Live well pump problems

[CrappieHusker]

All of you experts out there, I need some help! Have had a problem with my boat's live well pump. It runs but doesn't pump all of the time. Have not used it for over a year as it has not been working, just put water in the livewell with buckets when I want to keep fish. Originally when I had it looked at, I was told that it was originally wired backwards, so the pump was not pumping water into the livewell! Can that be? And any ideas what needs to be fixed? I have cleaned out mud from mud daubers before but that does not appear to be the problem!
Thanks!

[bigbob]

Sometimes they will lose prime and if you walk back to the area where the pump sucks in the water it will get enough water to prime itself and start working again.

[DRPEPPER]

This was discussed last fall....
I agree walking toward the back of the boat "fixes "it. I keep so much junk in my panfisher, I am going to fall out fixing mine this way. I was told the OM pump is junk as installed by Tracker, so I bought an Atco (sp). Trouble is, the one in the boat has acted right ever since I bought a new one. I will have to do some major surgury to replace it. I don't understand why the original is working now. I have even left it running dry for two days and it still works. Too bad this don't work for women. I told my wife I was going to get another one if she didn't act right. She told me to bring her home so she could meet her.
DP

[Speck]

You're a brave man doc. Seriously though, you might of just had some trash stuck on the impeller and it finally worked its way out.

[slabbandit]

Just curious Husker, What boat do you have? I have an '88 Tracker Panfish and had that problem ever since it was new. They told me that you had to turn the pump on and put the boat in reverse to push the air out of the line.
CrappieKeeper just bought a 2007 model Panfish 17 and I can't believe that he still has the same problem.
I was told that this problem was only common to the Panfish models. Seems that the line going from the pump to the livewell lays down in the floor of the boat lower than the pump all the way to the livewell.
Well, here is what it took to fix mine and the only problem that I ever had was a dirt dabber stopped up my vent tube one time and I had to clear it to get it working again.

[CrappieHusker]

Thanks for the advice, guys. Took my boat out this evening for the first time this year. Just kinda messed around, caught 1 small crappie in 31 feet of water on the bottom--just fished for crappie about 30 minutes, fished a rogue for about an hour--nothing. I did try walking in back of the boat--pump works, motor runs and only a trickle of water comes out. Didn't have time to clean it out, but may be clogged and will try to clean it tomorrow.
Interesting fix, slabbandit, nice sketch!
I have a Landau Bass 175 with 50 HP 4Stroke Suzuki. Think the boat is a 2001or 2002. Like the boat and the motor, wish the trolling motor had a little more ooomph, tho!
Here's some pics.

[RagflyJigMan]

Hello CrappieHusker. I have had the same problem with my live well. What I did was take a water hose and found where the water is sucked in to the live well. I then put the water hose up on that spot and turned the water on and turned the livbe well pump on at the same time. This seemed to work well. Try it because it worked for me.

[Songdog]

A directional flow valve may help the system stay primed put it as far away from the pump as possible to keep air from the system