I didn't quite follow all of that, but I'll offer a couple of experiences with a
Rule switch that I recently replaced.
1. The old switch showed continuity when tested, but it had a high internal resistance, so the
motor did not get enough
current to run. (Mine was one of the old
mercury switches.)
2. The old snarl of spliced wires in the bilge was utterly repulsive, in more ways than one. It seemed to me that the proper way to deal with serviceable
equipment was to connect everything at a terminal block high and dry in the
engine compartment. No splices in the bilge. This makes troubleshooting and
maintenance a lot quicker and easier.