Frequently Asked Questions - AFI

No. As our horns are manufactured overseas, we have no tooling to customize horns.

Our electric horns have no polarity. There is no specific positive or negative wire.

However, for air horns with a compressor, the polarity is important, and is clearly marked next to the terminals on the bottom of the compressor with a “+" or "-”.

All horns should be mounted with the open end angled slightly downwards and facing forward towards the bow of the boat. This allows any water spray to drip out and avoid damage to the sounding mechanisms inside the horns. Try to select an installation position on the boat with minimum curvature and where a low amount of spray will hit the horn.

Some parts are available. Contact tech support

The compressor should be mounted as close to the horn as possible. We have tested the air horns with a length of hose up to 8 feet without any delay.

It varies from 9 to 13 PSI depending on your battery's voltage output.

We do not sell replacement interiors for the AFI horns, but we do offer a 5 year warranty on the “XLP” models and a 1 year warranty on all of the others. Anything beyond the warranty period will have to be replaced with a new unit.

Please contact our Technical Support Department for warranty information.

That model has been discontinued since 1994. The closest replacement we offer is our part number 10029XLP. The only difference is the mounting pattern. We no longer offer a horn with the same style of mounting as the SPTD.

The fact that they are making any sound at all is a good sign. We suggest bench-testing the horn and wiring it directly to a 12 volt battery. If it works fine when doing this, then the problem is most likely within the application’s wiring. If the horn still only puts out a clicking sound, that is usually a symptom of one side trying to draw more amps than the other which causes them to cancel each other out.

• Remove the rear cover and find the screw in the center of the sounding mechanism with a small red dot on or next to it.
• Turn that screw a little bit counter clockwise and eventually the horn should start to sound properly.
• If not, keep trying each side, back and forth, counter-clockwise or clockwise.

If still no positive reaction after all that, it’s time to replace the horn.

It might need some oiling.
NOTE: Do not allow oil to get into horn.

• Reverse the wires so the compressor “pulls in” rather than “blows out”.
• Insert a few drops of light machine oil into the opening for the hose attachment.
• Let the oil swirl around for about 4 - 6 seconds.
• Then reverse the wires back to the correct position and allow any excess oil to exit.

If this does not improve the functioning of the horn, the compressor may need replacing or possibly the horn diaphragms are damaged.

Check the internal parts at the rear of the horn to make sure they are not cracked or covered with grease or condensation.

No, this is not our product. That would be Signaltone items made by a company called Fiamm of America.

Yes. The part number for the 12 volt compressor is 10102. The 24 volt compressor is part number 10224. As for the trumpet assemblies, please see below for a list of the most popular kits and the part numbers for the horn(s) only:

Horn Kit # --- Horn Only #
10107 --- 11117
10106 --- 11116
10105 --- 11115
10104 --- 11114
10121 --- 20150
10122 --- 20149

Contact our Technical Support Department for specific “horn only” part numbers not listed.

Yes please call prior to sending in items to confirm the need to return items to us and to help expedite returns or credits quickly.

The MRV motors require a 3 position, 4 pole switch for two-speed operation. We recommend a particular one made by Cole Hersee. Their model number is 75212-04.

This depends on what size windshield you have, how much area you are trying to cover, and what type of motor is being used.

Refer to our wiper motor, arm, and blade compatibility chart in the AFI wiper section of our website or in the AFI online catalog.

No. We do not offer replacement internal parts for any of our wiper motors.

The complete unit can be replaced under our 1 year warranty for MRV, WMW, and STD models.

There is a 3 year warranty for the AFI 500, 1000; AFI 1.5, 2.5, and 3.0 style motors

On the single speed motors, the self park contact should be connected directly to the positive of the battery so it has current at all times. All motors come with wiring instructions.

This is not our motor. It is a Bosch product. Our motors look very similar, but are very different when it comes to materials and features.

Please refer to our wiper motor instructions included with the motor.

We no longer offer “deluxe” straight blades, since a curved blade will work just as well on a flat windshield as it does on a curved one. There no longer is a need for two different style blades since one can handle both jobs.

The wiring/installation instructions can be found within the header-card which should be located inside the clamshell packaging of the motor kit. If they cannot be found, please contact us and we will send a copy to you via email, fax, or mail.

Yes. Our MRV AFI 1.5, 2.5 and 3.0 series motors are available in 24 volt. They all come with a 2 ½” shaft and preset to 110 degrees however they can be adjusted to 45 65 or 80 degrees as needed.

No. We do not offer replacement shafts or knurled ends for them.

Yes please call prior to sending in items to confirm the need to return items to us and to help expedite returns or credits quickly.