1994 OMC Systemmatched Remote Control Issue *Electrical Gurus*

[luckyinkentucky]

To make a long story short ....

Since Saturday every time I turn the ignition key on my boat the warning horn sounds constantly, and will not shut off. Even with the engine NOT running the horn sounds at a steady tone which indicates, per the manual, that the engine is overheating. Water ejection from the tell tale is good and stays cool even after running the engine for 10 minutes.

I checked with an Evinrude certified technician today, and he seems to think that it may have something to do with the electrical system to the warning system. That is about all he could tell me since it was "free help", and it would be a month before he could get into my engine to see what the matter was if I decided to bring it in.

Two things that I want to mention:

First, the previous owner stated that he had a similar problem with the oil fill detection tone about 2 years ago that ended in him replacing the sensor that went to the unit, and the problem was fixed.

Next, about 2 weeks ago I took my boat to have a new sound system put in, and the tech said that he wired my stereo directly to the back of a relay. Which one I do not know, but I suspect that this could be causing a bridge, and making the system get stuck in the open phase of the process. From my understanding of the process don't the speakers themselves create a 'short' field, and could this be causing a short in the relay making my warning system detect a fault somewhere?

I guess I what I am asking is since all of my hardware, or engine parts check out should I look into the electrical end of the issue to see if there is a faulty sensor somewhere? Should I look into the temperature sensor since the warning tone is that of an overheated engine?

I forgot to add that I replaced the warning horn itself today since the tech thought maybe it was shorted, and causing the horn to stay stuck 'on' when the power was supplied to the unit. Next, he said to start replacing other sensors, but I don't want to go through all of them at $30 a piece if I don't need to. Where would you look next?

 

[iwombat]

Re: 1994 OMC Systemmatched Remote Control Issue *Electrical Gurus*

If you look on the cylinder head you'll see a wire coming out of it it's brown on mine, but not sure about your year. That's where your sensor is. About 5 or so inches away from that is a connector. You may have one for each cylinder head, I'm not sure about your particulars. Disconnect the sensor(s) and turn the key on. If you still have the horn it's shorting out in the harness someplace. If not, you need to replace the sensor in the head.

 

[seahorse5]

Re: 1994 OMC Systemmatched Remote Control Issue *Electrical Gurus*

Trace the wires from the oil tank to the motor and disconnect them, then try the key switch to ON. If the horn does not sound now, the electronics inside the oil tank pickup are bad. All they do is let you know that there is about a quart left in the tank.

This is a common problem in pre-1996 engines.

One other possibility is a faulty horn assembly. If yours has the black ground wire on it which is used for the short self-test beep when turning the key ON, disconnect it temporarily and see if the horn stops. If so, the horn should be replaced.

 

[luckyinkentucky]

Re: 1994 OMC Systemmatched Remote Control Issue *Electrical Gurus*

To clarify I have a 1994 Evinrude E200STLER (Vindicator). My manual only shows one temperature switch lead. I will have to look tomorrow to see if there is more than one.

If this switch was bad would it report to the warning system as an overheating issue?

Also, I must've edited my previous post while you were posting Seahorse5. I added that I had already replaced the horn.

 

[iwombat]

Re: 1994 OMC Systemmatched Remote Control Issue *Electrical Gurus*

Yes. The switch just grounds out at a certain temperature. Pretty simple circuit.

I've never dealt with a VRO, but aren't all the VRO warnings pulsed signals of varying length? I could be wrong.

 

[luckyinkentucky]

Re: 1994 OMC Systemmatched Remote Control Issue *Electrical Gurus*

Pretty much. Constant tone means overheating OR fuel restriction under different circumstances, rapid short tones mean no oil from pump, and one chirp every 40 seconds means the oil level is low.

If I test the temperature sensor, and that doesn't work I will try the sensor for the fuel system. Where would I find that?