40 sedan bridge forum

[Prosideus]

Vacuflush question. Where is the actual vacuum pressure in the system? I ask because I’m having issues with the master head pump running - sometimes continuously and sometimes it turns off and back on. And I notice that I don’t get the strong “whoosh” when flushing that head like I do in the guest head. There’s a bit of a water leak down in the master, too. I have the toilet seals and plan on replacing them this weekend. And I ordered the seals for the other head and the duck bills for the whole system (8). I will do the whole job. But for now, I want to do the minimum necessary to fix the issue and not impact my upcoming trips.

I ask my question about where the pressure is because I’m thinking that if the pressure is between pump and toilet, then the toilet seals might solve the whole problem. But if the presssue is behind the pump (on the black water tank side) then I’m going to have to do duck bulls ASAP. Obviously, it could be both, too.

So... is my thought that it might just be the seals valid, or is it just wishful thinking?

Thanks

Vacuum is between the pump and the head. Start with the seals on the toilet and a new cartridge in the flush pedal. That has two o-rings that can leak over time. If that doesn’t do it. Down to the duck bills. And if that doesn’t work, it may be the pressure switch , but with your symptoms I think the first things I mentioned will solve your problem. Good luck.

 

[TotallyGross]

I heard a little more noise in my starboard drive this weekend than my port while docking in the marina fairway. I have the Cummins 6CTA if that makes a difference. I checked the fluid. It seemed fine.
How long should I wait after the engine is running to check the trans fluid level?
Also I am assuming it must not be running while checking this?
Any other ideas ?

 

[Drafter]

Hope everyone had a great 4th week/weekend. We had great weather intermixed with short huge storms. Here's a pic of my 400 that a buddy took as we were headed back to the dock after a great day of rafting out.

 

[Tomco]

That is a spectacular picture! One worthy of framing.

 

[TexasBryan]

View attachment 72014 View attachment 72015
Does anyone know where these latches can be purchased, I did not see them on FPMarine’s site. 1997 400 Sedan bridge salon entry door latches
Thanks

Search FP for Mobella Talon. You will need to measure the door thickness to get the correct model. (mine was 22.5-27mm, MOBELLA-TALONMM-01-11X-X0)

Removing & replacing is a very easy DIY. Once I had the new lock installed, I ordered some spare keys via Amazon.

 

[Bartlett Bob]

3 in each heat exchanger; 1 in the exhaust elbow; one in the generator heat exchanger and 2 in each transmission oil cooler, if they are original.

Thanks, any idea on the life expectancy of the zincs in fresh water

 

[Big Dog]

What should be the WOT for a 1999 40DB with Cat 3116 fully loaded?

 

[ZZ13]

What should be the WOT for a 1999 40DB with Cat 3116 fully loaded?

2800rpm

 

[Big Dog]

If it does not reach 2800 at wot does that mean the props are over pitched? Thank you! The bottom was just painted this Spring and ran just about every weekend. I’m getting about 2700 rpms at wot.

 

[PMC]

If it does not reach 2800 at wot does that mean the props are over pitched? Thank you! The bottom was just painted this Spring and ran just about every weekend. I’m getting about 2700 rpms at wot.

Is that measured with a photo tach or the helm gauges? You are overloading the engine if you dont make WOT speeds.
If the engine is running as it should, next steps would be to talk with a prop shop and tell them what you want.

 

[Steve S]

My helm gages run low by about 80 RPM compared to a tach on the engine.

 

[Big Dog]

Thank you to everyone. I will compare the tach reading to gauge this weekend after I top off the fuel tanks to see if I Get 2800 RPMs at WOT. I will also verify the the engines are running as they should which I believe they are.

 

[ZZ13]

I heard a little more noise in my starboard drive this weekend than my port while docking in the marina fairway. I have the Cummins 6CTA if that makes a difference. I checked the fluid. It seemed fine.
How long should I wait after the engine is running to check the trans fluid level?
Also I am assuming it must not be running while checking this?
Any other ideas ?

