Is ground the black wire or the brown wire?

Question

I have a DC marine bilge pump. It has only two wires - black and brown. Which one is ground? I know a motor can run in both directions... so I want to hook it up properly, so it works better.

I tested it out. As I guessed, the motor runs in both directions. But it only pumps in one direction. The black wire is ground. The brown wire is positive. Why brown? Who knows. :)

Ahh... 45 cal, I saw your post just a hair too late. Well, you have a best answer coming your way. Thx!

Answer 1

Blk- BRW + If hooked up in reverse the pump will not pull very well>>??

Answer 2

The black is always the ground--the brown is probably the color of the wire that comes from the switch and that is standard for the color cde in the wiring harness. Red goes to something--green goes to something--blue goes to something

Answer 3

It depends. Try hooking it up one way. If it does not run the direction you want, then reverse the wiring.

Answer 4

bilge is like poop...brown. standard in the industry.