I would like to know the way to check if a warning-horn unit in my boat
is working or not. I am supposed to hear a beep-beep from the
warning-horn unit when I turn on the key to start my Mercury 1995 115hp
outboard. But I hear nothing. I am wondering if the warning horn unit
is working or not. If I find that it is not working, I will simply
replace it without going through further investigation. But I don't
know exactly how to test it.

The Mercury Service Manual asks me to ground the "tan" wire of the
warning horn unit to test it. I don't understand what this means. Can
I simply run the two wires from the warning-horn unit to either
terminal of a 12-volt battery and see if I can get it to horn?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Jay Chan

wrote:
I would like to know the way to check if a warning-horn unit in my boat
is working or not. I am supposed to hear a beep-beep from the
warning-horn unit when I turn on the key to start my Mercury 1995 115hp
outboard. But I hear nothing. I am wondering if the warning horn unit
is working or not. If I find that it is not working, I will simply
replace it without going through further investigation. But I don't
know exactly how to test it.

The Mercury Service Manual asks me to ground the "tan" wire of the
warning horn unit to test it. I don't understand what this means. Can
I simply run the two wires from the warning-horn unit to either
terminal of a 12-volt battery and see if I can get it to horn?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Jay Chan

Jay, get that fixed. If you pick something up in the water intake, and
overheat the engine, you can be looking at a new powerhead.

What they mean in the service manual is to disconnect only the tan wire
and touch the terminal from that wire to any ground point, or to a wire
that is connected to the negitive terminal. The other wire on the horn
is connected to 12 volts, by touching the tan wire to ground your
completeing the circuit and the horn should sound. If it doesn't, the
horn is bad and needs to be replaced.

John

Just to finish Cap't John's thought.....If it DOES work then you have a
bad sensor or sensors. Get those fixed ASAP.




Capt John wrote:
wrote:

I would like to know the way to check if a warning-horn unit in my boat
is working or not. I am supposed to hear a beep-beep from the
warning-horn unit when I turn on the key to start my Mercury 1995 115hp
outboard. But I hear nothing. I am wondering if the warning horn unit
is working or not. If I find that it is not working, I will simply
replace it without going through further investigation. But I don't
know exactly how to test it.

The Mercury Service Manual asks me to ground the "tan" wire of the
warning horn unit to test it. I don't understand what this means. Can
I simply run the two wires from the warning-horn unit to either
terminal of a 12-volt battery and see if I can get it to horn?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Jay Chan


Jay, get that fixed. If you pick something up in the water intake, and
overheat the engine, you can be looking at a new powerhead.

What they mean in the service manual is to disconnect only the tan wire
and touch the terminal from that wire to any ground point, or to a wire
that is connected to the negitive terminal. The other wire on the horn
is connected to 12 volts, by touching the tan wire to ground your
completeing the circuit and the horn should sound. If it doesn't, the
horn is bad and needs to be replaced.

John

Capt John wrote:
wrote:
I would like to know the way to check if a warning-horn unit in my boat
is working or not. I am supposed to hear a beep-beep from the
warning-horn unit when I turn on the key to start my Mercury 1995 115hp
outboard. But I hear nothing. I am wondering if the warning horn unit
is working or not. If I find that it is not working, I will simply
replace it without going through further investigation. But I don't
know exactly how to test it.

The Mercury Service Manual asks me to ground the "tan" wire of the
warning horn unit to test it. I don't understand what this means. Can
I simply run the two wires from the warning-horn unit to either
terminal of a 12-volt battery and see if I can get it to horn?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Jay Chan

Jay, get that fixed. If you pick something up in the water intake, and
overheat the engine, you can be looking at a new powerhead.

What they mean in the service manual is to disconnect only the tan wire
and touch the terminal from that wire to any ground point, or to a wire
that is connected to the negitive terminal. The other wire on the horn
is connected to 12 volts, by touching the tan wire to ground your
completeing the circuit and the horn should sound. If it doesn't, the
horn is bad and needs to be replaced.

John

Thanks for the explanation of "grounding the tan wire". This should be
easy enough because the warning-horn unit is just above the battery; I
can easy connect the tan wire of the warning-horn unit to the negative
terminal of the battery.

Jay Chan

The Mercury Service Manual asks me to ground the "tan" wire of the
warning horn unit to test it. I don't understand what this means. Can
I simply run the two wires from the warning-horn unit to either
terminal of a 12-volt battery and see if I can get it to horn?



It means exactly what it says, look on the horn unit for a tan wire,
when you find it, jumper that to ground, the negative terminal of the
battery or anything connecting to that.