1990 Sundancer 310 questions

Mac-Daddy-Minnesota

Mac-Daddy-Minnesota

Member
Aug 12, 2018
98
Cottage Grove MN
Boat Info
Sea Ray Sundancer 310
Engines
twin 5.7 with alpha 1
I tried doing a search with no results. I have a couple of items that I would like to fix on a boat that we just picked up.

1. Horn, not working (have a whistle and a CO2 handheld unit). Guessing these fail?!?!?
2. Black water holding tank level indicator not powering up (SOLA). Anyone have a schematic for the board?
3. Power steering actuator has a (small) leak on the low pressure side. PO gave me an updated unit to install. Looks like I may need to update a hose as well. Anyone know of a place that can make hydraulic lines? Pertek is a bit spendy.
4. The interior is original. How does one remove the headliner in a organized manor? Is it possible? The blue shag carpet is super sexy!!
5. The spotlight on the front lights up and rotates when controlled at the light via a battery. Do they sell the joystick separately?
I am a Maintenance Electrician and rebuild snowmobile race engines as a hobby. I have a gnarly set of tools (haha).
Any info would be great. The PO gave me pdf manuals for the boat. I was unable to find any info for the above listed items.

Thanks in advance.

Tom <Mac-Daddy>
 
Last edited:
1. Yep they definitely fail. Not sure about the older ones, but the one on my 2002 310 has a funny police "blat" sound that some folks don't care for. That said, the sound carries very well over the water, which I guess was the intent.

2. I searched for the schematics for mine and was unable to find it. If the circuit board has discrete transistors, I would ohm them out looking for shorts across the junctions. I had a problem where mine would always light up as empty (lies I tell you, lies!). The "fix" was to pull the sensor from the emptied (and flushed) tank, and clean the sensor rods. Not a job for germ-o-weenies.

3. Any Tractor Supply outlet should be able to build you hoses to length.

4. Sea Ray tends to sneak screws near the edges which are obscured by the material. Feel around the outside edges of the material.

5. For your vintage they don't sell nuthin'. That is to say, you'll likely have to source a joystick from a salvage yard or try to retrofit something from a newer model.

6. wait....there is no 6.
 
bobeast said:
1. Yep they definitely fail. Not sure about the older ones, but the one on my 2002 310 has a funny police "blat" sound that some folks don't care for. That said, the sound carries very well over the water, which I guess was the intent.

2. I searched for the schematics for mine and was unable to find it. If the circuit board has discrete transistors, I would ohm them out looking for shorts across the junctions. I had a problem where mine would always light up as empty (lies I tell you, lies!). The "fix" was to pull the sensor from the emptied (and flushed) tank, and clean the sensor rods. Not a job for germ-o-weenies.

3. Any Tractor Supply outlet should be able to build you hoses to length.

4. Sea Ray tends to sneak screws near the edges which are obscured by the material. Feel around the outside edges of the material.

5. For your vintage they don't sell nuthin'. That is to say, you'll likely have to source a joystick from a salvage yard or try to retrofit something from a newer model.

6. wait....there is no 6.
Click to expand...


Ohhh, I can ask more questions.

Thanks for the reply. I'll see what I can find on the headliner fasteners. The poopoo tank has the external tape on sensors. No need to get the fingers funky.

I'll grab the tools and head on over to the boat and dig in.
 
Pulled the spot light. Someone had "manipulated" the wires on the back of the Joystick unit. I was able to bench test the unit. I did need to clean all the contact points inside the joystick unit, kinda simple how its made, but now that works. The light itself had one of the nylon gears wear out. It was for the vertical adjustment. I was able to remove the gear, spin it 180 deg's and re-install (that was a pain in the Arse). The spring that holds the nylon gear assy on the shaft was a bear to press back down for the retaining clip. I'm sure there are "special tools", I used an Arbor press and some custom items to press the spring into submission. Maytag man has nothing on me!!!

The horns. One of the trumpets was full of "stuff". Looks like dead bugs. the other was not happy on the battery. Both look good but are going to be replaced. One has an open coil, the other is rusted internally.

I had to add some Power Steering fluid to the pump. Looks like the old actuator has a leak on the low pressure side?!?! I do have the updated unit that the P.O. left. Never done one of these, any tips or tricks to look for?

As for the black water level, forgot to pull that out. A couple of the marina neighbors wanted to have a Tequila Friday and break in the new guy (me). Nice people here, everyone seems very nice and helpful.

Well, that's what I have on the bench for now.

Later, Mac
 
You've been busy. Welcome to boat ownership. Can't help on the actuator. Never done it myself. You may need to contact the manufacturer to see if they offer a rebuild kit.
 
Mac-Daddy-Minnesota said:
Pulled the spot light. Someone had "manipulated" the wires on the back of the Joystick unit. I was able to bench test the unit. I did need to clean all the contact points inside the joystick unit, kinda simple how its made, but now that works. The light itself had one of the nylon gears wear out. It was for the vertical adjustment. I was able to remove the gear, spin it 180 deg's and re-install (that was a pain in the Arse). The spring that holds the nylon gear assy on the shaft was a bear to press back down for the retaining clip. I'm sure there are "special tools", I used an Arbor press and some custom items to press the spring into submission. Maytag man has nothing on me!!!

The horns. One of the trumpets was full of "stuff". Looks like dead bugs. the other was not happy on the battery. Both look good but are going to be replaced. One has an open coil, the other is rusted internally.

I had to add some Power Steering fluid to the pump. Looks like the old actuator has a leak on the low pressure side?!?! I do have the updated unit that the P.O. left. Never done one of these, any tips or tricks to look for?

As for the black water level, forgot to pull that out. A couple of the marina neighbors wanted to have a Tequila Friday and break in the new guy (me). Nice people here, everyone seems very nice and helpful.

Well, that's what I have on the bench for now.

Later, Mac
Click to expand...

I was wondering if you were ever able to figure out how to remove the headliner sections. I have a 1990 35' Express and would like to get to the wiring underneath it.
 
I'm guessing that the headliner is held up with staples or fabric nails into the deck structure. Carpet is stapled and glued down. Looks like some of the storage cabinets will need to come out first. Gonna be a fun project.
 
Headliner could very well be glued. The ones I've seen, similar to yours, are glued. Try pulling in an inconspicuous spot.
 
Lazy Daze said:
Headliner could very well be glued. The ones I've seen, similar to yours, are glued. Try pulling in an inconspicuous spot.
Click to expand...
Headliner is stepped in the salon area. Fabric is pulled tight and tucked in and folded. Looks like only part that is glued was the front berth, side fabric.
 
If you find tucked in areas, pull the tuck area out and it could reveal a screw. That's a common way that Sea Ray attaches some headliners and panels - start at a corner, and then X-number of inches along a seam you may be able to pull the material out again to reveal a screw.
 
Okay. So I figured out how the headliner is attached to the inside of the boat. Glued and in the drop down areas, its held in with staples and welting material. Anyway, has anyone ever used this track PVC for a remodel?

https://www.trivantage.com/hardware...pvc-track-midwall-headliner-18-ft-item-578071

I am looking for some input on this. I know the job is going to be a P.I.T.A., but in the end I think it would look great. Place does not sell to the public, and the lengths are 18' so trucking is required for shipping, no UPS or US Mail.

Getting the parts in play before I buy it.

Thx
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,112
Messages
1,426,288
Members
61,027
Latest member
NeilS
Back
Top