I have a 2006 195CC. Last weekend we filled the baitwell, loaded bait, and headed out to the fishing grounds. After a 30 minute run, I lifted the lid to pin on a bait, and discovered it had all rolled. The pump was running, but there was no waterflow from the inlet. In fact, most of the water had siphoned back out the open valve. I ditched the bait and decided to fix it this weekend
Today, after searching this site, and reading every post related to "baitwell, livewell, seacock, and Rule", I attempted to diagnose and repair the problem. I stuck a hose in the through hull under the boat and ran some water at a low flow rate. The pump runs, but doesn't pump any water, and won't fill the tank. Only when I turned the hose on full blast was I able to fill the tank. I pulled the pump out of the housing, and the impeller spins fine. The washdown works fine. The seacock is fully open, and unclogged. There are no clogs in the drain line, the thru-hull, the overflow in the tank, or the line running between the tank and the pump. I don't see any cracks in the housing for the pump, and the hose clamps are nice and tight. Clearly there's something preventing the pump from generating good suction.
Any ideas? My dealer is a 2hr drive away, so I'd really like to fix this myself. I'm hesitant to just buy a new pump, not so much for the money, but because I don't think the current one is bad. I have also found out that the OEM Rule livewell aerator is a 700GPH model, and is no longer available. They are now supplying an 800GPH model.
Thanks,