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Horns (Sorry!! I've read previous threads - honest!)


Colin

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WD40 has many uses, over 2000 they claim, but it is not a penetrating oil to ease the loosening of seized threads.   The WD40 company recognises this and markets a "WD40 Specilialist Penetrant" spray: WD-40 Specialist Fast Release Penetrant Spray (wd40.co.uk)   I have never, ever, seen this on sale in the UK!

Rather, I use a product that has impressed me, Innotec Deblock: Deblock Oil XS - PCS Innotec International

John

(No connection with either company)

 

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28 minutes ago, Colin said:

Definitive help indeed! 

As mentioned before the horn circuit is always live so you don't need the ignition on as the horn should always work. This must have caused great hilarity in more amorous situations........!

Iain 

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Thanks Chaps! My Brother is doing his crust with me . . . As one of many previous test suggestions, I have connected a wire from the 12V connected terminal directly to a new shiny earth which he claims should hoot the horn - but doesn't . . . I'm sure I'm not carrying out his Whatsapp test instructions properly . . . 🤣🤣

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Ok will do. I'm only just in the garage. Gonna try your column test  suggestion, but I think my bro just suggested sumnat similar - brown/black cable removed from horn. Wire affixed to battery earth and other end touched to 12V horn terminal. Just get sparks. I'm assuming your purple/black is my brown/black . . . 😉

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So . . . I have just connected a wire between the steering box earth I  re-made (by extension, hopefully considering it to be the lower part of the column) and the top part of the steering column. Horn pushed. All I got was a spark. Second push illicited nothing . . . 

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Hi Doug.

They are new Lucas high & low pair - I tested on the bench with a jump start unit. They both sounded.

12V is on the supply side of the horns in situ and connected up. For me, that's brown only wire. Although I got a phantom reading with a new probe multimeter (and figured I shouldn't have 12V to both terminal on each horn!!) I then used a working 12V bulb with flying leads one end to the earth terminal (brown/black in my case) and the other on the 12V horn terminal with a resultant bright bulb lighting. I ascertained that the brown/black had NO power on them (whew!). And one end of wire to chassis eath point and other to 12V pos horn terminal only produces an initial spark, not an operating horn noise. I guess until I overhaul the filthy u/j (shown in a previous picture), I'll not have eliminated anything more.🙂

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The long brown wire from your loom, that runs from the engine bay and up the front chassis extension leg, goes to one horn terminal. This is power in. The other runs to earth, usually via the steering column horn push and back down. Earthing the opposite terminal to the one that the brown loom wire is connected to should work the horn. 

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Hi again, Colin. 

I cannot for the life of me understand how this is not working! I simply removed an (the) old horn. Put a new pair on. Used the existing wiring as was, all cleaned up and in the case of the o/s horn, with new spades (due to corrosion) and got nothing! 

It has to be a simple thing.

There's good voltage at the horn. The circuit has to be being 'blocked' somewhere. I hope to have a go at cleaning the u/j and its cabling In the next few days but the various tests my bro' and others have suggested have taken their toll on me for today - particularly as I don't really understand what their oitcome is meant to mean!! 🤣🤣

But yes - I have power to the horns via the brown only cabling and the opposite terminals are hooked up to the brown/black cabling on the secong terminal of each horn. It is beyond me what us not working - but, as with my loss of headlights and several other lighting issues since renovation, everything seems to be bad earth related . . . 

Best,

C.

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2 hours ago, Colin said:

Wire affixed to battery earth and other end touched to 12V horn terminal. Just get sparks.

Yes, you will, because the "12V" side of the horn is permanent battery positive (possibly fused) so that test is simply shorting the battery out. Bad idea! The test you need to do is to earth the OTHER side of the horn.

You can also test by connecting a wire from a good earth (e.g. body) to the ring at the top of the steering column. If the wheel is off this is visible. If it's still fitted, poke the wire down the hole where the horn pencil goes.

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Thanks, Non-Member. Probably what my Bro' has been berating me for!! Not testing properly 🤣

As this Forum has probably figured out, I get there in the end but always take the long way round! 

Over the weekend, I'll find a good earth and poke the other end down the pencil connector hole.

I'm guessing this'll indicate a bad earth (blasted u/j, isn't it!!?!).

And do the horn test properly!! 

Best,

C.

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Thanks! That looks familiar Iain:- however, I took 5 seconds out to stick my preprared speaker wire down the pencil connector hole and earthed to door handle and BINGO! Twin horns. So it HAS to be the u/j at fault, doesn't it?? 

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And conncting horn earth terminal wire to my fresh bare steel patch also activates them. Pretty bloomin' loud they are, too . . . 

Will confirm the u/j connecting scenario once I've attempted to undo it, clean it and reassembled.

Can't really understand why a u/j won't conduct an earth current - or for that matter, how the car actually earths itself - it sits on rubber boots!! 

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5 minutes ago, Colin said:

Can't really understand why a u/j won't conduct an earth current - or for that matter, how the car actually earths itself - it sits on rubber boots!! 

It's not a normal steel uj, the two halves are isolated by a rubberised disc. Before you do undo the nuts just check continuity. 

Well done for persevering, these are all essential life skills! 

You've inspired me to finish wiring in my original reversing lamp. Found the loom fused live green and green/brown and made up a cable to fit the Ford T9 reversing switch. It works😁

Iain 

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