89 Bass Tracker 1800FS repair thread

[acarroll89]

Hi everyone, i'm new to the forum and relatively new to boats. Been reading around trying to find as much information about my boat as possible. If this thread is in the wrong place, can somebody move it to the right spot? But its an 89 tracker 1800fs and it sits in my driveway and collects bugs and water. Its been to the shop to have everything gone through including floor replacement, new seats, rewiring, removed the oil pump thing (we just mix oil in the gas now) and the motor gone through. That was probably 8 years ago.. And its only been used a few times since then. So school is out for summer and I told my Dad i'm gonna take the boat to my uncles where we can put it in his garage, dry it out and start getting it fixed. I also detail cars and several months ago I took it up to work and soaked the whole boat in degreaser and pressure washed everything really good and steam cleaned the carpets. I also acid washed the hull as our sprinklers hit it and we're on well water.

Now last Friday I took it up and let it dry over the weekend and last Monday we started on it. Bought all new batteries for it and have been going through everything to try and find what works. I bought some compound and buffed the hull out (needed it badly) and then pulled all the storage bins to empty those out and clean the oil that leaked in them. So now heres where we're having problems. Trolling motor works, but only as an on off. The pedal has several speeds and an off setting and none of the different speed settings work. The switch to go between 12v and 24v does not work either. It did on Monday, but today we replaced a few relays that were corroded and now it wont switch to 24v. Thinking its possibly the switch panel up front? I pulled the switch panel by the throttle and all of the toggle switches are corroded too, so I hit them with wd-40 and got both of the aerators in my live wells to work. Bilge works, but sounds like its going to burn up, all the lights come on but they're super dim. Of my switches only 2 of them light up and my fuse panel is on its way out. You can tap a wire and cause something to short out. Super tight connection but any kind of vibration screws it up.. As for gauges, volts, trim, and tach are the only ones that work. Dad replaced the speedo a long time ago but he never hooked everything up and now there is a white wire coming out of the back of the gauge and nothing to hook it to. Also the depth finder does not work anymore. We also bought a steering wheel puller to pull the wheel because the hub blocks the dash from coming off. We just bent the bolts in half and the hub didnt budge. I dont have enough room to lay under the dash and look at everything so getting to the wiring for the gauges is extremely difficult. So this is becoming a more and more fun project by the day.

We did get the motor to fire up pretty easy, but its not pumping water. You can feel air come out of the tube, but no water. Gonna take it out to the ramp tomorrow and put the motor all the way in the water and fire it up.

So heres my questions,
Where is a good place to get relatively OEM looking rocker switches to fit the factory panel?
Can I get any modern fuse panel and rewire everything to it using the new style fuses like whats in a car?
What would cause my trolling motor to stop switching between 12 and 24v after it worked with old worn out wires?
With the speedo, would the white wire be a 12v power? Vacuum lines and I believe the grounds are hooked up.
How do you get the steering wheel off of the boat?

Bout all the questions that I can think of for now. I did try searching and i've got a few generic wiring diagrams that i'm going to compare my wiring to. We shall see how it goes tomorrow

Now, heres some pics

Probably a year ago the boat sat with this much water in it for who knows how long

Leaving my house

Starting the buffing process

One side done

 

[acarroll89]

Re: 89 Bass Tracker 1800FS repair thread

Making progress

New compound

 

[acarroll89]

Re: 89 Bass Tracker 1800FS repair thread

Cant get that wheel off to save my life

Sorry for the extremely long first post. Just wanted to share what I'm doing and get everyone's opinions. Ill keep a running log of what happens with this thing.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 89 Bass Tracker 1800FS repair thread

Welcome to iboats.

Electrical parts here http://www.iboats.com/Marine-Electr...**.779102150--session_id.719234376--view_id.5

Electrical wiring diagrams in this section http://forums.iboats.com/forumdisplay.php?f=23

The steering wheel can be removed by removing the center cap, take off the nut and pull....... you might have to pull and have someone hit the shaft with a hardwood block and a hammer but the wheel should slide off. Spray some penetration oil around the shaft (PB buster)

Nice job on the clean-up.

 

[acarroll89]

Re: 89 Bass Tracker 1800FS repair thread

Thank you, wool pad at 3000 rpms and agressive compound does wonders . We pulled the center cap and took all the bolts out of the wheel so it was just the hub and tried a puller but like I said it just bend the bolts.. Put it back together since we're gonna try to toss it in the water tomorrow and see how everything else runs. We soaked the shaft pretty good with wd-40 but no luck. Ill pick up some pb blaster tomorrow and try whacking it. Sadly I cant pull hard cause i'm still rehabbing a dislocated shoulder and my uncle has a bad back :facepalm: lol. We'll get it off eventually

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: 89 Bass Tracker 1800FS repair thread

If it isnt pumping water out of the pee stream be carfull, it very well could be the water pump and after sitting that long it needs replacing. the pee hole can be blocked, but the pump needs replacing and if the impeller comes apart it can and will throw off chunks that will cause other problems , I would change it before I tryed any water tests.

