My horn ring has popped out of the cradle that it sits in on the steering wheel......

Now my horn does not work..........because the horn ring is sitting crooked on the steering wheel....

Is there anyway to get the horn ring off the steering wheel without having to take alot apart? In order to either replace the horn button/ring

-CHOPERJ]

 

Actually, the horn ring comes off without an disassembly. When it's in its normal position, you just push straignt down on it, give it a slight twist and off it comes. There are a couple of tangs that fit through a plastic mount underneath it. (it's probably broken on yours and causing the horn to tilt). Go to the Parts Shop here or somewhere else and take a look at an exploded view of the horn and you'll see what I mean. Maybe some kind sole will publish a photo for you. Good luck.

 

Sounds like a tab on the "horn retainer plate" broke. The horn retainer plate is a plastic ring that has tabs on it to hold the cap down, while letting the spring keep it up in a non sounding position. The plate attaches to the cap with 3 screws. Simple to replace. You will need to order a new horn retainer plate, which can be had from the vintage truck sites. Like one said, to remove the cap, #1 unplug the wire going to the horn, so it won't blare while you are removing the cap. #2 press down on the cap evenly, and then twist it to the left a little bit. Probably about an hours worth, if thinking like a clock face. The tabs will then clear the cutouts, and the cap will pop off. You will be able to see the three plastic tabs to verify this is really the problem. I'm fairly sure it probably is. How to replace with the new part will be obvious. It's simple. To put it back on, match the tabs with the slots, and turn it to it's stop clockwise. Presto! Done. I had to replace my plate in June cuz a guy aligning my front end broke it trying to get the cap off. Never force with a screwdriver! Push in, twist slightly to the left and remove..
BTW, don't forget the spring when you put it back together.. Also, you might want to clean up the surface of the little horn contact, which is brass or whatever. They get corroded, and can cause intermittant horn operation.. I brushed the tip lightly with some emery cloth to clean it up. MK

 

MK, why was the alignment guy pulling your steering wheel? Was it not pointing straight after he was done? If not, he should have made the adjustment in the tie end rods. The steering wheel is indexed to the high center position of the steering box and should not be changed.

Barry

 

Unless it had been change by a previous owner and the alignment guy was putting it back. I am guilty of moving mine a notch or two to get the wheel straight.

 

Dunno, like WB3 said, I guess someone in the past had moved it.
But it was off a bit evidentally. I'm not sure if he did the tie rods first, or the steering wheel first. I wasn't there when he did it.
I had rebuilt the front end before I took it in, so the tie rods were definitely off a bit being new. I don't think he moved the wheel that much. Maybe a notch or two. But whatever he did, my alignment is perfect now. That was in June, and I'm just now starting to wear off the little "nubs" that stick off the edges of the new tires, and I drive it every day. With my old alignment, they would have been wore down the first week.
The wheel is centered now, and I'm not sure, but I do seem to remember it being a little off before. Anyway, it drives perfect now, so I guess it needed to be reset. The alignment was done by a frame shop here in Houston. ...Good place to align a ford truck in this area. He seemed to know his stuff as far as ford truck front ends. Well, except for the horn cap...:/ I guess cuz the truck was so old, he forgot how the caps came off. Being I rebuilt the front end, the only thing he had to set was the toe. The camber and caster were within specs. I rebuilt the kingpins and all the bushings on it so I guess doing that got it back into spec as far as those settings. He didn't have to bend the axles. MK

 

BB
Sorry for the ignorance, but can you explain what you mean by adjusting the steering wheel by adjusting the tie rod ends? And how do I tell if my steering wheel is still indexed to the steering box high center position? Thanks, I'm still trying to absorb a lot from you guys.

 

