Horn Problems
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,044
Likes: 0
From: Henrico VA
Horn Problems
I did my best to follow Jim Shea's papers and they are great, but my horn doesn't work and sometimes goes off when I make turns. What can I check when I take the column apart again? Also, the horn used to work except when I made a 90 degree turn of the wheel - I tried to clean a bunch of the contacts, but I want to be able to follow the horn down the column.
-Adam
-Adam
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 8,117
Likes: 104
From: charlotte north carolina
pull the black wire off the horn relay and ground the lug that it was attached to-not the black wire. the horn should sound. if it doesn't test for 12v at the lug. if you have 12v at the lug, test the horn. if that all tests ok, pull the horn pad and the horn contact and put a voltmeter on the spring loaded button that the horn contact touches. you should have 12v. if you have voltage at the relay, but not the button, your problem is, of course, the wiring. if you do have 12v at the button, ground the button with a test lead, and the horn should sound. if it sounds, the horn contact is bad. i had an after market (non-gm) horn contact that wasn't assembled propery and every time i hit a bump, the horn would sound. it made me feel like an idiot. got a real gm contact and all was ok.
what puzzles me is when you say the horn won't sound when you have the wheel turned sharply. put the meter on the 12v button and turn the wheel back and forth-you may want to jack the front end up to do this- and see if the voltage changes.
what puzzles me is when you say the horn won't sound when you have the wheel turned sharply. put the meter on the 12v button and turn the wheel back and forth-you may want to jack the front end up to do this- and see if the voltage changes.
Former Vendor
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 76,656
Likes: 1,850
From: Jeffersonville Indiana 812-288-7103
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
I did my best to follow Jim Shea's papers and they are great, but my horn doesn't work and sometimes goes off when I make turns. What can I check when I take the column apart again? Also, the horn used to work except when I made a 90 degree turn of the wheel - I tried to clean a bunch of the contacts, but I want to be able to follow the horn down the column.
-Adam
-Adam
Or you could have a broken rivet in the contact.
But more times than not when the horn blows out of the blue it's in the lower contact insulator being broken. Did you replace this while you were in there. With age they become very brittle.
Sounds (no joke intended) like you you have everything OK outside the column and you have a short inside.
Willcox
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,044
Likes: 0
From: Henrico VA
Thanks! I haven't had any time to get the column apart again. I have to go all the way down to the lock cylinder 
if I want to see what I did wrong with your T&T buzzer switch (thanks btw-it was a while ago I bought it from you).
if I want to see what I did wrong with your T&T buzzer switch (thanks btw-it was a while ago I bought it from you).
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Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 4,883
Likes: 11
From: North Easton Mass
I had a problem with the horn blowing intermittently after I replaced the turn signal switch. The screw that sits highest on the switch assembly (IIRC it holds a metal bracket for the lever) was touching the rotating assembly at some points and grounding the horn circuit. I ground a little off the metal braket so that the screw would sit lower and the problem was fixed.
Rick B.
Rick B.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,044
Likes: 0
From: Henrico VA
I might be able to do a little bit today. I will make sure to check that.
I had a problem with the horn blowing intermittently after I replaced the turn signal switch. The screw that sits highest on the switch assembly (IIRC it holds a metal bracket for the lever) was touching the rotating assembly at some points and grounding the horn circuit. I ground a little off the metal braket so that the screw would sit lower and the problem was fixed.
Rick B.
Rick B.
