Questions about warning buzzer...

[longshanks]

My 1998 2-stroke 60HP Merc doesn't beep when I turn the ignition on.

I tried grounding the tan/blue wire from the wiring harness. With the key on, it gives me a loud beep.

I pulled out the temperature sensor from the water jacket, and confirmed that it appears to be opening when it goes in boiling water. I am guessing that in order to make the motor beep, this little sensor needs to be very hot, and also, grounded to the motor?

So I think I've confirmed that the overheat warning horn will work. Does anybody have any suggestions on what else I might look at, to find out why the beeper doesn't sound at 'power up'?

I am thinking it either has something to do with the low oil sensor, or there is a connection or ground loose somewhere. It is a tiller drive motor, and the horn is located under the handle.

thoughts?

 

[j_martin]

Re: Questions about warning buzzer...

Likely the oil warning module is bad. It could, however, be that key on 12 volts isn't getting to the module. It's the wire right next to the tan one. If it's been grounded (testing, for instance) a fuse is blown.

It should beep a few times when you turn on the key to tell you that the oil alarm module is getting power and is working.

hope it helps
John

 

[longshanks]

Re: Questions about warning buzzer...

J Martin:

thanks for the helpful input!

Any advice on where I might look for a blown fuse, or can you tell me what colour the wire 'beside the tan one' might be? Also, is there an easy way to determine if the oil level sensor is bad?

I find two blue/white stripe wires going to the oil sensor, and the overheat wire is tan with blue stripes.

regards,


Shane

 

[j_martin]

Re: Questions about warning buzzer...

On the same screw as the black wire from the head temp switch, and the tan/blue wire to the harness should be a tan/blue wire from the lubalert. That's the buzzer/horn circuit.

Beside that screw should be another with a purple wire that goes to the harness, and a purple wire that goes to the lubalert. That's the 12 V switched to the lubalert.

If 12 volts ain't there, find out why. If it's wired right and it's getting 12 v and the alarm doesn't momentarily beep when you turn the power on, the lubalert is bad.

Be sure the power switches off with the switch. If it stayes on, the battery will go dead in a couple of weeks, but the alarm will never go through it's power on self test.

Get a manual, it's all in there.

hope it helps
John

 

[longshanks]

Re: Questions about warning buzzer...

Mr Martin, thanks again. I do have a shop manual, but darned if it all makes sense to me. It seems I need all the help I can get.

I am going to have a chance to look it all over next week.

what the heck is a 'lubalert'?

Shane

 

[j_martin]

Re: Questions about warning buzzer...

Mr Martin, thanks again. I do have a shop manual, but darned if it all makes sense to me. It seems I need all the help I can get.

I am going to have a chance to look it all over next week.

what the heck is a 'lubalert'?

Shane

That's what the oil warning module is labeled in the diagrams in the shop manual.

John

 

[longshanks]

Re: Questions about warning buzzer...

Well, it appears that my manual is for models up to 1997.

My motor is a 1998 Merc '45 Jet' (60HP power head), electric start, tiller handle, 2-stroke outboard. I am thinking that there are some differences between this model year and the 1997s.

My manual shows a warning module, although I cannot find a similar module on my motor. Any suggestions on where I might find a wiring diagram for a 1998 model? Am I going to have to track down another manual? Or is it even different?

thanks!

Shane

 

[j_martin]

Re: Questions about warning buzzer...

Put the serial number in mercurypartsexpress.com, and you can get a parts diagram of the motor.

hope it helps
John

 

[saltfisher]

Re: Questions about warning buzzer...

Where does the beep come from? When i turn the key i hear a very faint beep but cant tell where it comes from. Sort of sounds like close to the dash somewhere. Then sometimes when im driving i hear this faint beep. Its not comming from the motor itself, and dont hear any other beeps from anywhere. Just this very faint beep.

 

[longshanks]

Re: Questions about warning buzzer...

the beep comes from the warning buzzer. It should sound when you turn the key to 'run'. If it is beeping while you are running the motor, it could be warning you about a) low oil b) overheating, or c) over-revving. I'd recommend you do a search of this site to narrow it down. In your case, it sounds like the buzzer is located under the controls.

