupid I looked in hatch,but not well enough. I greatly appreciate your help, blower &bilge operating ! But led red switch lights don't work,weird. Bet you have a short boating season in Ottawa. Im near Buffalo.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

lol all good. You're not the first person to not find that fuse box. Weird that the light isn't working, but the switch is working manually? If that's the case, probably managed to blow the light inside the switch. Obviously not the end of the world. Glad you got that all working!

And yes, "short" is a good way to describe it although "near" Buffalo isn't much better! lol I usually winterize my boat after Canadian thanksgiving. Although I tend to go boating a lot more this time of year. My wife isn't so keen with the colder weather. lol At least, not without many layers on top of a heavy duty blanket.

 

[Amy Hucker]

Yes 3 good months here, yeah can't find many cold weather fishing freinds here.lol Heavy clothes is a must and will help you sink,yikes.
Fixing,washing,waxing etc.and done boating here. Well peace and health to you and your family.