Horn

[Tom Vilardi]

Okay GM front engined folks, here’s my next question.

My BCW has that darn ugly blocky stock Chevette/GM steering column with a nicer wooden wheel. Horn system appears to be all GM with the spring behind the little plastic key and then the wire running out to the metal/fibre biscuit behind the horn button.

Horn has only worked intermittantly since I got the car in January.  Figured it was the contacts on the steering wheel – pulled the wheel off, cleaned everything up, rewired everything and still having issues.  The latest is that the horn now actually will blow if I depress the center button and push hard on the steering wheel?!?! (that often happens when I get out of the car).

Anyone else have an issue like this?

I’ve seen the Chevette/GM Horn set-up with both a “spring” going into the keyed column hole and also a “pin and spring set-up”.  Mine only has the brass spring, but I wouldn’t be suprised if it is missing the pin or something else.  Another variation I have seen (various Youtube finds) is the end of wire contact at the bottom of the the sring that goes into the keyed hole. 

Any help is geatly appreciated.

Tom    

Tom Vilardi
BCW Model 52
South Orange NJ

[Tom Vilardi]

Here’s my Horn fix…. basically pulled it off the column, got an MGA dash mounted horn and rewired – now works great!  

Tom Vilardi
BCW Model 52
South Orange NJ

[davearoy]

This is exactly what I did for my horn on my Duchess. I found that having a horn button on the dash, helped to avoid the horn wire from wrapping around the steering column, as the Steering Wheel was turned, or chaffing in the column and causing a short

Dave

Dave
Lakeland, Florida, where we drive Topless every day

[Court Wizard]

same for me…mounted the horn button on dash. I used a starter button cus I had one.

No trees were injured in the making of this message, but some electrons were inconvenienced.

[Tom Vilardi]

Started a new Horn post and then found this one.

I mounted a Lucas Horn button to my dash a few years back and it worked great (I also recessed the radio behind a glovebox door and it eventually fell into the under-dash area and presumably pulled the ground wire from what I think is a relay).  When I discovered this I couldn’t find the original secondary wire, so attached a new one at the horn and would bring to a terminal on what I think is the relay – I got a very short beep each time (milisecond) but then a clicking sound.

So I was thinking the relay might be bad?  But it has other things going into it (metal box on firewall).  And no matter what I do I cen’t get the horn to work – BUT, then a put an alligator clip onto the back of the new wire which I wanted to attach to the Relay? (metal box) and in instead attached it to a metal screw on a metal brace which goes to the frame – and Voila!  Horn works good as new.

So for folks who know more about Auto Electric than me (like most everyone), Am I nuts for doing this?  I don’t seem to be draining the battery or anything.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Tom

BCW Model 52

 

 

 

Tom Vilardi
BCW Model 52
South Orange NJ

[Toller]

Although my TD is built on VW chassis the wiring for a horn should be similar to what you are dealing with. The horn button will close a circuit to the silver box aka horn relay and will be connected to either pin 85 or 86. When the horn button powers the relay a normally open contact will close in the relay routing power to the horn. Pins 87 or 30 will have a wire that connects to the horn. From your description of the problem and your solution it sounds like you have a bad ground to the relay (pins 85 or 86).

David B Dixon
Port Perry ON CA
Sabine

[Author]

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