JoeTaylor

Hi Everyone,

The other day, I almost got clobbered in a parking lot from someone backing out of a parking spot. The horn on my 1988 S4 is pathetic. I could hardly even hear it inside the car. I can't imagine someone backing their car out could hear it, either.

So.... I did my research here on the 928 Forums and based on what people were saying, I went and ordered a "Bad Boy" air horn, the compact version from Amazon. According to what I read, its a "plug n' play" deal, just take out the old horn and hang the new one.

The "Bad Boy" horn just came in, so I go out to the garage to find where the old horn (or horns, not really sure) is located on the 928 and low and behold, I can't find them.. not one.

Does anyone have an exploded diagram, photos and/or instructions on where the heck the horn (or horns) are located on my 1988 S4? Specially, if you have a procedure for removing the old horn and installing the new one.

If so, could you post it up in your message and let me know how I can get to it and replace it with my new, loud, "Bad Boy" air horn.

The "Bad Boy" wants to go out and play (and stop me from getting run over in parking lots!)

Thanks in advance.
Joe Taylor

Fabio421

Horns are in the passenger side fender. In front of the wheel. You neeed to remove the inner liner/cover to access them.

James Bailey

right front fender in front of the wheel above the spoiler....you will need to remove splash shields to see them. Should be two a high and a low tone , odds are only one of your original horns was working.

JoeTaylor

Do I have to jack the car up and pull the right wheel off (passenger side wheel) to get to the splash shields? What are splash shields?.

Thanks,
Joe

James Bailey

Not exactly "plug and play"..... the S-4 > you will be partially removing the front spoiler in order to SEE the horns.

JoeTaylor

Hi James,

I dont have a front spoiler, but there is some plastic covers under the front bumper, if I remember correctly.

Joe

James Bailey

Yes That "cover" is considered a spoiler by Porsche and the horns are above that in the fender below the headlight. The splash shield fender liner keep your tire from covering the headlight covers with dirt mud as you drive with the lights down.

dr bob

I think I was able to see and repair a broken horn bracket by removing the two right front wheelhouse liners.

First, Gently loosen the lug nut s on ethe right front wheel. Just break them free and a fraction of a turn. Then you'll want to raise the car from the right rearjack point, high enough to get a safety stand under the right front jack point. Continue removingthe lug nuts and set them aside, along with the wheel.

The big liner section comes out first. There are several little bolts that hold the liner in, most with 8mm hex heads on them. There's a speed nut on a stud that sticks down by the spring, and a deep 10mm socket is perfect for that. With the obvious hardware removed, pull the inside of the liner down so it clears that stud, and the rear inner bottom in twoards the hub some. That should let you get your fingers in between the outer edge of the liner and the fender lip[ that holds it. Work the liner free, and set it out of the wy.

The front section of the liner is now completely exposed. Note how there are bolts that engage the rear lip of the chin spoiler, and a few that were hidden by the big section. These bolts are different sizes, so keep track of where they cam from so you can put them back in correctly. Once that section of liner is out, you'll see the horns on brackets from the inner body.

It's generally easier to raise the headlights before you delve into that front fender area. Since you are going to mount a new piece in there, be sure you are aware of where the headlight bucket sits in the retracted position so there won't be interference later.


Like most projects, there are some WYAIT tasks that you should consider.

-- That fender area is a catch-all area for dirt and debris, so at minimum you'll have the shop vac out for basic clean-up in there. You'll also expose a lot of dirt and road debris in the wheelwell with the liners out, and have the opportunity to do a little sanitizing with the covers off and all that metal exposed.

-- Inspect the Y fitting on the carbon cannister at the top rear of the wheelhouse, replace if it's broken or even just cracked. New factory pice is under $10 from our favorite sponsors last time I looked, or you can get a stainless piece from Nicole here on the list.

-- The marker light bulb there in the fender is super easy to change right now. Edsel Murphy usually reminds me quickly when I fail to take advantage of the easy access.

-- That front liner section is a frequent victim of damage if you run up on a parking bumper. Spoiler comes up a little, panel breaks. New plastic section was in the $60 range last time I looked. Get the plastic foam seals when you order the panel.