The manual says to check it within 2 minutes of turning off the engine. That's so you check it before the fluid in the transmission oil cooler lines drains back into the transmission. But I always have a hard time with that. So I check mine cold. I found about 1/8" - 3/16" above the full line is a good cold max level for mine. Others here may have a different spot on the stick but that's a ballpark cold reading.

http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php?threads/zf-280a-oil-level-check-how-is-it-done.69748/

 

[scooper321]

On Sunday I replaced the toilet seals in the master head (thanks, Bugaboo, for the video!). Took maybe 30 minutes. Super easy. The bowl holds water. But it didn’t fix the constant running of the vacuum pump. So today I tackled the duck bill valves on the master pump:

I bought 8, so I could do both heads. I cleared out the junk room (aka port stateroom) and opened the hatches under the port bunk. Both vacuum pumps are there, tucked under the floor of the storage area, up against the galley wall. The master head’s vacuum pimp is the more aftward one. I squeezed myself in (I did NOT remove the bunk) and here’s the initial view:

Not much to see until you remove that first hose. It’s the hose from the head into the vacuum tank. I had paper towels and plastic bags handy, but I’m happy to report that this hose did not leak anything into the bilge. I wire tied a plastic bag over the end of that hose and moved it aside. That gave a lot of access to the hose on the aft side of the pump. After taking off those hose clamps, I removed it. THAT one DID dump a bit into the bilge. Thank goodness my previous owner never pooped in the boat (so he said). I wire tied a bag over that hose, too. The junction holding the duck bills unscrewed easily from the pump. I opened it and took out the duck bill valves.

Not hateful, but one had a noticeable gap. They were replaced. On to the forward side of the pump. This is the view.

That white collar unscrewed easily, but I had to remove the two pump mount bolts facing me. Then the pump could be rotated and the forward-most duckbill valve was removed. Like Bugaboo in his video, I couldn’t easily remove the female threaded insert to access the second duck bill valve on that side. Had I remove the pump entirely, I could have gotten a grip on it and applied the necessary rotational torque. But with all 6’, 250lbs of me squeezed into the bunk, I just couldn’t get the grip on it. So I ended up replacing 3 of the 4 valves. Everything was reassembled (that white collar took 3 tries to get it properly threaded) and cleaned up. I tested the system. The pump did shut off, which it wasn’t doing before. But man it pumps for a while. In Bugaboo’s video, his pumps for 70-80 cycles. Mine is probably double that. I realize they are different boats. And the master pump is way far away from the head itself. So maybe it does just pump that long. Anyone know how many times their master pump cycles after a flush?

One final take away: you do not have to remove the bunk to do this job. It took me about 2 hours, start to finish (including clean up). But you cannot... I repeat... cannot have larger than a 40” waist. Otherwise, you won’t be able to get down into (or out of) the bunk. Funny, but true.

Oh, and I kept the 4 other duck bills for “another day”. Lol

 

[TotallyGross]

Great post SCoop. I’ll count how many cycles mine does after a flush. One of the heads is longer. I think it’s the master.

 

[my3sons]

My vacuum pumps run for 40-45 seconds each.

 

[Randy Scott]

Has anyone removed the carpet from the wall, cut a hole for easier access to the vacuflush pumps ? Such a pain in the rear to remove the bed and frame to get to the pumps ? Just wondering...

 

[dgerrit]

Hi 400db guys,

Has anyone seen a 400 sedan bridge with a hardtop? I've been thinking about designing one as my canvas is about expired. But I've never seen one and wonder why? Any thoughts?

Also, I recently put Flexiteek in the cockpit and am trying to offload the snap in carpets. Not sure of the Forum policy on this, so feel free to let me know, but I put them on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/233283606401

Gerrit

 

[Drafter]

Hi 400db guys,

Has anyone seen a 400 sedan bridge with a hardtop? I've been thinking about designing one as my canvas is about expired. But I've never seen one and wonder why? Any thoughts?

Also, I recently put Flexiteek in the cockpit and am trying to offload the snap in carpets. Not sure of the Forum policy on this, so feel free to let me know, but I put them on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/233283606401

Gerrit

Love to see this if you do it. How are you putting your Spark on your swim platform?

 

[PMC]

Hi 400db guys,

Has anyone seen a 400 sedan bridge with a hardtop? I've been thinking about designing one as my canvas is about expired. But I've never seen one and wonder why? Any thoughts?

Years ago, there was a 400db with a retro hardtop and a full glass windshields on yachtworld. I'm sure it served a purpose for the owner, but it killed the look of the boat. Very Frankenstein ish......

I just found this one for sale with a hard top. I would love to see a pictures showing the side view and where all the struts are mounted. From what I can see, it is not too bad looking.
https://www.26northyachts.com/yachts/40-sea-ray-yachts-no-name/