It seems that when the big coil spring is used it is always making contact with the three metal points in the colums, therefore my horn is always sounding. At first I thought it was the fact that the little spring and plunger were always in contact but, just touch that big coil by itself to the brass contacts and HONK!
Can anyone help me sort this out?
Thanks
Jeff J

 

Just buy the rebuild kit. It is like $40 for a tilt and telescoping and about $20 for a non-telescoping. I bought the $40 one for mine after it started sounding randomly. Although, I could have gotten away with spending two dollars on three new nylon rivets. Ah well, atleast it's all nice and shiney. The kit only gave me one shim though, I needed to reuse my original three. Well, I hope it works, seems to be fine so far in my tests with the car parked, haven't had the chance to drive it yet. You can pop the button off and it may solve the problem but look like hell, but atleast you can drive the car.

 

what exactly do the three shims do? I'm having the same problems myself.

 

do you have a link to the specific kit? It seems to me I would be purchasing parts that are already there?
What if its grounding out deeper in the column. I think I need to understand how the big coil spring for tilt/tele affects the horn....

 

Go to http://www.corvettefaq.com and look under Steering. Download:

Tilt & Telescoping Column 69-82 Blowup Pic

and also download

Steering Wheel and Horn Parts Pic for the year C3 that you own; 69-75, 76, or 77-82.

The large coil spring should be part of the lower contact (#12 on the 69-75 pic; #1 on the 76, 77-82 pics)

The spring should rest on a plastic insulator (#1 "C" Ring Retainer shown on the blowup picture). This plastic part is quite important because it keeps the large spring from grounding on the Lock Plate #3 and blowing the horn. The retainer is available from GM dealers #7808385.

With the retainer in place, the spring should only rest on the three brass contacts that are part of the Horn Contact Carrier #4. The contacts extend up and through the Lock Plate #3. If the spring touches the lock plate, your horn will blow!

This might be the cause of your problems.

 

Jim,
Thanks for the reply. Let me see if I understand this correctly now...
You said
<<With the retainer in place, the spring should only rest on the three
brass contacts that are part of the Horn Contact Carrier #4. The
contacts extend up and through the Lock Plate #3. If the spring touches the
lock plate, your horn will blow!
>>
I assume you mean rest in the "c" ring retainer which would mean they wouldn't make contact until the horn button is pressed?

Also does this mean that it is normal for the small spring under the pushrod to be touching the lower contact metal at all times? It seems to me this is where the "actual" contact is made...
Here are some pics of where I'm at.


Does it look like anything is missing?

Thanks for the help
Jeff J





[Modified by jorall, 2:27 PM 3/18/2003]

 

In your last photo, you are missing the retainer that I mentioned. It should be on top of the lock plate.

If the spring contacts the lock plate your horn will blow. Since you are missing the plastic retainer, you can try the following. Take duct tape and cover the lock plate. Take an Exacto knife and cut out small windows in the duct tape at the three brass contacts that are sticking through the lock plate. Now your spring will only contact the brass contacts. Your horn should work correctly.

BTW, great pictures!


[Modified by Jim Shea, 9:08 PM 3/18/2003]

 

This is where I'm confused when the spring hits the 3 brass contacts the horn blows...which means when it is installed it is constantly touching...am I missing something in my understanding?
Where does the horn button and the small spring and rod come into play?
Thanks for the help

 

Jeff,
I have just sent you my paper entitled Horn Operation Diagnosis. It can also be found at http://www.corvettefaq.com under Steering.

Here is how the horn is supposed to work. There is a black ground wire coming from the horn relay that connects to the steering column. When that wire connects to the vehicle ground, the relay closes and the horn will blow. So when you depress your horn button, that ground circuit is completed from the black wire through your horn button, and then down through the steering column shaft, down to the steering gear, and into the frame and back to the battery.

The steering column has a flat (harmonica) connecter the connects to the vehicle wiring harness. The last wire in the steering column connecter is a black wire. The next is a pink wire. The next wire (the third one) is another black wire. This is the horn ground wire.

There should be continuity from that third wire up to the spring loaded eyelet plunger sticking up at the horn button upper contact on the steering wheel. (When the big spring just touches the brass contacts, you are only completing the circuit from the third wire to the eyelet plunger.)

Now when you press the horn button you should complete the circuit and there should be continuity from the third wire all the way to the lower end of the steering column steering shaft down by the steering gear.

So from what you describe, if the horn blows when the big spring just touches the brass horn contact, then the horn circuit must be completed further upstream on the steering column (i.e. a bad horn contact, a missing insulator, etc.)

Jim Shea