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Horns Not Working

Old Mar 21, 2022 | 04:34 PM
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Default Horns Not Working

For some reason the horns on our 99 FRC decided not to work. I tried blowing them and after several attempts got one quick beep. I went under the hood and switched the relay out with one that I know is good. Nothing. This has happened before; however, they suddenly started to work again. I really not worried; however, I need to get my inspection sticker - really don't need the hassle of a failed inspection.

.Any suggestions other than wait until they work again.

Thank you in advance.
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Old Mar 21, 2022 | 05:52 PM
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Check if the horns work when powered directly. if so don't worry about them.

Check if the horn button completes a circuit. The horn membranes are notorious for failing as they age. They can be taken apart and cleaned internally until they work well. Also there are some replacement horn membranes available. It takes just as much work to replace as repair a horn membrane. Its just not as sloppy. You are dealing with the driver's side airbag so you must be careful or you'll get a face full.



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Old Mar 21, 2022 | 06:13 PM
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Originally Posted by johnson-rod
Check if the horns work when powered directly. if so don't worry about them.

Check if the horn button completes a circuit. The horn membranes are notorious for failing as they age. They can be taken apart and cleaned internally until they work well. Also there are some replacement horn membranes available. It takes just as much work to replace as repair a horn membrane. Its just not as sloppy. You are dealing with the driver's side airbag so you must be careful or you'll get a face full.
OP should try locking the car with the Fob, with DIC set to honk horn for notification. If they honk then, you're right, it's probably the bladder. C&S in Sarasota Florida has reasonably priced repops. That's what I had to do. If that proves to be the problem, OP needs to be VERY careful removing the steering bezel. Can't buy them new anymore, and damn hard to find a used one in good condition. Plastic can get pretty brittle when 20 years old!!
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Old Mar 21, 2022 | 06:22 PM
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Does the horns not beep when using the “panic” button on the FOB when it’s not working ??…a while ago the horn wasn’t working on my 01 and I removed the airbag module on the steering wheel and then removed the ground wire (see pic)… you turn the connector a quarter turn and then remove…I cleaned the tip with some emery cloth, reinstalled and it worked fine after that…it did not look bad…no real oxidation seen…yesterday I checked the horn and it was not working again…5 minutes ago I went into the garage and with the FOB no horn but I heard a relay clicking continuously underhood...it was the horn relay so I removed and reinstalled and the horn started working…even though you swapped it out with a known good relay you should get yourself a terminal test kit (Amazon) and do a “drag or terminal tension test ”…find the tool with the same thickness as the relay blades and make sure you feel a drag as you insert the tool into each of the 4 relay terminals…a pin may be spread apart…if a blade is making good contact you should see wear marks across those blades (see pic)…you should check the splice pack 100 pin A which is the ground for the horn and located behind the right headlight bucket…you will have to take the splice pack apart to check…your issue may also be in the horn membrane…with it out you can see if you have continuity across it using an ohm meter when pushing on the horn membrane…try applying 12 volts to the horn directly and see if it works too !!


Last edited by C5 Diag; Mar 21, 2022 at 06:31 PM.
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Old Mar 21, 2022 | 06:34 PM
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Originally Posted by grinder11
OP should try locking the car with the Fob, with DIC set to honk horn for notification. If they honk then, you're right, it's probably the bladder. C&S in Sarasota Florida has reasonably priced repops. That's what I had to do. If that proves to be the problem, OP needs to be VERY careful removing the steering bezel. Can't buy them new anymore, and damn hard to find a used one in good condition. Plastic can get pretty brittle when 20 years old!!
My horn didn’t work when we left the Corvette show yesterday…go figure !!
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Old Mar 21, 2022 | 06:51 PM
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Originally Posted by C5 Diag
My horn didn’t work when we left the Corvette show yesterday…go figure !!
You parked too close yesterday, Rob, and some of my gremlins musta jumped ship!!!
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Old Mar 23, 2022 | 02:53 PM
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I have owned my 04 C5 for 7+ years and never used it. Just saying... Too many wackos out there with guns.
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Old Mar 24, 2022 | 01:19 PM
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Originally Posted by rrwirsi
I have owned my 04 C5 for 7+ years and never used it. Just saying... Too many wackos out there with guns.
I agree on that, and also plenty w/o guns, too!!
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