2011 196 Original Factory 1,000 gph Johnson Bilge Pump with Auto float Replacement?
I have the above. Keep the boat on a lift. Always have used toggle switch on console to operate. I've had the boater a couple years, and I am embarrassed to say that I am not sure if the auto bilge ever worked, or not. Last time I went to put the boat in the were the bilge failed to pump water when toggle was on. I siphoned the water out of the bilge then I checked pump motor first by connecting directly to battery. It works. The 4 amp breaker on the console had tripped, so I reset. Since the motor worked when connected directly to the battery I put a multimeter on the breaker. It was bad, so I replaced. Then the bilge worked using the toggle switch on the console, but when I put water in the bilge the original Johnson auto switch did not start the pump. I pulled that auto switch, and put my meter on it. It was bad. It had two wires on it running up through the bulkhead (one probably to the panel switch.) There were no wires from the switch to the bilge motor. The two wires from the motor ran up through the bulk head to the console. I'd like to have the bilge working on auto, which I haven't used in the past to conserve battery life, and since the boat is on a lift it's not inconvenient to turn on the master power and the console switch. I bought a Johnson universal auto switch. The original had two wires. The replacement has 3. Theoretically, I should be able to splice two of the 3 wires into the original wires coming out of the old auto switch going through the bulkhead, which essentially would be cutting the factory wire job, and then splicing in the new part, which should get the wiring the same as original factory. Again, I am trying to replace an original 2 wire auto switch with a new Johnson universal auto switch. I am not sure which two wire I should splice in. I am also not sure that the original factory switch on the console was correct in the first place. It's a 2 way rather than a 3 way. That begs the question Why would Hurricane send a new factory boat out with an auto switch on the bilge if the panel switch was not correct? I've called three dealers, but no one can tell we if I am wasting my time trying to hook up the auto. I've also called Hurricane at the factory. Very nice. They tried, but were little help. They sent me an 11 page PDF wiring schematic ( circa 1999 and 2003). Did not show factory bilge pump and auto switch wiring hook-up. I am going for back surgery next Monday, and will be laid up awhile. I'd like to get the auto switch working with the rainy / hurricane season here. Am I wasting my time? Thanks! Any help is appreciated.
Bob
Best Answers
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You're definitely not wasting your time and in fact, the 3 wire is what you should run. 2 as its wired today, the third I'd put direct to battery with an inline 4A fuse. This will activate the auto float switch. This is how all my Hurricanes have been wired and I'm surprised you don't have a 3rd wire running to the battery with an inline fuse.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------2010 Hurricane SS 188 OB
2010 Mercury Optimax 200HP / Mercury SS High Five 19P
2010 Trailmaster SC trailer -
Welll first off, good luck with the surgery and the recovery. In the meantime, in the next week or so, I'll try to remember when I'm at the lake to chase the wires on mine as I'm positive I have 2 running to the console (ground and switched power) and the other from the float switch to the battery with in line.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------2010 Hurricane SS 188 OB
2010 Mercury Optimax 200HP / Mercury SS High Five 19P
2010 Trailmaster SC trailer
Answers
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Thx for responding. I tried the 3 wire without success last week. I took 2 of the wires that connected to the original float switch from the dash toggle switch, and connected to the new 3 wire switch, but didn't have any luck. I found a wire coming out of the harness going directly to the main battery switch in the stern. There was an in line fuse, which was blown. I replaced the fuse, but the new 3 line switch still didn't work. I did a temporary hook up of the original auto float. no water in the bilge. It came on constant even with the Master Power on the helm off. It stayed on till I disconnected it. I re-tested the old auto with my multi- tester, and still showed it was bad. The wire to the battery must be connected somewhere to the bilge pump breaker in the panel. Seems that 2 wires from the new auto switch connecting to the same wires as the old one should work. I'll have to try again, but have to wait awhile. At least the pump works when I turn on the master switch and the panel toggle. I'll have to resume the project later. I got several scratches on my arms.trying to work in the bilge through the deck plates. My back surgeon saw them Friday, and was afraid to operate today because of risk of infection, so he pushed my surgery back 2 weeks and told me to stop working on the boat till after surgery, and re-hab. I am probably done till Thanksgiving now. I'll use manual in the meantime. Thanks again!
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I appreciate your help and advise. The wiring is probably as you suggest. I couldn't trace it back through the bulk head, and up into the console switches. As you know, it's like a bowl of spaghetti in there. The original two wire auto float mounted on a slot in the base of the 1,000 g.p.h. motor. So did the three wire I tried. I noticed that West carries a two-wire float switch, which mounts in the in the bilge in the conventional manner. I would think that splicing those two wires to the two wires going to the console that the original float was connected to should do the trick. The original factory auto float had one solid brown wire (probably the hot wire), and a darker brown wire with a white strip (probably the ground). There was no wire from the auto switch directly to the bilge motor. The bilge motor had two wires which spliced with wires running to the console. One was brown for positive and the other black for ground. The bilge motor runs fine when switched on at the console toggle with master power on. We had major storms last night, so I need to turn the bilge on this morning. It's hurricane season from now throughout late October on the gulf coast,s o it would be nice to have the auto working. Now that my surgery has been pushed back two weeks due to risk of infection from the scratches on my arms that I got reaching in through the deck plate openings I'd like to try it again, but my wife will kill me if I get any more cuts, and delay surgery again. She's tired of hearing me whine about my back and leg pains. It's **** to get old. Thanks again!
Bob