 

[lncoop]

Re: 89 Bass Tracker 1800FS repair thread

Plus one for Hawker. Don't even think about starting that motor again until the impeller has been replaced. It's supposed to be done every other year at minimum. If you run it without water circulation you'll burn it up. Then you'll have a nice looking hull (very nice looking, I second the kudos on the cleanup job) with a blown motor. Good luck with the rig. Looking forward to seeing how she turns out. Oh, and welcome aboard and take it easy on that shoulder, would ya? You only get two of those!

 

[acarroll89]

Re: 89 Bass Tracker 1800FS repair thread

Thanks for the tips guys. Yesterday when we fired it up couldnt feel it trying to pee. Pulled the hose off and the plastic piece on the very end was packed with dirt. Cleaned it out and then blew on the other end of the tube and you can hear the air coming out the other end. So its clear now. Fired it up again and you can feel it pumping air out, but no water. Filled up a big trashcan to try and submerge the whole water intake but the same result. We were keeping a close eye on how hot it got and only ran it for a few sec at a time. Once it got slightly warm we stopped and pushed it back in. Found a shop manual that my Dad got for the motor so that should help in trouble shooting any other problems with the motor.

Thanks for the complements on the clean up. I still prefer buffing a chalky white toyota over a boat haha.

Sadly i've messed up both of my shoulders. Had surgery on the right to repair the superior labrum and reattach my bicep tendon back in 08. 4 months later I was skiing at beaver creek and had a ski come off when I was in really deep power and I got launched forward and landed on my left tearing the labrum in 2 places. Never had that fixed. Then over this last spring break I was trying to beat my own top speed record of 70mph and I went to slow down and hit a slick spot and landed on my right shoulder which dislocated it. And here I am lol

Good times^ lol

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: 89 Bass Tracker 1800FS repair thread

The water pump impellers are a time and wear replacement item. One or the other will do them in. In your case it is time.
A old one will throw off chunks of the blades that can get pushed into the pump tube that goes up into the power head or into the head its self then it becomes a huge problem to remove them including taking part of the power head apart to get the pieces out it is just so much simpler to replace before that happens. I will post you a pic or two. When you replace it make sure all of it is accounted for

a new impeller looks like this


and I suspect yours looks like this

 

[acarroll89]

Re: 89 Bass Tracker 1800FS repair thread

Thanks for the pics, we're gonna try and crack it open tomorrow to see what we've got to work with. Found a mercury outboard shop manual that should come in handy.

We did take it down to the ramp real quick and submerged the motor and fired it up. Started pumping water immediately at a steady stream so we figured we'd take it for a spin. Got about 3 miles up the river and an alarm came on so we shut it down immediately. It stopped pumping. Pulled the covers off and its like water isnt getting into the heads. All the hoses are dry rotted and will be replaced soon. So we popped the trolling motor in the water and began our 3 or 4 hour troll back to the ramp. After awhile the motor was cool to the touch so I started it and it started pumping right away so we drove another maybe 500 yards before it quit pumping again. A guy who was fishing was nice enough to tow us about a mile back. We'd still be out there if it wasnt for him. Not gonna push the luck with the motor again so tomorrow we start the process of replacing the impeller and rubber hoses. Gonna pop the switch panel off by the trolling motor to try and get those switches to work as well. It sucks trolling only on 12v lol

On the plus side, all of the gauges work except the fuel an depth finder. Also got both live wells to start pummping. They were completely clogged with carpenter ants. Not any more though And of course the biggest plus is the motor didnt seize or crack.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: 89 Bass Tracker 1800FS repair thread

I sure hope you it hasnt thrown off the blades and their now stuck inside of the power head.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 89 Bass Tracker 1800FS repair thread

Here's a good youtube vid on how to change an impeller, I know your motor is probably bigger than this but it'll give you a start.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FKtsJzTXgM&feature=related

Probably a year ago the boat sat with this much water in it for who knows how long

If you only knew how bad this is for your boat, you'd have both legs in casts from kicking yourself in the butt.

You should check your transom wood and have a look below deck at your floatation foam and stringers.

You may also want to take a look in the restoration forum on this board and read some of the fiberglass restoration threads.

 

[acarroll89]

Re: 89 Bass Tracker 1800FS repair thread

Thanks for the video. I was watching every one I could find on youtube last night. Doesnt look hard at all to change one out. I'm gonna go pick up a new one here in a few min. And for all of the water that was in the thing, its still very solid structurally. You can jump up and down inside and theres no flex. Soon as I pulled off the cover and saw that I pumped all the water out and opened up everything to let it dry. Lot of discoloring in the fiberglass but it feels like its brand new.

