The livewell switch, recirculate, empty, and auto. What is the auto for? When in auto, the livewells lose water. Is this normal and should we have the pump on while in auto? Asking for a friend. Thanks

recirculate-- shuts the valve
empty-- opens the valve
auto--- open with a flapper valve

auto is supposed to let fresh water in while fishing and keep it from running out when on plane.

What a horrible live well system if that's correct

Now I know why the same guys keep having dead fish in the working man’s tourneys. Haha.

Auto setting let’s water in and keeps it at a certain level about 3/4 full and from going out while on plain, however you still need to turn the aerator on to pump some in and recirculate the water. At least that’s how my Ranger works.

Nailed it above....this is why I use LW treatments in the heat and also have the VT-2 vents installed. Never lost a fish in any one of the tournaments I've been in. My fish are active and wanna fight when I open the LW and need to place them into their weigh bag.

Auto....with your timer allows fresh water to be circulated in / out. (I use this 99% of the time when on the water w/ fish in the well)
Empty...opens the valve and and empties when not in water, when in water doesn't bring in water
Recirc...when pumped with water, allows the pumps to circulate the water in the wells. (I only use this when trailering to weigh ins).

Please- humor or educate me as to where my short explanation is wrong.

He is not suggesting you're wrong. He is expressing exasperation as to the design!

Exactly

Empty is just that....allows your LWs to drain...also has no plug so it allows water in through the drain but not pumped in.

Recirc - closed drain and only recirculates the water currently in the livewells. Doesn't let water in or out on it's own. (if you load your boat before going to your weigh in put it on recirc so you don't lose water.

Auto - allows water in and out through the baffle and should only be used when your pumps are on so you can bring in fresh water and pump out old. You will lose water if you pull your boat out of the water with this selected.

I run a ranger and I leave the ramp with it on "empty" so that once I'm down the livewell will naturally let in an inch or two of water. Once I catch my first fish I will already have something in the wells to start with. I then flip over to AUTO and let them do their thing.

NOTE - if you are running more than 5 mins to a new spot, flip your LWs to Recirc to avoid losing too much water. Once off pad, flip it back to Auto and keep fishing.

Put it in Auto and keep the pumps running. Ranger live wells won’t run over and flood your boat like many boats will. In auto you run constant fresh aerated water.
Recirculate when using keep alive chemical and ice.