Jabsco head in my 25' Cruiser

B

bhamsnowbird

New member
I am having trouble finding any advice on why my Jabsco head will not pump in seawater. It pumps into the holding tank fine, so I'm guessing that the problem might be at the thru hull intake. I have not seen this topic addressed, though I did read all the posts on plumbing systems from several years ago.
 
I have an '04 CD-25 with a Jabsco, too. From time to time, I have encountered the same scenario. In my experience, it has always been a blockage of the intake side.
 
If the boat's in the water, you might try blowing water back into the intake lline to clear it. If it's on a trailer it'll be easier to check.

If the line is clear, right under the pump handle is the inlet check valve. You might try taking that top off and cleaning and lubing the flapper. If that leaks, you're not gonna pull any water in.

If that doesn't work (and I hope it does) buy a gasket kit from Fisheries Supply or West Marine and rebuild the pump. I did that a couple of years ago and it wasn't too bad. The only hard part was getting the handle off the pump shaft. Oh, and pour fresh water into the bowl and pump it through before you start.

Boris
 
Here is what is more than likely going on. The lever that you push from left to right or visa versa is shaped like a "J". The curved part is inside under the cover. When you push it from one side to the other the end of the bottom of the "J" presses up against a one way flap and holds it open so you can pump water into the toilet. Leaving the "J" always in the dry position causes the flap to always be held open and it develops a memory so that when you change the position of the lever the flap will not lay down and seal. Take off the cover plate. 6 screws I think and you will find this gasket with the two weighted flaps. The first time I replaced them, not realizing what was causing the problem. The second time I figured out what was happening and I just warmed it up and put it under a heavy book and then reinstalled it. I now leave the wet/dry switch in the dry position so it will not develop a memory.
 
After that many years you may need to rebuild the manual pump. Mine was doing the same thing and a rebuild kit solved it. It took about 30 minutes to install and everything well.
 
My 2004 era Jabsco had the same issue a few years ago. I called Jabsco tech support and they sent me a redesigned part to swap out in the pump ( I think it was the flapper) Problem was due to a recall of a defectively manufactured/part design issue. No cost except my time to install.
 
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