If you centered the steering wheel, you should then be able to adjust each side tie rod to the correct specs as far as toe. But the thrust angle has to be considered, etc. I'm not an alignment tech by any means...I'm not sure how the guy that did mine found the correct wheel position. I didn't ask him, so not sure. Maybe he indexed it to the steering box as BB says. I don't know if he can also go the other way around and do it last or not. Maybe so with the machine he has. On mine, the alignment was computerized , included all wheels, and I got a printout of the before and after specs. Being that gear seeems to be fairly precise, I guess it's obvious to the experienced tech which way he needs to go as far as tie rods lengths and wheel index. I don't think this is something you can accurately check in the driveway if you want perfect results. Many people set their own toe with I guess fairly good results, but I think you get a more total and precise alignment on a good puterized machine like they have at a frame shop. It take all wheels into consideration. Sure made a world of difference on mine. I did have some front end problems, but I was eating tires like crazy. I ate up a nearly new set of 750-16 truck tires in about 8000 miles of mainly city driving. Ate the outsides the worst, as the bottoms were closer together than the tops of the tires. I don't know what my previous toe setting was, cuz I rebuilt it before it was checked. But now, the whole truck seems easier rolling, being as the fronts are tracking properly with the rear, and so far the tire wear is very little. There is really no noticable tread wear yet, and no signs of uneven wear. It's taken 3-4 months just to wear off the little nub "whiskers" that you get on new tires. The ones on the edges of the tread/sidewall are just starting to finally go. I'm sure I'm not going to see a 60k tread life, but I should at least triple my tire life. Maybe more...24k is not much.. I think those tires are 30-40k rated tires..."235-85/16". I still need to get new shocks....Lazy..
Will reduce future cupping problems if I do..The freeways around here will lead to that the way you bounce up/down constantly on the seams of the road. Some worse than others...I've seen interstates like that too...MK

 

Thanks, NM5K. I guess you could go stop to stop on the steering and find the middle that way. The reason I'm asking is probably obvious. My steering wheel is off kilter just enough that one of the spokes is right in the middle of my speedometer view and I was just going to pop it off and realign it. I'm glad I found out there may be a more proper way. Now if I can just find it.
I know about your freeways. They used to be just about the roughest I'd seen. Don't know how they are now. I think Arkansas still has you beat for washboard concrete.

 

I think Arkansas still has you beat for washboard concrete.

I-30 from Texarkana to Little rock??...
Actually, I get off at Arkadelphia up to Hot Springs usually, but dang...They must do that on purpose to keep all the drivers awake at night. They overhauled it a bit the last time I was thru there, and might be slightly better now if you stay in the fast lane...Then I get to stroll up highway 7 while trying to keep from getting run over by drivers wanted to take that curvy torture trail at 85 mph, even on the 20-30 mph curves. Usually real late at night, when half are drunk. MK

 

The last time I was on 30 it felt like they had laid 2x4s across the road.

some cars have an indexing mark on the shaft and wheel hub, but I cant remember if Ford had one on these.

 

>I'm glad I found out there may be a more proper way.

I'd take it to a good known shop and get it realigned. You shoudn't have to mess with the steering wheel. In fact, it's my opinion that you should NEVER have to mess with the steering wheel unless something very drastic has happened, like maybe a new wheel or box, etc..:/ . If the wheel has lost center, it's the front end's fault, not the wheel index. It's not going to change. So to me, and my way of thinking, you either need an alignment, or you need some new parts to correct a possible problem, and then an alignment. Note that my camber /caster settings were corrected to spec by only replacing the parts. It's also my opinion that axles will rarely need to be bent unless they are bent upon by whacking an obstruction in the path of the vehicle... But being my opinion is worth about $2.31, I'd take it with a grain of salt...Like I said, I ain't no real front end tech... MK

 

Well, I have a fair bit of slop in the steering in addition to the steering wheel alignment issue. I've got a new rag joint and bearings and sleeves for the column. I figured I'd put those in to see where I stand, since I know they're bad now. May have to add some new parts after that, but I think your idea for an alignment afterwards is the way to go. Thanks for the advice. I'm thinking about going with polyurethane bushings. Any thoughts on those?

 

I've never tried the new poly bushings, but they should be pretty good. I hear they have less give, and should give a tighter feel than the stock bushings. Same for sway bar bushings. All my present bushings are the stock type. With my old steering parts, the holes in the links got egged out. Thats where most of the slop was in the steering. Actually, mine never was too sloppy with steering. Mine was mainly a tire wear issue. But I decided to redo the whole mess while I was at it. It should be years before I have to fool with the front end again, and I like that "almost new" feel. I had to tighten up my steering gear a tiny bit after I did that overhaul and alignment. It had a bit of slop I never noticed before the front end was tight. I'd be very careful if you try to adjust the steering gear. Go in very small amounts, and test the steering each time you adjust. Any signs of binding, or lack of returnability, and it's too tight. Will ruin it if it's too tight , too long. It usually will only need a small amount to clean up the slop. MK

 

Thanks for all the help guys.......speaking of alignment ...i have to take my truck to a place callled STILTNER's in Glouster, Va.

They have to bend the axle on my truck to align it just right....Ford I-beams....

Thanks for all the horn help.........

-CHOPERJ