May not get to the impeller till next week, I've gotta replace an EGR valve on my truck, change oil on my integra and the gf's car and weld up a sigh for a friend, then work the next 4 days. WOO

 

[acarroll89]

Re: 89 Bass Tracker 1800FS repair thread

Sorry its been so long since an update. My uncle and I have both been sick and i've gotta work saturday-tuesday. BUT I got an impeller kit from West Marine and today went to my uncles to pop it in. He called his buddy who's a retired coast guard mechanic that works on motors to make sure we do everything right. Thank god he was there because we ran into every problem you could think of. Had to run to the store like 4 times because we'd forget stuff or need something.. He also drained the gear oil and we hardly got any out and it was solid black.. Bought new oil and filled her back up and it was good to go. Impeller was still intact and not even cracked but it was stuck in the bent shape. Also had to replace the line for the speedo as we had to cut it to get it off because it was on so tight and the tube was brittle.

Once everything was bolted back up, we pushed the boat outside, put water to it and fired it up. After about 15 sec and started peeing water out in a very strong stream. Shut her off and pushed her back into the garage. Gotta use a bug bomb again as all the eggs of the dead bugs hatched and they're all over the place now..

My Uncle's friend also popped the front switch panel off before I showed up to test out the switches for the trolling motor. Soon as he put power to the switch it started to smoke. Gonna order new switches tonight and hopefully get this sucker back out on the water next week. Heres a couple pics of the impeller

 

[acarroll89]

Re: 89 Bass Tracker 1800FS repair thread

So i'm looking at replacement switches and through the links that Bob_Vt gave me i found what I think I need for my trolling motor. Its a rocker switch (non illuminated) with a 12v off and 24v position. Would that be a double throw double pole switch?

http://www.emersonindustrial.com/en...s/0852_0862_rockers/MCG-0852-0862-rockers.pdf

The switch that burnt up looks like the 0852-001N. That should work for the trolling motor correct?

 

[acarroll89]

Re: 89 Bass Tracker 1800FS repair thread

After searching everywhere I think i've got what I need. I also have 2 switches on order for the foot pedal on my trolling motor. They are all corroded beyond belief. I also got a couple different switches to try to switch between run and charge up front. Hopefully these new switches will handle the amps, if not i'm gonna be SOL.

Since the boat has been sitting you can see more spots that I missed that need some attention with the buffer. I may just wet sand with 1000, 1500, 2000 and then go over it with the wool pad again. Also had to stick another bomb in the garage to kill more bugs, all the eggs hatched.. But they're gone now. Also got my truck put back to stock so I can tow again, woo

 

[acarroll89]

Re: 89 Bass Tracker 1800FS repair thread

Went by tracker marine and got replacement switches yesterday and today I went down to my uncles to swap out the bad ones. Got the trolling motor working on both 12 and 24 volts but I broke a piggyback connector thing so I had to get more. Went to Ace hardware and the girl helping me said they have a boat section, was looking at it and they had the identical switches that match my boat that every marine store tells me they cant get.. Go figure.. But I picked up some new connectors from another store that sells a lot of speciality items and will go back friday to put em on.

Boat should be good to go now. Re-glued the carpet in the spots that it was hiding and vacuumed up all the dead bugs from the 2nd bombing. Forgot my wool pad today so didnt get to work on buffing it. It's so close to getting this thing back in the water

 

[lncoop]

Re: 89 Bass Tracker 1800FS repair thread

Great to hear, partner. Thanks for keeping us updated on your progress. I'd love to see some pics of the done deal when you get to that point, and be sure to let us know how it goes when you splash her.

 

[acarroll89]

Re: 89 Bass Tracker 1800FS repair thread

The outside still needs a lot of buffing, just been preoccupied with getting it to run vs looking pretty lol. We pulled it out today to take it out and got it to the ramp. Stuck her in the water and realized we left the straps on.. Took those off, launched her and I went and parked the truck. Came back and jumped in and we started to drive out to the river. My uncle looks at me and says "man we seem to be riding really low, did you put the plug in?" NOPE. Bout that time water was about to come up through the drain in the floor so I stuck the plug in and started pumping water out, but it was coming in faster than it could pump still. Put the trailer back in and pulled the boat out to let it drain. Had the plug in the wrong hole. The one it needs to be in was another few inches lower that we couldnt reach. Once it all drained out we went out and the boat ran great. Fired right up with no problems. On our way back looked back and saw it wasnt peeing water again.. Stopped and shut it off, pulled the cover to feel the water hoses. They were hot but nothing out of the ordinary. Block felt the same way, so we fired it up and it was just barely pumping water.. Got it back to the house and blew out the water lines, hooked the hose up to it and it shot water about 4 feet. I think we got something clogged in it when we were running through a creek.

Anyways, enough talk, heres a few pics and a video of the creek we were in. I've got another uploading but its taking forever

New switches

Beautiful day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEC_uoKRbaY&feature=plcp

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: 89 Bass Tracker 1800FS repair thread

And it is very possable their could of been a chunk of some thing in the motor that broke free and stopped up the pea stream, thats common, because it had been sitting a long time, knowing its got a fresh pump is a lot of comfort.