Horn not working....Need some help wiring gurus.

[ram360]

Finally got a wheel with a horn button so I can actually have a horn for a change. Put the wheel in and no beans. I mean it's only 3 wires so I can't imagine this being very complicated. Wires are Black, Blue, and a yellow (i think). Not sure what each does so I can't really test em'. I was assuming black was ground? I don't believe the wiring itself is the issue. I'm more convinced it's got something to do with the two contact points on the back of the wheel. The wheel I have in the car has some kind of grease smeared all over this part of the wheel....Is that supposed to be there? Bought it at a swap meet w/ it still attached to the column so I was assuming it's grease they put on at the factory...I was thinking of wiping it off thinking it might have something to do with a bad contact area. Ideas?

 

[ram360]

Anybody?

 

[BeerElf]

Did you check the fuse for the horn?

Mine kept blowing the fuse and it turned out the the original horn had rusted and shorted out. Replaced both of them and works fine now.

 

[ram360]

yeah, I did check the fuse and it was good. I would test the horn by themself by just throwing some power to them? Only one blue wire runs to the horns so I'm guessing that's power and the horns themself get the ground fromt the mounting screw.

 

[HISSIN50]

Actually, I think the horn button sends ground. I know there's a horn relay on the 5N95's and it would seem that for an item like two horns, there should be a horn relay somewhere (I really dont know where it is though). And in that case, the horn button would very very likely send ground to the relay, and the common and other coil terminal would have constant 12 volts, thus switching 12 volts to the horns (and the horns would achieve ground via their mount of a short ground wire where they mount).

I havent actually run through this on the fox (only the 94) so wait for someone to say yes or no to this line of thinking.

Good luck.

 

[ram360]

wow, I was way off Hissin..... I'll stand by.

 

[Saleen0679]

What Hissin said is correct. The horn switch connects the relay coil to ground by way of the sliprings which activates the relay sending voltage from fuse 16 to the horns. The horn relay in a fox is typically located behind and to the left of the radio mounted to a bracket which also contains the warning chime and the day/night illumination relay.

 

[HISSIN50]

Maybe one of Tom's diagrams will help (note that some of his diagrams are based on an 88 GT, as far as colors go).

Good luck bud.

EDIT: Saleen posted while I was pecking.

 

[mnbf]

...

well i had a problem with my horn\cruise control and look at the 2 horns and the wires were not connected to the horns... so i hooked them up and my horn and cruise worked... there is a black and purple wire that goes to my horn... if you touch toses to together you shoudl hear a click comming from behind your dash where the relay is if you dont its prolly bad i would say... if you do look to see if your horn is hooked up... i have an 1988 lx just so you know lol

 

[ram360]

Found an extra relay and replaced it (assuming it was a the brown relay), and the horn still doesn't work. Anyway I can bypass this relay or anything else to make sure the horn works? Can I use a jumper wire in the relay spot?

 

[HISSIN50]

When relay hunting, I have to check wiring colors. When I relay-hunt, I check wire colors at the relay socket and/or use a test light to confirm that the trigger I'm using is going to the relay I'm probing.

(oooh, I just saw that you have an '83 - I dont know snot about them so I best shut up).

 

[ram360]

(oooh, I just saw that you have an '83 - I dont know snot about them so I best shut up).

Neither do I, I tore all the 83 stuff out. It's all factory 89GT in this car. So go ahead

 

[Saleen0679]

You could jumper the LB/W wire to the DB wire at the relay and the horns should go off. This would bypass the relay contacts.

You could also jumper the contacts at the steering wheel to simulate depressing the horn switch to see if the horns go off.

 

[ram360]

You could jumper the LB/W wire to the DB wire at the relay and the horns should go off. This would bypass the relay contacts.

You could also jumper the contacts at the steering wheel to simulate depressing the horn switch to see if the horns go off.

Will do, thanks man. Found the relay no prob too. Good thing ya told me because I would be looking all day for it. I'll give the jumper wire a try and see what happens.

 

[ram360]

I jumpered the contacts of the horn and it's no go. Jumpered at the realy LT Blue/white with the dk. blue and the horn worked. So at least I now know the horn indeed works.

The problem is somewhere between the horn relay and the wheel. I can't really trace the wires but it appears the wires change color at some point when going up to the wheel. At the connection where near the bottom of the column the wires are now Blue/Black, Black, Yellow/Green these then change into a Black, Blue, and Purple wire.

I have the wires mated as following at the column connection:


Blue/ Black = Blue
Black = Black
Yellow/ Green = Purple

This is how I did the connection since I didn't use a factory connector at that spot. I'm thinking I have the wires connecting to the wrong ones?

 

[HISSIN50]

Did you check the control side of the relay? One terminal will have 12 volts and one should show ground when you have the horn button depressed (or mimic doing so)?

 

[Saleen0679]

The diagrams I have don't show a color change at the steering wheel. It does show a LB/BK wire that goes from the wheel to the cruise control amp. If you ground the Y/LG wire do the horns work? How about the BK to the Purple as mnbf suggested?

 

[RsStanG1987]

Who needs a horn anyway? I just give the rev as should you..

 

[HISSIN50]

Who needs a horn anyway? I just give the rev as should you..

I thought you were going to say that you just use your finger.

 

[RsStanG1987]

I thought you were going to say that you just use your finger.

I did that once while riding in bernies truck i flip some guy off for blowing the horn at us and Bernie (ram360) diddnt know so the guy passed us beeping and flipping us off And he got so mad this guy flipped him off he flipped the guy back off and was bitching.. Pretty funny story..