I searched on mercury parts express, and found that there is no 'warning module' listed for my specific motor. Serial # OG661864. What I thought was the warning module on my motor is in fact an RPM limiter. There is an electrical component, #17 in the 'electrical', but the part is supposedly 'not available', nor do they provide a description of what the part is. Looks like some sort of an ECM or something expensive. If anybody can provide any further direction, I'd appreciate it. My motor works fine, but I'd really like to confirm that all warning systems are working, and hear that little 'beep' when I power it up.

thanks

Shane

 

[saltfisher]

Re: Questions about warning buzzer...

The beep i hear is very faint, and I can barely hear it. Sounds like its comming from the dash somewhere. There is also no beep when i turn the key. I can hear the beep (long beep... like "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee") at WOT, but if i back off a bit it stops.

 

[gss036]

Re: Questions about warning buzzer...

That long beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep is the overheating alarm. How is you water flow. When was the last time the impeller was changed?
Beep-Beep-Beep is oil. Are you premixing or oil injection?

 

[saltfisher]

Re: Questions about warning buzzer...

The impeller hasnt been changed for probably a few years. I never did it, but just got the boat 3 weeks ago. The water flow is good, or should i say there is a nice stream comming out of the pee-hole.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Questions about warning buzzer...

The beep is your warning "horn", which is a buzzer in the control box. There is a wire in the harness coming from the front of the control that can be hooked up to a louder alarm or light.

The continuous alarm is excess head temperature. Even if it pees good, there could be low enough flow, or blocked specific passages that cause the overheat. Fix it before it wrecks the motor. You probably have a combination of worn out impeller, and thermostats that are wacked out from being overheated. You may have other problems, too, such as a stuck poppit valve.

The serial number you gave appears to be for a 45 hp jet pump engine.

Follow the wires from the oil injection pump and from the filler cap on the motor mounted oil resevoir and they will lead you to the oil warning module, or lubalert. That's the source of the beeeep beep beep beep when you turn on the key. That is a healthy indication, indicating the module passed it's power on self test.

hope it helps
John

 

[longshanks]

Re: Questions about warning buzzer...

Hi again guys

It's my motor that is the 45 Jet. Based on the info I've seen, I don't see a specific warning module listed for my motor, but my manual is for a 1997, and my motor is a 1998.

No alarms are going off on my motor, but, like Saltfisher, I am getting no beeps when I power up. This seems to be a common problem in Merc motors of this vintage...

 

[MercGuy]

Re: Questions about warning buzzer...

I have a 1998 115 and it does not sound the warning buzzer when I start it, never has, and I didn't think it was supposed to.

I know that the low oil warning works, as it has gone off when I let the tank get low.

Are you sure that your alarm is supposed to sound when you turn the key?

I'm going to check my owners manual when I get home to see if mine is supposed to sound.

 

[longshanks]

Re: Questions about warning buzzer...

Let us know what you find out Merc guy. Mine has never beeped for any reason, until I tried grounding out the temperature sensor leads. Only then have I confirmed that the buzzer works. I'm told that they are supposed to beep when the key is switched to 'run', but mine never has.
cheers
Shane

 

[MercGuy]

Re: Questions about warning buzzer...

Let us know what you find out Merc guy. Mine has never beeped for any reason, until I tried grounding out the temperature sensor leads. Only then have I confirmed that the buzzer works. I'm told that they are supposed to beep when the key is switched to 'run', but mine never has.
cheers
Shane

Shane,

Sorry it took so long to respond, but this one took me a while.

I looked in my factory repair manual, and it clearly states that the warning horn should beep once when the key is turned on. It also gives a trouble shooting check list to determine why the horn would not beep when the key is turned on. If all the tests pass, replacement of the warning module is recommended.

As I said before, I have never had a warning beep.

