Horn problem
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 884
Likes: 84
From: New Boston, NH
Horn problem
Hi all,
Have a problem that I hope someone can help me resolve. Here is the setup. I have a 75 that I am attempting to install a T/T column from a 79 into. The column appears to be in good working order and the only work I have done to it is do replace the ignition lock. Disassembled and re-assembled according to Jim Shea's papers, but upon install, once I connect the harmonica, the horn starts blowing and will not stop. I thought that I must have positioned the insulator over the c clip incorrectly so I pulled the hub back off to check. Looks to be installed correctly. I tried connecting the harmonica again without the hub installed and got the same result, horn. Checked continuity from the 3rd black wire to the horn contacts, continuity. Just for fun, I reinstalled the original column and all was fine. Anyone have any ideas? This has got me stumped.
Thanks,
Bryan
Have a problem that I hope someone can help me resolve. Here is the setup. I have a 75 that I am attempting to install a T/T column from a 79 into. The column appears to be in good working order and the only work I have done to it is do replace the ignition lock. Disassembled and re-assembled according to Jim Shea's papers, but upon install, once I connect the harmonica, the horn starts blowing and will not stop. I thought that I must have positioned the insulator over the c clip incorrectly so I pulled the hub back off to check. Looks to be installed correctly. I tried connecting the harmonica again without the hub installed and got the same result, horn. Checked continuity from the 3rd black wire to the horn contacts, continuity. Just for fun, I reinstalled the original column and all was fine. Anyone have any ideas? This has got me stumped.
Thanks,
Bryan
Intermediate
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 49
Likes: 8
You probably know that the horn doesn't work by activating a hot wire, but by grounding the contact at the horn cap.
So any bare wire in that circuit going down could have grounded somewhere in the column (best guess at this point).
It's not difficult to pull the flat wire harness out of the column, so you might want to do that and inspect it closely. A wire could have been bared in the tilt column around the area of the tilt.
Not giving an answer, just a place to start to look because I have to assume that you already checked out the contact itself and what's going on around there and the horn cap. There are some spacers under the horn cap retainer and you want to be sure that those are all in there as well (they're stacked).
So any bare wire in that circuit going down could have grounded somewhere in the column (best guess at this point).
It's not difficult to pull the flat wire harness out of the column, so you might want to do that and inspect it closely. A wire could have been bared in the tilt column around the area of the tilt.
Not giving an answer, just a place to start to look because I have to assume that you already checked out the contact itself and what's going on around there and the horn cap. There are some spacers under the horn cap retainer and you want to be sure that those are all in there as well (they're stacked).
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 884
Likes: 84
From: New Boston, NH
You probably know that the horn doesn't work by activating a hot wire, but by grounding the contact at the horn cap.
So any bare wire in that circuit going down could have grounded somewhere in the column (best guess at this point).
It's not difficult to pull the flat wire harness out of the column, so you might want to do that and inspect it closely. A wire could have been bared in the tilt column around the area of the tilt.
Not giving an answer, just a place to start to look because I have to assume that you already checked out the contact itself and what's going on around there and the horn cap. There are some spacers under the horn cap retainer and you want to be sure that those are all in there as well (they're stacked).
So any bare wire in that circuit going down could have grounded somewhere in the column (best guess at this point).
It's not difficult to pull the flat wire harness out of the column, so you might want to do that and inspect it closely. A wire could have been bared in the tilt column around the area of the tilt.
Not giving an answer, just a place to start to look because I have to assume that you already checked out the contact itself and what's going on around there and the horn cap. There are some spacers under the horn cap retainer and you want to be sure that those are all in there as well (they're stacked).
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 884
Likes: 84
From: New Boston, NH
So I pulled the turn signal switch out and plugged just that in to the harness in the car and got the same result. Horn. I don’t see any wire damage but it seems as if the switch is bad. I’ll order a new one and see how that goes.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 19,294
Likes: 2,753
From: Charlotte NC
Before you go out adn buy a new switch...what you are describing does not make any sense due to the GROUND signal for the horn is ONLY when they horn button is pressed. So having the turn signal switch out of the column and laying on nothing metal...there should be no way for a ground signal to get to the black wire for the hon circuit.I would verify wires and color placement in the harmonica connector.
Do you know how to remove the terminals in the harmonica connector that is on the end of the turn signal switch??? If so...remove the one that goes to the black wire in the car side wirng harness connector for your horn and see that when you plug it in...does the horn go off. it should not but NOW check and see if that black wire you took out of the turn signal side of the connector is now a GROUND or not.
Let us know..
DUB
Do you know how to remove the terminals in the harmonica connector that is on the end of the turn signal switch??? If so...remove the one that goes to the black wire in the car side wirng harness connector for your horn and see that when you plug it in...does the horn go off. it should not but NOW check and see if that black wire you took out of the turn signal side of the connector is now a GROUND or not.
Let us know..
DUB
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 884
Likes: 84
From: New Boston, NH
Dub,
Thanks for your reply. I think you may be on to something. I went down to the garage and just ran a jumper across the two black wires and the horn did not blow. However, upon closer inspection, I saw that the 78 turn signal switch side of the harmonica, while similar, is slightly different that the one on the 75 column and doesn’t line up correctly with the dash side of the harmonica. After seeing that it occurred to me that I’m pretty sure I read something to that affect in Jim Shea’s papers and that when doing the swap it may be necessary to move the wires from the newer harmonica over to the old one. I will try that out tomorrow and post my results.
Bryan
Thanks for your reply. I think you may be on to something. I went down to the garage and just ran a jumper across the two black wires and the horn did not blow. However, upon closer inspection, I saw that the 78 turn signal switch side of the harmonica, while similar, is slightly different that the one on the 75 column and doesn’t line up correctly with the dash side of the harmonica. After seeing that it occurred to me that I’m pretty sure I read something to that affect in Jim Shea’s papers and that when doing the swap it may be necessary to move the wires from the newer harmonica over to the old one. I will try that out tomorrow and post my results.
Bryan
