horn not working
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 347
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From: charlotte, nc
When I push the horn rubber/contact strip cover, all I get is a thud sound
Maybe you can borrow a horn from somewhere, connect it to your relay and see if it works.
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 64
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From: texas
Thanks dotcentral, although mine has a rubber horn contact area on th steering wheel (two spoke, 1983), I am going to re-visit the contact strips as a result of your experience with the horn button type, which is like my 63 Fairlane wheel (3 spoke). And I'll run a hot wire from to the horns again to make sure they work.
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 205
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From: Silverdale WA
would a bad relay still be the case with duel horns? One works and the other doesn't. Its that way on both trucks, only its opposite horns that work(drivers side on Blue passengers on Goblin)
On Goblin one wire goes into the passenger side (working) horn. Down before it reaches the horn a blind monkey soddered on the wire that goes to the drivers side horn and covered it with duct tape. He then spray painted it, and all of the wires coming out of the solenoid, orange. The wire he soddered on was in dissrepair so he covered it in more duct tape and painted it orange. (What is wrong with you people?)
On Blue's one wire goes into the 'plug" (to the passenger side horn) and another comes out of the plug and to the other (working) horn. (ah the way things should be) Can it still be the relay since the wire has to pass through a connection to the nonworking horn? Do you think they'd even have relays for duel horns at Napa?
On Goblin one wire goes into the passenger side (working) horn. Down before it reaches the horn a blind monkey soddered on the wire that goes to the drivers side horn and covered it with duct tape. He then spray painted it, and all of the wires coming out of the solenoid, orange. The wire he soddered on was in dissrepair so he covered it in more duct tape and painted it orange. (What is wrong with you people?)
On Blue's one wire goes into the 'plug" (to the passenger side horn) and another comes out of the plug and to the other (working) horn. (ah the way things should be) Can it still be the relay since the wire has to pass through a connection to the nonworking horn? Do you think they'd even have relays for duel horns at Napa?
Last edited by OldBlue67; Oct 9, 2003 at 03:49 PM.
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 64
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From: texas
Horn not working / reay
My 1983 F150 is wired like the second vehicle you mentioned. However, my 3 prong horn relay has only (1) wire connected, this seems wrong to me. Shouldn't it have at least (2) wires, one "in" and one "out", otherwise how does the relay get enerized? I have power at the steering wheel, and the horn(s) work with a "hot wire" from the battery to the horn(s). When I press on the rubber horn plate at the steering wheel, I hear a "thud" which I assume is the relay, but the horn(s) wont blow from here. So, is it the lack of the proper number of wires hooked to the horn relay, a short, or a bad ground of something, or a bad secondary horn (which sounds muted compared to the primary horn to me) or something in the column?
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,622
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From: nevada
more bad horn sounds
I once had a bad sounding horn that made me start drinking before I found the "fix". The former owner had taken the horns off and re-installed them upside down. They had gotten some water inside them at some point in time and gotten rusted up I suppose. Probably when I pressure washed under the hood. I had tried all of the above solutions before I discovered the problem.
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,622
Likes: 0
From: nevada
more bad horn sounds
I once had a bad sounding horn that made me start drinking before I found the "fix". The former owner had taken the horns off and re-installed them upside down. They had gotten some water inside them at some point in time and gotten rusted up I suppose. Probably when I pressure washed under the hood. I had tried all of the above solutions before I discovered the problem.
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 64
Likes: 0
From: texas
Thanks, Baitmaster, the horns are installed correctly, but that is a good point for horns and other items. The latest solution seems to be removing the seconday horn, which will not blow on or offthe vehicle, an may be pulling too many amps. I tried adjusting it via the screw on the back, but to avail. If it will work this way for whenver it's needed, particularly thru inspection, I will be happy.