So, I removed the cowling and started some of the trouble shooting per my manual. First, I grounded the tan/blue lead from the temp sensor, and I got a continuous beep from the warning horn, just as I should.

Next, I shorted the two blue leads from the oil level sensor, and recieved a continuous beep. The manual say's I should get an intermittent beep from the oil sensor.

Finally, I decided to trace the wiring to see if something was wired wrong at the factory. Low and behold I descovered that my engine has NO WARNING MODULE !!

The oil level sensor has 2 leads, one goes to ground, and one goes to a bullet plug that is a "Y" connector. The 2nd half of the "Y" goes to the temp sensor, the 3rd part of the "Y" goes to the dash board mounted warning horn. The result is that if either sensor closes, the circuit to the warning horn is completed, but in either case the warning horn beeps continuously. There is no intermittent beep from low oil as the manual states.

I can't imagine what is going on here. My engine has a sticker that shows it was manufactured in August of 1998. I bought the manual from Mercury when I took delivery of the engine, and the manual is clearly labeled as being for my engine.

I don't have any problem with the fact that I don't have a warning module, just one less thing to break near as I can tell, but this is a strange mystery to me.

So, you may not have a problem at all !!

-Steve

 

[j_martin]

Re: Questions about warning buzzer...

Shane,

Sorry it took so long to respond, but this one took me a while.

I looked in my factory repair manual, and it clearly states that the warning horn should beep once when the key is turned on. It also gives a trouble shooting check list to determine why the horn would not beep when the key is turned on. If all the tests pass, replacement of the warning module is recommended.

As I said before, I have never had a warning beep.

So, I removed the cowling and started some of the trouble shooting per my manual. First, I grounded the tan/blue lead from the temp sensor, and I got a continuous beep from the warning horn, just as I should.

Next, I shorted the two blue leads from the oil level sensor, and recieved a continuous beep. The manual say's I should get an intermittent beep from the oil sensor.

Finally, I decided to trace the wiring to see if something was wired wrong at the factory. Low and behold I descovered that my engine has NO WARNING MODULE !!

The oil level sensor has 2 leads, one goes to ground, and one goes to a bullet plug that is a "Y" connector. The 2nd half of the "Y" goes to the temp sensor, the 3rd part of the "Y" goes to the dash board mounted warning horn. The result is that if either sensor closes, the circuit to the warning horn is completed, but in either case the warning horn beeps continuously. There is no intermittent beep from low oil as the manual states.

I can't imagine what is going on here. My engine has a sticker that shows it was manufactured in August of 1998. I bought the manual from Mercury when I took delivery of the engine, and the manual is clearly labeled as being for my engine.

I don't have any problem with the fact that I don't have a warning module, just one less thing to break near as I can tell, but this is a strange mystery to me.

So, you may not have a problem at all !!

-Steve

That's a Jury Rig that will sound the horn on low oil level, but it does nothing for the pump failing to rotate. If the pump should fail, your next indication will be lockup at WOT.

Somebody was too cheep to replace a failed oil alarm module.

hope it helps
John

 

[MercGuy]

Re: Questions about warning buzzer...

That's a Jury Rig that will sound the horn on low oil level, but it does nothing for the pump failing to rotate. If the pump should fail, your next indication will be lockup at WOT.

Somebody was too cheep to replace a failed oil alarm module.

hope it helps
John

John,

The engine came this way from the factory. I am the first and only owner of this engine. The wiring and bullet connector that I describe looks like a factory job. This is not something that anybody did with some aftermarket connectors and a crimping tool. The wire insulation is all consistant with the Merc colors & striping, the connectors have waterproof boots, etc.

According to the manual, the 1998 115 does not have a pump rotation sensor. The schematic in the manual does not show any wires to the pump, all wires in the schematic are accounted for, the section view of the pump does not show any wires, or a magnet in the shaft. Visual inspection of the pump shows no wires, or any place for wiring.

Having said that, I certainly wish that my engine did have an oil pump rotaion sensor, that seems to be a very valuable protection.

Thanks,

-Steve