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Hello I have a 1977 corvette. The horn does not work I am still trying to get behind the steering wheel since I noticed I saw some wired spliced into behind it but theres this button under the steering wheel that at once probably might have been a secondary horn button. Does not look factory and its wired all the way to the horns in the front only by tying wires togethers. The only reason Im asking is that the 2 red wires it is connected to is stuffed through the firewall pretty snug and not like the rest of it. Im asking if its important before I rip it out.
Not factory. If you pop the horn button off you should see (Corvette Central Part Numbers) CORVETTE HORN CONTACT - WITH TELESCOPIC STEERING COLUMN Item# 563110, CORVETTE HORN CONTACT AND SPRING KIT Item# 562120, CORVETTE HORN CONTACT CARRIER RETAINER - WITH TILT AND TELESCOPIC STEERING COLUMN Item# 563022, CORVETTE HORN CONTACT - UPPER WITH SPRING - T & T Item# 56311.
Here is a link to the diagram that shows all the components and there placement http://www.parts123.com/corvettecent...50g&ukey=13083
I haven't torn apart my steering wheel past the hub. I read elsewhere the steering tilt connects to something and my tilt doesn't do anything. Is it worth tearing into the steering wheel itself more or maybe take off the dashboard gauges like I'm doing
I am of no help with tearing into the column, I know there are some that have rebuilt theirs. I have taken mine down to the turn signal cam but that's it. I know there are also some paper out there on how to do it. Check out Jim Shea's web sit, he has a lot of useful information, his web site is http://jimshea.corvettefaq.com/?cat=12
Sorry I have a 77 it appears anything after 76 may be different. The 2 wires were stuck through a little hose in the firewall. Im wonder what used to be there
Early has the alarm in the fender and late has it in the door. When it warms up I'll pull the cover off of mine and check that area on mine (-14 today). Want to make sure knowing the alarm wire has to go somewhere and I am not sure if it enters in that area. The only difference I know between the 76 and 77 columns is the cruise control is mounted in the column. So utilizing Jim Shea's paper would still be a good reference on how the column comes apart and where all the parts go. Its the one I used, when I took mine down to the turn signal cam, the breakdown would get you in the ball park.
Okay mine would be a late 77 then. I thought no 77s had alarms on the fenders at all. Curious where the door alarm is but I'll have to tear apart the steering again to see if I see anything. Yes I have cruise control on the column also
The aftermarket button on the lower cover is probably wired into the factory horn wire at the lower steering column connection.
Why? There is probably a failure in the parts in the column. People normally scared of the steering columns, and I don't blame them. What would the failure be.. possibly something as simple as the lower contact being broke or the upper horn contact missing the plastic insulators. (it may have been easier for the PO to just wire in a button where he did)
The upper contact had plastic rivets in it and when they break they will usually cause the horn to go of continuously.
On the other side is the lower contact, which can break or have something wrong with it.
Installed it looks like this.
I took apart my horn assembly previously, the upper contact looks completely fine and the rivets and everything are fine. The lower contact on the little spring actually fell down and wasnt connected. I put that back in where it should. Tested the horn, No go. I got a new horn relay, no go. I tested power to both horns themselves and they both work, I even have power to the relay connector when I press the horn button down.
I took apart the steering wheel until this point because then I need a steering wheel puller. The snap ring on the steering wheel bolt actually wasnt there either. Heres what behind it looks like if you can see anything missing there too. I cant move the steering column up and down either even after taking out the column lock. Maybe that is jammed.
Oh and that button that was not factory at all? there were 2 red wires that went up to the horns. Where you can see the green wire is cut is where a red wire was connected to each end of the green wire that was cut. (That is how the wire originally went right? I cannot find any pictures of that either.
And this last pic is up under my dash taken where my phone can get to it and not me. You can see 2 wires have been spliced into so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with why my horns do not work but definitely not factory and why Im trying to take apart my dash only to see what these wires are for. Help?
On that diagram you showed me it said I should check the continuity to the bulk head connection. What is that exactly? I got a steering wheel puller, but it's for a modern steering wheel..ugh.
If I press the horn and there's power going to the relay then it's not an issue in the steering column at all is it..?
On that diagram you showed me it said I should check the continuity to the bulk head connection. What is that exactly? I got a steering wheel puller, but it's for a modern steering wheel..ugh.
If I press the horn and there's power going to the relay then it's not an issue in the steering column at all is it..?
Nope...
Unplug the relay, test the red wire for power. If it is hot, jumper this wire to the green and the horn should blow. This confirms that the system is okay from the relay to the horn and that the problem is somewhere between the relay and the upper steering column.
The wire inside the column (black) is not a hot wire, it is a ground which completes the grounding circuit for the relay. When the relay gets ground it will then pass voltage from the red to the green.
The bulk head connector is the fuse panel where the wires pass from inside to the outside of the car.
If I were you, and since there is already an aftermarket horn button mounted.... I would remove the lower column cover and see what wires were hacked into to make that button work. I'd un-plug that button and test to see if one of the wires pass's continuity to the lower contact. If it does then great, you'll need to find the break between there and the relay. But this circuit is pretty simple to figure out so don't give up.
Willcox
Last edited by Willcox Corvette; Jan 4, 2015 at 05:44 PM.
Was this factory?
