Vehicle Rodent Protection

1. Before you start: take the fuse out of the fuse holder. Clean the engine bay and the spot where you usually park. Animals mark territory by scent, and another animal's scent can make them more destructive.
2. Mount the unit: in a dry spot away from the exhaust manifold and other hot parts, with the speaker aimed at the areas you want to protect. Ultrasound travels like light, so anything in its path blocks it.
3. Route the high-voltage cable: to the spots most at risk of chewing, keeping it away from very hot engine parts.
4. Fit the plates: with a screw or cable ties. Keep each bare plate at least 10 mm from any other live contact and clear of other parts. Some hoses are made of conductive plastic and will short the plates. If you use a metal screw, its head must not touch the plate's metal surface. Keep the plates dry.
5. Wire it: the fused wire to +12 V, the ground wire with the ring terminal to the chassis, and the ignition wire to a terminal 15 (ignition-switched) circuit, usually found at the ignition switch or the radio harness.
6. Finish: stick the yellow high-voltage warning label somewhere visible near the plates, such as the air filter box, then put the fuse back in.

With the vehicle parked and powered, the LED on the unit flashes about every 5 to 12 seconds. The first time, it can take up to 5 minutes to start.

• No power: check for 12 V between the fused wire and ground.
• Ignition wire: the M186 stays off whenever its terminal 15 wire has +12 V on it, so make sure that wire has no power while the vehicle is parked.
• Shorted plate: if it has power and still won't flash after 5 minutes, a plate is probably touching metal, conductive plastic or water. Remount it clear of other parts and dry it off.
• Bench test: before installing, connect the fused and ground wires to a battery with the ignition wire left off and the plates lying on cardboard. The LED should flash within 5 minutes. If it passes on the bench but not in the vehicle, the problem is in the installation.

After you switch the unit off or pull its fuse, the plates can stay charged for up to 3 minutes while the internal capacitor drains, so wait before touching them. On the wired M186, you can drain it right away by briefly connecting a plate to the vehicle chassis for 1 to 3 seconds.

The current is very low and not dangerous to people, but the jolt is a surprise, so take care if you're easily startled or have a health condition a sudden shock could affect. You only feel it when you touch a charged plate and the vehicle body (or the plate's negative base) at the same time.

1. Before you start: clean the engine bay and the spot where you usually park, to remove scent marks. Put four good AA batteries in (four screws on the bottom) and set the side switch to OFF.
2. Mount the unit: in a dry spot away from the exhaust and other hot parts, since most batteries handle only up to about 60 °C. Keep the lights visible and aim the speaker into the engine bay. Fix it with screws or cable ties.
3. Fit the plates: slide the six plates onto the red cable at the spots most at risk of chewing. Fix each one with its two screws, one from the top and one from the bottom, driven into the cable so the screw heads make contact with the plate. A continuity tester confirms the connection (with the unit switched off).
4. Clearances: the top plate with the high-voltage symbol must be at least 10 mm from any live contact and must not touch other parts. The large bottom plate is the negative side and can touch the vehicle body. Keep the plates dry, and mount the last plate so the cable end doesn't stick out.
5. Finish: stick the yellow high-voltage warning label somewhere visible in the engine bay, then set the switch to ON.

• Ultrasonic light: a very slow, dim flash (about every 9 to 30 seconds) means it's working. Three quick flashes mean the vibration sensor has paused it because the engine is running or the vehicle was bumped.
• High voltage light: a slow flash means the plates are charged.
• Battery low light: replace the batteries.

The lights are deliberately dim to save battery, and it can take up to 10 minutes for everything to start. If the high voltage light won't flash, look for a plate that's wet, dirty or touching metal or plastic. Also check that the switch is ON, the batteries are fresh and the right way round, and the vehicle has been still with the engine off for at least 10 minutes.

To test it before installing, lay it on cardboard, put the batteries in and switch it on. Both lights should flash within 10 minutes. Don't touch the plates while it's on.

After you switch the unit off or pull its fuse, the plates can stay charged for up to 3 minutes while the internal capacitor drains, so wait before touching them. On the wired M186, you can drain it right away by briefly connecting a plate to the vehicle chassis for 1 to 3 seconds.

The current is very low and not dangerous to people, but the jolt is a surprise, so take care if you're easily startled or have a health condition a sudden shock could affect. You only feel it when you touch a charged plate and the vehicle body (or the plate's negative base) at the same time.

• In a stored vehicle: put it in the engine bay, or wherever rodents have been getting in, in a dry spot away from the exhaust and other hot parts.
• In a garage, shed or cottage: it covers roughly 40 m² of enclosed space.
• Aim it: ultrasound doesn't travel through or around solid objects, so point the speaker at the area you want to protect, with nothing in the way.
• Keep it dry: it's splash-proof (IP44), not waterproof. Keep it out of direct spray, and dry it off if it gets soaked.

• A steady, continuous tone: the batteries are running low. Replace all six.
• Blue light at night: that's normal. It flashes automatically at dusk and overnight.
• Cold weather: battery life drops in the cold, so check it more often over the winter.
• On/off switch: switch it off when you don't need it, to save the batteries.