One thing after another ! Horn

[48pop]

While fiddling aabout with the car today trying to track down engine noise, I thought I'd fix the horn.

Had issues with horn when I first got the car and managed to get everything sorted at the steering wheel end, (sponge, insulator etc), and it worked fine till recently.

Pulled it all apart at the wheel today and everything is still in place so turned my attention to the horn, its working fine. The wire that comes out of the bottom of the column does not seem to be attached to anything and pulled out freely so I'm guessing thats the problem!

Getting dark by now so gave up till tomorrow...but on driving the car, the horn is blasting when the wheel is turned !!! Swiftly disconnected the horn before the neighbours complained ¬!



My question is:

Does the wire run from the top of column all the way to the bottom, or does it split at the joint, (just beyond the bulkhead). Is it simply a matter of feeding a new wire from behind the wheel to the base of the column???


cheers
Gerry

[Derek UK]

The horn button earths the horn to complete the circuit. If you've pulled the wire right out of the of the steering shaft you can only complete the circuit by touching the bare end to earth. If it's loose in the tube it can touch as you turn the wheel and randomly earth itself. There's a small lnk at the flexi joint. The wire has probably come adrift there. Probably OK from the button down to the joint. Fiddly job getting the wire down the pipe, you may need a length of brazing rod or similar as a pull through.

[Ron Kwas]

Gerry;

If the wire can be pulled down at the steering box end, it has certainly come disconnected from the spring contact at the top end (yes, it runs from spring contact at steering wheel switch, down through shaft, through coupler, through steering box)...if you didn't pull it out all the way, try pushing it back up and reconnecting to the spring contact (which I expect you are familiar with, and know how to access if you have had the horn switch assembly off for recent repair). If you have pulled the wire out totally, all is not lost, but you need to thread a new wire into the steering column, past the coupler. Hints: Be certain you use 600V rated insulation wire, and threading it up from below is often easier than down from the steering wheel end.

You may also want to consider upgrading to a relay controlled horn circuit which only runs a small control current through the steering wheel switch, and doesn't require the significant horn current to be routed through the (silver plated, and likely peeling away and compromised by now) contact edges of the switch plates in the steering wheel. For this see: http://www.sw-em.com/hornupgrade.htm

Cheers

[48pop]

Thanks Guys !

For some reason, I was invisible yesterday and the horn would have been useful.................

Looks like I'll be under the car again today....

[Derek UK]

A small edit to my comment above. The wire is in one piece from buton to horn but tends to get broken at the joint. When you pull them out they often have a taped up repair. This taped joint can stick in the tube so the wire then keeps twisting until it breaks again. Difficult after a beakage but using another piece of wire as a pull through is a good idea if your taking the wire out for any reason.
Rons relay would certainly make best use of the volts at low engine speeds.
Toot-Toot.

[48pop]

Spot on Derek, there was a wee plastic junction block wedged at the top of the column and the wire had come adrift at that point. .....

As luck would have it, I pushed from the bottom and the wire popped out at the wheel end. There was sufficient wire for me to make a soldered joint.

Thought that was it, but the horn blasted on a corner.....still something not right

I guess I should have done the job properly and replaced it anyway....But then I had my hands full with yet another problem.....

Cheers
Gerry