-- If you don't need to replace that panel, you can use that black rubber pipe insulation (NOT the gray plastic foam stuff...) from Home Depot to replace the old crispy edge seals. It isn't quite the same as the original but is a reasonable substitute in a pinch. Section the insulation with a scissors so it fits in the edges of the panel. That stuff limits the amount of raod junk and water that gets thrown into that compartment, the one where the horns and headlight bucket normally sit...


After that, assembly is pretty much the reverse of disassembly. Clean everything of course before assembly. I keep the plastic liner sections looking good with a quick spray of tire foam. Whatever you use will improve the looks of the liner. Inspect the brake pads, ball joint boots, wear sensor and ABS pickup wiring. Clean the wheel and tire while they are off the car.

It turns out that bolting the new horn in is the easy part.

Tim Murphy

I first found mine hanging by a couple wires in front of the passenger tire and bouncing off the pavement. Might want to take a look there first.

Mrmerlin

when you fit the new horns make sure to have a helper cycle the headlights you want to make sure they dont hit the horns.
Check the wire harness to the headlight when its up see that it isnt too tight so as to cut the harness
The wheel should be removed to get the shields out of the way.
While your in there check the Y fitting that comes off of the charcoal canister.
If its split then you need a new one.
Also see if your washer tank is filled with rusty fluid if so now is a good time to remove the fill tube and the tank and clean them also remove both of the metal collars one in the fill tube and one in the tank they will probably be very rusty

Alan

This is a very good idea - however a better way is just to push the pods up gently from underneath by hand - they disconnect from the carrier with a click then you can gently move them through their range without risk of tearing anything up or scratching them... Then just let them drop back down to re-latch.

Alan

Leon Speed

Recently installed the same model - different brand. The original horns are each attached to bracket coming of a cross brace between the outside and inside of the fender. They are wired in parallel. I took them off, leaving the brackets in place, so it's easy to install the original ones later on when so desired. I taped off the wires going to the horn closest to the inside of the fender and attached the wires from the horn near the outside of the fender to the new horn. The rubber protective caps don't slide all the way in, but close enough and I taped them to the new horn to insure no water getting in.

The instructions for the new horn state that they can be used within a certain angle. The horn outlet - where the sound comes from - should be pointed to the front. There is a hole through the top of the cross brace which I used to attach the new horn. I used a long bolt which goes through the metal bracket of the horn, through the cross bracket between the fender sides. It is not a perfect fit, but with some jiggling, you'll get it to sit correctly and tightly.

Btw they work perfectly! Was behind an Audi A6 that stopped in the middle of the road, not sure to go left or right. He then reversed to make the turn right. I was not far behind him and thought uh-oh, here we go. A blast of that horn and as struck by lightning he stood, but really stood, on his brakes!! I'm sure his hair stood upright And I was very satisfied of course!!

See pic: black is cross brace, red is bolt.

Mrmerlin

yes this can also be done good call Alan, and make sure to check the headlights in the raised position to confirm harness integrity( the harness comes out from the bottom of the headlight assembly)

JoeTaylor

Hi Everyone,

Horn is installed! (Should I put the "Bad Boy" sticker on my window? ...not!)

Bought a floor jack and pulled the right front wheel. I found that I could just remove the screws from the lower front splash shield inside the wheel well, plus the a couple of screws from the wheel well liner - and pop - I could pull out the lower front splash shield.

Everything was very clean inside the fender, a little dirty but normal, no clean up required. Also, there was no other gear inside the front part of the fender, ahead of the right wheel, to service. Didn't even see the headlight, as the horns hang below a horizontal cross brace, between the fender and body.

I removed both the OE horns and taped up and zip tied off the "inside" leads/connectors, hooked up the outside power connectors to the new "Bad Boy" horn. Tooted the horn, everything worked just fine. To mount the horn I used gavanized plumbers steel strapping to make a "U" shaped bracket, bolted this new bracket to the two mounting studs, on the cross brace, for the old horns. I then bolted the new horn to the bottom part of the new "U" bracket.

A few zip ties to tidy up the wiring and I buttoned up the splash shields and everything worked great. Spending $50 at Home Depot and buying a floor jack and $25 for some jack stands was the best investment. Horn is loud now and it has that "foreign sports car" sound, nice.

Now, I just have to figure out out to replace the oil pressure sender!

Thanks for all your help,
Joe Taylor.

James Bailey

Good job !!