j 385 pump problem

[chaunceyboyblu]

i have a problem with one of the four pumps on my jacuzzi. we drained the hot tub about two months ago then filled it a few weeks ago. it was below freezing both times. after i started it back up, the 2.5 hp pump on the left never worked. all the others work fine. so when i hit the button to activate this pump all i hear is a click. i removed the access panel and then the cover to the electronics. what should i look for? there is a cylinder on the top of the pump, what is that. should i check anything simple? getting service isnt easy where i am. we had an indoor pool in our house and the service guy was miserable. the nearest jacuzzi store is more than 100 miles away. any clues would be appreciated. i am pretty decent at fixing things without getting hurt or messing up too much. thanks, robert

[Spatech_tuo]

i have a problem with one of the four pumps on my jacuzzi. we drained the hot tub about two months ago then filled it a few weeks ago. it was below freezing both times. after i started it back up, the 2.5 hp pump on the left never worked. all the others work fine. so when i hit the button to activate this pump all i hear is a click. i removed the access panel and then the cover to the electronics. what should i look for? there is a cylinder on the top of the pump, what is that. should i check anything simple? getting service isnt easy where i am. we had an indoor pool in our house and the service guy was miserable. the nearest jacuzzi store is more than 100 miles away. any clues would be appreciated. i am pretty decent at fixing things without getting hurt or messing up too much. thanks, robert

Is there a "hmmm" to the pump at all or just the "click"? The reason I ask is there could be an air lock to the pump where it is operating but there is no water in the wet end, only air. If that were the case then barely loosening the large nut to the pump would allow the air to escape and all would be fine.

[chaunceyboyblu]

no humm at all. in fact i can see the shaft of the pump and it isnt turning at all like the others when activated. just a click like a solonoid. the click seems to be coming from a thing in the big panel. but there are several fuses there also. i suspect that when i refilled the spa, there was ice in that pump. i had put a little ceramic heater down there for a few hours befor i started it, this pump is the furthest from the place i put the heater. thanks, r

[stuart]

Follow the cord from the pump to the control box and make sure it is plugged in tight....

Might be a slow blow fuse also but that usually is before the relay

[Tatooed_Lady]

so.....if I read that right, the tub sat empty for a month or so in a cold climate?
I'm not sure what it could do to the electronics, but I've watched the guys at the HS dealer by me finding new leaks by the boatload on a tub that had been frozen up.....
Best of luck, chaunceyboyblu

[mjb]

You may be able to remove the pump/motor and
take it to a local electric motor shop and see if
they can rebuild or repair it.

[chaunceyboyblu]

hey thanks for all t he input. i followed the cord along the tub to the circuit board and then along a path that led to a 20 amp 250 v fast blow fuse. i removed it and checked for continuity, went to radio shak. that fixed it. it cost .50 cent. i had a friend that is into hot tubs come by and he condemed the pump. im glad i didnt drain the tub and remove the pump to find it okay after all. r