TexasA&M, You need to start your own thread if you can't find your answer in a post. Highjacking a 3 year old post isn't helping you.

Keep it to one topic, the air horns, or the guages. Not both in the same post.

Welcome to FTE, by the way...... Obviously, you have only a little forum experience. We'll fix that for you too....... along with your truck......

Make your next post a introduction of yourself and post PICS of your truck. If you don't know how, We'll help you, but start a new post first. This one is dead.

 

Note the Blue wire is the ground as noted in the following post.

I have an A pillar mount with three other gauges there. This was the last place left to mount the Volt meter.

 

Funny you say that. Usually people get burned for coming into a forum and starting a new post without searching.

I actually found the answer in this post, but I needed clarification because one post mentioned a yellow wire, and another mentioned a blue.

Anyhow, I'll start another thread for gauge placement, but I didn't think it was appropriate to to have a full new thread to give another member props for his install.

Thanks for the info Lonewolftx. From your signature, it looks like I have the exact same truck as you. (woops, did that need a new post???)

 

Back to the wiring topic of this post, can someone explain to me how and why you would need to wire the negative horn wire through a relay? I can't get a picture of that in my head... I can understand using a relay if you tapped into the positive, but why (and how) do you need one with the negative side?

Thanks for the help!!

 

I'm sure that I'm just being ignorant and blind, but I can't find a solid blue where anywhere under the dash. I've checked the bundles that look like they are coming from the column, but no luck. Any recollection as to which bundle the wire is in? Does that blue wire run through the firewall all the way to the actual horn, or does it terminate somewhere else?

Thanks for the help.

- Steve

 

Mine was found on the steering column, so you need to look around the collar and up the column itself as it is not in a bundle.

 

Good to know!! I'll pull it apart this weekend and see what I can find. I had the underneath torn apart last night to install my upfitter switches, and looked everywhere for a blue wire, but to no avail. Hoping to get these horns wired up in the next week!

 

I don't have my truck anymore, so unfortunately I can't just go out and look. The blue wire is a small wire, maybe 18 gauge? And if I remember right, it was inside the yellow sheathing coming off the steering column. From what I understand, most of this bundle of wires is for the air bag, so be careful to cut the right one! lol.

Hope this helps, and enjoy the horn! I miss mine.

 

Thanks for the info. I'm going to pull it apart again on Sunday and find either the blue ground, or the yellow/green hot wire. Either way, it will run through a relay so that when the truck is off, only the electric horn sounds (for the beep when double clicking the lock button on the key fob). I can use either hot or ground for this... just hoping that one is easier to find than the other!

I've got the horns, compressor, and tank all mounted. I just have to get the wiring done now!

 

Screw the new thread Texas, you're doing fine as this one has been plenty helpful as I've got the same project going on right now. Like you, everything is installed with just the wiring to the horns to complete. The blue wire you're looking for comes out of a gray 8 pin connector that is about 6 inches to the right of the fuse box. When grounded the stock horn will sound so if you use that wire as the ground to the new solenoid and power the other solenoid wire through a switch you should be able to sound the deadly blast.

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Thanks for the picture Mr. Sandman. I didn't have much time last night, but I did pull the cover off and I spotted that wire. I had a suspicion that it was the right one, and now you've confirmed what I thought.

I'm hoping to get the rest of the wiring done tonight and be able to bring her to life.

For my own curiosity, what do you have tapped on to the yellow wire in your picture?

 

My wire taps? I wondered the same thing when I opened everything up again but I can't recall exactly although I'm sure the taps are from when I installed my a-pillar gauges

 

Finally got everything mounted and wired up tonight. I have one glitch that I need to work out. I wired the compressor relay to energize with upfitter switch #3 (the wire runs from the upfitter switch to the pressure switch on the tank, then another wire runs from the other side of the pressure switch to the relay). I also wired the air horn relay to upfitter switch #3. I tapped into the stock horn ground wire coming from the steering column. Switch #3 energizes a relay, and pushing on the steering wheel horn button grounds it, thus sending power out to the horns. I did it this way so that the air horns could be turned off if necessary, and so that only the electric horn sounds when locking the truck with the key fob. Here is where things get interesting; when the tank is not full, and the compressor is not running (key and or upfitter #3 off), the electric horn sounds constantly. If the tank is full, or the compressor is running, the electric horn works normally. Any idea what would cause the stock horn to sound when the pressure switch is closed and there is no power running through it?

I may end up tapping into the hot horn wire to activate the relay. I think this would fix my issue.

Anyhow, here are some pictures of the install. It's not easy to take pictures from under the truck, but ya'll will get the idea.

The tank and compressor are mounted on the passenger side frame rail, under the rear door.







The horns are mounted on the driver's side, under the front door. They would not fit on the passenger side due to the mounting of my transmission filter on that frame rail.

 

Things are looking good Texas! I still have to wire mine but from the sound of things (no pun) you're on the right track. As for your horn sounding issue, it sounds like power is being back fed somehow. I'd like to wire mine in about the same but being an 04 I don't have upfitters so I added two small rocker switches, one for the compressor and one that will turn turn power on to the new horns so they sound when activating the stock horn or when off I can sound the stock horn only. I just need to find the right wire, which from the other posts is yellow w/ a green tracer. Please confirm this if you get there before I do and if you can post up a pic of the wire location that would be great as the other pics aren't 100% clear on the correct wire and there seems to be more than one. In looking at my gauges my wire taps are for them, one is for instrument lights and the other is switched power.

Now a question for you, why the plastic box for the compressor? Aren't you worried about drawing air and overheating? I know mine gets blazing hot and it's in the open on the side of the frame rail.

 

The plastic box is to keep the water, etc off of the compressor and electrical connections. I hadn't considered it to be an overheating issue, but you're the second person to mention it, so I guess that I should reconsider. I'm thinking that I could just add some vent holes in the bottom to help air flow and also keep most of the water/etc out.

As for the wiring, I did find the yellow w/green tracer on the back of the fuse box today. It got dark on me, so I wasn't able to re-wire, but I will work on tackling that this weekend. That should clear my issue up. I'll take a pic and not which bundle it's in if I get to it before you, but it was pretty easy to find, so hopefully you will have some luck.

I do think that using the blue ground wire would work for you if you're using two seperate switches. I think my troubles stem from wiring both relays (compressor and air horn solenoids) on the same switch. When the compressor isn't on, the wire is effectively a ground, and connects to my stock horn. If you use two switches, you should be fine.