Was wondering about the steps to figure out fixing the horn. Checked the relay and fuses and they seem fine. Any suggestions appreciated.

Thanks

 

You may need to adjust the turnsignal stock so the copper ring makes contact with steering wheel.

 

You may need to take the steering wheel pad off and plug in the horn connection.

 

What have you worked on lately?

As others note, the ground loop for the horn relay includes a slip ring and the connecting wire to the horn pad. If you've had the pad off recently, the connecting wire to it would be suspect. If you've been working on the pod, ignition switch or steering column in ways that include moving the switch assembly on the column, the adjustment of the slip ring would be disturbed.

The relay and socket offer you a chance to narrow the search to the horns or the switch.

Jumper the relay socket from 30 to 87. If the horn loop and the fuse are good, the horn will sound. If not, verify that you have battery voltage at terminal 30 in the relay socket. If not battery voltage, confirm that the fuse is OK. If battery voltage, check the connections between socket terminal 87 and the wire(s) at the horns in the RF wheelhouse under the headlight. Access is through the lower front wheelhouse liner. If that wire isn't connected to relay socket 87, look at plug O2 That's letter O, terminal point number 2, black-with-yellow-tracer. Should be common to relay socket 87 and the wire at the horn.

On the switch side of the relay, verify that there is battery voltage at terminal 86. This is common with terminal 30, so if there's voltage at 30 there should also be voltage at 86. If no voltage, suspect the fuse. If there is voltage, use your Ohm meter to verify that relay socket terminal 85 has continuity to ground when the horn button is depressed. If yes and everything else checks out, problem is the relay. If no continuity to ground with the horn button depressed, the problem is the slip ring adjustment -or- the wire to the pad is disconnected. To adjust the slip ring, Ohm mete is between socket terminal 85 and ground. Adjust the switch assembly slowly towards the steering wheel, stopping as soon as the meter shows continuity with the horn button depressed. You want the slider just touching the ring and no more. If adjustment doesn't cause continuity, pop the horn pad and verify that the wire is connected to the pad. You can ground that wire and see the meter display continuity, else the slip ring still isn't adjusted correctly.


Last but not least... This is a lot of work, just guessing what year your car might be. Take a few minutes in the User CP area to build a signature section with info about the car and where you live. With that, I could tell you which relay is the horn relay, which fuse to check, and whether the ignition switch needs to be on for the horns to work. It would take some of the mystery out of the process.

 

Is the rear wiper parking and horn circut related on an '83? I kept blowing horn fuses until I changed the rear wiper relay.

 

this might be lame, but take a look at the horns...mine have a huge block of rust on the connection terminals, and I am sure no power will flow through them...could be simple as a bad loose connection at the horn itself, or perhaps just a bad horn....

 

Start at the horn itself and work back toward the steering wheel switch.

Can you get the horn itself to make any noise?

 

I found this post to be incredibly helpful. It's from 9XX Girl! and was originally posted at http://www.924board.org/viewtopic.ph...highlight=horn


Got home, pulled the relay and checked the fuse, fine, all ok. I stuck a bit of wire in the relay socket between pins 30 & 87 and turned on at the key, horn sounded so I turned off at the key and removed the link. Hmmm….. it is either the relay, the relay coil supply or the ground on the horn button (steering wheel)

Went to the boot and got my test lamp. Turned on the ignition and stuck one end of the light to ground the other end in pin 85 first then 86. It lit on pin 86, cool, I have 12v control coil feed. So it is either a faulty relay or the relay is not being grounded by the push button.

So… stuck my test meter (10Ω Range) across the relay – pins 87 & 30 and splashed 12v by using my long screwdriver and the car battery across relay pins 85 & 86 – lovely loud click and contact of less than an ohm. Lovely, relay is happy, i am happy.

So I pulled the horn button off and then pulled off the wire. I clipped one end of my ohm meter to the horn wire and stuck the other end in pin 85 of the relay block – fine, continuity less than 1Ω. So I push the relay back and tried grounding the horn wire to the steering wheel. Nothing! So I got a bit of wire and grounded the horn wire to the cigarette lighter surround, horn worked!!!!

Ok….. Ohm meter between steering wheel and cigarette lighter… open circuit!
So….. Ohm meter between steering wheel on big 24mm nut and cigarette lighter… open circuit!
My steering column is not earthed. No it cant be! So I checked it again … open circuit!

Popped the bonnet. Ohm meter between steering column at bulkhead end and battery neg… open circuit! Huuuu… my column is floating (electrically of course).
Ohm meter between the shaft to steering rack and battery neg… Fine, just less than 1Ω.
Hmmm… the top universal joint was isolating the steering column. No, can be… Yes can be,,,,, I get a 13mm socket on an extension from the boot and went to undo the pinch bracket on bottom of column on the shaft spines (my intention was to ease it back and forth to clean up the spines a little and tighten it back up)…

It was only finger tight.

So I tightened it up quick, tried the horn, perfect.
Bummer what a fault!, So the steering column is totally electrically isolated other than the linkage to rack....

 

Well, i checked the fuse and relay and the connections at the steering wheel.

Then found the horns in front of the right wheel. The wires were disconnected, cleaned them up and put them on, nothing. Left it like that until today, got in the car, started it up and started backing up...they both came on. Ripped the cover off the steering wheel, still blaring, turned the car off, still blaring, mom comes out of the house with a face...ran over and ripped the wires off the horns. So they do work, but are possessed.

Suggestions ?

 

Lmao. This reminds me the first day or two I had my car. There was a short in the steering wheel or something, and it first showed itself when I was leaving my house heading by all of my neighbors.

I head down the road, and out of no where every time I turned right, the horn would sound. Here I am, steering left in the road slightly to stop the horn, but then I have to steer to the right slightly to stay in my lane, and the horn honks. I was steering left and right just slightly, but each time, the horn was honking. I got to the stop sign at the end of the road with the horn blaring, grabbed the owner's manual, turned to the fuse diagram, and yanked the horn fuse. I haven't had a horn since. I'll put an air horn in some day.

I was so embarrassed. I know my neighbors thought I was showing off my new toy. *HONK* Look at me! *HONK* Look at me!

 

The L shaped copper rubstrip behind the steering wheeel on the turn signal switch is brobably worn and bent and touching the steering shaft completing the circuit so the prior owner pulled the wires at the horn. It was no accident that the horns were unplugged someone did that for a reason and you found out why !

 

The horn comes on when I turn the wheel all the way to the left.

When pulling the steering wheel off, the L shaped copper strip has a large clump of aftermarket solder on it. Also it pivots from being loose.

Was looking at just purchasing a used turn signal assembly on eBay, unless other ideas

thanks

 

I would get a new assembly if you can. Sounds like the old one is buggered.

 

I have an extra turn stalk assembly from a 1979. It was functioning perfectly when swapped for the Euro stalk. No functional difference, I just like the german script on the Euro.

$50 includes shipping

 

PM Sent

Thank you