No brown (automatic) wire for my bilge pump

[JoshA]

I was guessing my automatic bilge pump wasn't working (2002 Wakesetter - direct drive) so I went and purchased another Sahara s500 (what was in it) and went to install it - watched videos, read Malibu crew, etc. I was ready - (mind you I am a novice at these things) anyway, the new and old one have three wires (brown/white, black, and brown) when I pulled the old one out to cut the wires, there were only two connected. The brown(what I had read was the automatic) was just hanging out? My questions became: did the old one work and just not hooked up, or was there never a brown wire? Anyway, would love to have the thing work automatically and manually. Does anyone know in this model was there an auto bilge? Owners manual (which I downloded and is not much help at all) says there is an auto bilge - anyway, I have had this boat three months, decided to go used and not new (now I am rethinking it) I basically have restored this thing - this is just one of many issues. Any help is appreciated - (sorry my post was so long?)

[wdr]

The third wire brn/wht will be for the hot wire for the manually switched bilge option, black = ground. The auto bilge brn wire will be directly wired from a constant hot source and at a minimum you want the bilge pump to always work when you are not around to bail! If you hook up your pump to a 12v and alternately test both brown wires and it works with both that will confirm it. 

[JoshA]

Thanks - if in the the brown and the brown and white together, will that work? I think that may only run when the switch is on - I don't mind running a wire to the battery positive, I just don't know how to get it there (from the battery into the bildge) the big thing is that I don't know if there is already a brown wire attached.

[90oldskool]

https://www.amazon.com/Shoreline-Marine-Bilge-Switch-3-Way/dp/B004UOTQRU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466779117&sr=8-1&keywords=bilge+3+way+switch

 

just put one of these on our house boat , works great 

[wdr]

1 hour ago, JoshA said:

Thanks - if in the the brown and the brown and white together, will that work? I think that may only run when the switch is on - I don't mind running a wire to the battery positive, I just don't know how to get it there (from the battery into the bildge) the big thing is that I don't know if there is already a brown wire attached.

You can have both wires wired to the same constant hot wire and even on the same ring terminal, but in order to make sure both work you will want to test them independently.