1997 245 Explorer questions

[cdoyal]

Hi Guys-
Just picked up a new toy and am new to Aquasport. I bought the boat primarily for diving the Great Lakes and I think it'll do great. It was a saltwater boat so there are some corrosion issues with the electronics. The lights, fuel gauge, and tilt guage don't work so I'll be chasing a few of those issues for awhile. Any suggestions as to where to start looking for the fuel gauge problem? Any known issues to watch out for with this age boat? It has the 225 Johnson Ocean Runner. I had the compression checked and all cylinders were within 5%.
Thanks!
Chris

[GoneFission]

Welcome the the site Chris!  Most Chris's I have known in the Great Lakes have "Craft" as a last name     A 245 should be a nice Great Lakes boat.  Diving?  I hope not in Superior - that 45 degree water is really cold!!   :colors:  

For your fuel gauge problems - check the fuel tank sender.  Often they fail, get stuck, or the float gets a leak and is no longer a float (more like a sinker)...  The gauge simply reads resistance, so usually the gauge is OK and the sender or the wiring is the problem.  You can get a new Teleflex (Part Number 90434P) one that adjusts for any tank size for $30-40 at any decent marine supply.  

A '97 year model 245 is not really old enough to have big problems - assuming it was maintained in some way.  Service the motor (thermostats, lower unit lube, new water pump, plugs if needed, etc.), replace the gas filter/water separator, do the standard cleanup, and look in every nook and cranny - fix what you find and you should be in good shape.  

Hope this helps - see ya on the water - or under it!

[RickK]

Welcome aboard cdoyal  :!:  :!:

I would start by cleaning the ground planes located throughout the boat - SeaBob4 will more than likely pipe in here to tell you where to look for them since he built your boat.
Ground and salt are a forever love/hate friendship.

[seabob4]

Chris,
It appears that you have a "ground" issue.  Put a meter on a known "good" ground, then see if you have continuity on the ground posts of your gauges.  Chances are, you have a loose ground, or a ground wire that has corroded beyond repair.  

On your boat, there are 2 ground busses, one on the starboard side aft, by the main breaker box, and one on the console, inside facing aft.  Check continuity between the 2, as well as continuity between all grounds.  Typically, when a series of instruments, or appliances, are not working, it is a ground issue.

One other thing you might do.  Remove one of the ground wires and cut the ring terminal off, then strip back some insulation.  See if the wire, which should be shiny copper, is black.  That is corrosion, not a good thing.

Report back, sir.

Bob C

[cdoyal]

Wow. Thanks for all the help guys! I'll definitely check out the ground issue before I start replacing things. Any idea which cover to open to start looking for the sending unit?

[seabob4]

The aft pie plate just forward of your fishbox reveals your sender as well as your pickup.

Bob C

[Capt. Bob]

Your trim/tilt gauge sender is probably also stuck.

Tilt the engine all the way up. On the port side of the mounting bracket you will see a black, plastic lever with a coiled spring. This sender needs to be free moving. Spray some WD-40 on the coil spring and shaft and s-l-ow-l-y rotate the lever back and forth until it moves freely. Common occurrence on these motors.

Good luck  

[cdoyal]

I can tell this forum is going to be wonderful and I will be buying many pints at the cyberspace pub!
I'll check all these things out and report back soon.

[cdoyal]

Update:

The trim/tilt sending unit was indeed stuck. A little WD-40 and it works great.
Stereo, VHF, horn, baitwell pump, fishbox pump all work. When I turn on both bilge pumps, neither seem to work - no humming.
Both ground bars show white corrosion but nothing really jumps out at me. I'll check continuity tonight when I check to
see which lights work.
Thanks again for your help guys.

[MarshMarlowe196]

It always surprises me how unreliable bilge pumps can be, especially since they're so important.  I rewired everything in my boat before installing 2 brand new bilge pumps, stored the boat for a few months over the winter, bathed both pumps in WD-40 prior,  and when I checked to see if they worked when it began getting warmer, they had both failed.  Good power and ground to both.  In either case, it shouldn't be difficult to determine if it's bad wiring or bad pumps.

[cdoyal]

Another update:
Port marker and anchor lights work fine. Starboard doesn't but the bulb is fine.
The spreader light and the two little aft courtesy lights come on but wink on and off.
There's a lot of water in the forward bilge so I'll start bailing and see if I can chase that problem down.
The dash panel is pretty crowded with a ton of unused switches but are prewired. I'm so tempted to replace it since it's cracked and start from scratch with new gauges and switches. Am I crazy?

Another unrelated question: The rub rail is coming unattached in places. How easy is it to remove the rubber, screw the rail down, then reinstall the rubber?

[MarshMarlowe196]

Another update:

The dash panel is pretty crowded with a ton of unused switches but are prewired. I'm so tempted to replace it since it's cracked and start from scratch with new gauges and switches. Am I crazy?

Another unrelated question: The rub rail is coming unattached in places. How easy is it to remove the rubber, screw the rail down, then reinstall the rubber?

I would definitely recommend new gauges and switches.  I might even go as far as to say you should replace ALL your wiring with new wire, and seal it with heat shrink every chance you get.  For one- peace of mind (although I've had to replace a few of my brand new switches a year later)- that's a big ole offshore boat and you'd be happier out there in the big blue knowing that all your wiring, gauges, and switches are new and working properly, and two, less clutter just makes you feel better.  :)   It would also be easier to trace an electrical problem when you have a better idea of where your wires are going, basically you become more "intimate" with your wiring, and having new gauges and switches will help you more or less rule out (although you can never really be too sure...) if its wiring or faulty gauges and switches.  

As far as the rubrail goes, in my experience, they can be a real mother.  If you can just remove the insert near where the rail is sagging and reattach/fasten it as opposed to removing the entire insert from the rail, I would definitely do that.  I installed a new rub rail on my Aqua because the old one was just plain ugly, and it's so difficult to insert the rope/rubber that I've just put it off indefinitely.  That will just have to be another headache for another day.

[cdoyal]

So how does one remove a dead bilge pump when you can only get one hand on it at a time??

[RickK]

It's tough, still have bruises from it.

[seabob4]

Boat builders can be real a**holes sometimes.  "What, you mean you have to maintain your boat?"

Your 245 has a tackle center/access door on the starboard side aft.  Remove this, and I mean the whole assembly (hopefully whoever did the backend electrical/plumbing left you enough hose), and swing it out of the way to the starboard gunwale.  If not enough hose to the "Y" valve, swing it inboard and rest it against the livewell.  This should give you enough room to get your upper torso in far enough to where you can reach the bilge pump with both hands and do the replacement.

You know that little pump on the aft bottom side of the fishbox?  The fishbox pump-out pump?  I used to have to plumb that, after the boat was decked!  Stand on your head and be in good shape!