1972 horn assembly issue
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 469
Likes: 24
From: Kansas City KS
It appears like I'm missing some sort of plastic insulator that keeps the spring touching the correct contacts but not the center rod. Search for it so far hasn't turned up anything, I must not know the correct name.
This thread had the info but the zip corvette link is dead.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ng-column.html
EDIT: Found it, it was called a plastic retainer. Ordered.
EDIT 2: Now have continuity in the wiring harness. My multimeter probes I was borrowing are evidently flaky depending on how you hold them (must be loose wire in one of them). So attaching the retainer should fix the issue hopefully (if I can get the steering hub off).
This thread had the info but the zip corvette link is dead.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ng-column.html
EDIT: Found it, it was called a plastic retainer. Ordered.
EDIT 2: Now have continuity in the wiring harness. My multimeter probes I was borrowing are evidently flaky depending on how you hold them (must be loose wire in one of them). So attaching the retainer should fix the issue hopefully (if I can get the steering hub off).
Last edited by taylor34; Feb 11, 2018 at 10:06 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,815
Likes: 470
From: Wichita Kansas
It appears like I'm missing some sort of plastic insulator that keeps the spring touching the correct contacts but not the center rod. Search for it so far hasn't turned up anything, I must not know the correct name.
This thread had the info but the zip corvette link is dead.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ng-column.html
EDIT: Found it, it was called a plastic retainer. Ordered.
EDIT 2: Now have continuity in the wiring harness. My multimeter probes I was borrowing are evidently flaky depending on how you hold them (must be loose wire in one of them). So attaching the retainer should fix the issue hopefully (if I can get the steering hub off).
This thread had the info but the zip corvette link is dead.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ng-column.html
EDIT: Found it, it was called a plastic retainer. Ordered.
EDIT 2: Now have continuity in the wiring harness. My multimeter probes I was borrowing are evidently flaky depending on how you hold them (must be loose wire in one of them). So attaching the retainer should fix the issue hopefully (if I can get the steering hub off).
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 469
Likes: 24
From: Kansas City KS
Did you ever get the hub off? There is a tool, can usually borrow it from AutoZone or O'Reilly's. You take that nut off the threaded column stud and the tool will have two bolts that screw into the hub on either side of center column stud, and a centerpiece on the tool will thread down and push on the column stud and pull the hub off. I fashioned my own, a straight bar with holes for the two bolts to go thru and into the hub, then put a socket or something in the middle onto the center column stud, then you thread the two bolts down evenly and it will pull the hub off.
That was MUCH easier. However, it seems I have a wire break between the connector underneath the steering wheel and the horn relay.
I've been probing it out and can't get any signal at all from that black connector underneath to the relay. The wire just disappears into the harness in the engine bay and then reappears underneath the steering wheel. This seems like it would be hard to fix without taking the harness apart.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,815
Likes: 470
From: Wichita Kansas
[QUOTE=taylor34;1596618271]Well, I cheated and instead of taking the hub off I just made a small cut in the plastic shield and slid it around the column. That was MUCH easier.
However, it seems I have a wire break between the connector underneath the steering wheel and the horn relay. I've been probing it out and can't get any signal at all from that black connector underneath to the relay. The wire just disappears into the harness in the engine bay and then reappears underneath the steering wheel. This seems like it would be hard to fix without taking the harness apart.[/
Sorry I can't help you there, my electrical skills are sadly and grossly lacking...
That was MUCH easier. However, it seems I have a wire break between the connector underneath the steering wheel and the horn relay.
I've been probing it out and can't get any signal at all from that black connector underneath to the relay. The wire just disappears into the harness in the engine bay and then reappears underneath the steering wheel. This seems like it would be hard to fix without taking the harness apart.[/Sorry I can't help you there, my electrical skills are sadly and grossly lacking...
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 469
Likes: 24
From: Kansas City KS
I wanted to post a follow-up to this whole thing, I've got my horn working! What I found is that somebody replaced the black side of the wiring harness connector below the steering wheel, and when they did that they switched the two black wires accidentally. I switched them back and suddenly it works. However, I will also note that for the first 10 times, only the relay work with no sound. The horn took a little bit of time to start working again. So in summary, my car had:
wires switched under column
bad plastic ring in column
missing spring and metal piece in column
wrong piece for horn for tilt and telescoping wheel installed
probably bad relay, replaced before finding out 100%
The ONLY thing in the whole chain that worked was the actual horn, lol.
wires switched under column
bad plastic ring in column
missing spring and metal piece in column
wrong piece for horn for tilt and telescoping wheel installed
probably bad relay, replaced before finding out 100%
The ONLY thing in the whole chain that worked was the actual horn, lol.
