32 horn

[JOANNEM]

Good afternoon,
My horn is not working. Well no sound is coming out of it. It turns.
So far I have had 2 different guys take a look at it & the 2nd guy said I need some brushes for it.
Does anyone know where I can get some brushes for it?
I have tried calling several of the Ford parts stores but not having much luck.
Thanks for any & all advice!
joanne m

 

[1931 flamingo]

If it's turning I doubt it needs brushes. The Model A horn is adjustable/rebuildable. Not sure about the 32.
I'm sure someone else will "chime" in.
Paul in CT

 

[Fordors]

Joanne, the brushes could be worn and very short and then the springs behind them won't be effective resulting in a slow turning armature. Brushes are available from early Ford suppliers, but before I bought anything I would try turning the adjustment screw located on the back.

 

[rotorwrench]

The friction diaphragm horn takes a fair bit of torque in the motor to spin the corrugated disc over the diaphragm contact tip. The motor requires a small amount of lubricant on the bushings now and then or it will stiffen up and I think one end (maybe both) has an oiler felt that may need to be cleaned & relubed. If the brushes are worn and the commutator is dirty, it will lose some torque. Some of those old brushes were woven brass and may need a good cleaning. A little maintenance will go a long way on those old motors. The diaphragm contact tip can be adjusted on some horns if it is worn down but it too may need a tad bit of dry lube or something but I'm not sure what was recommended on those. I know some actually adjusted the armature to make correct contact with the diaphragm tip. It was adjusted from the back end with an adjustable bridge piece that held tension on the armature.

If you have one that still turns, it may just need this type of maintenance to get the Ahooga going again.

 

[DavidG]

Joanne,

Rotorwrench's cleaning suggestions are good ones, but if you've done all that including the fine tuning adjustment and it still doesn't turn under power, back off the adjustment so that there's no contact between the corrugated disc on the front end of the armature and double check that it is wired properly and not shorting out from frayed wire insulation. If the horn is mounted on the car, it is pretty hard to have installed the wiring incorrectly. But if it is off the car and you're bench testing it, an easily made mistake is to attach one wire from the negative post of the battery to where the wires normally attach to the horn and then grounding the other wire from the positive post of the battery to the steel base of the horn motor. That is not how the horn is grounded in operation and it will not operate when tested in that manner. It is grounded at the horn button.

It is rare for the brushes to be worn to the point where they require replacement, but if you need them they are the same as were used in the Model A motor-driven horn and replacement brushes and other motor-driven horn parts can be obtained from A&L Parts Specialties, Canton, CT 06019-0301, phone 860 693-0112

 

[JOANNEM]

Cool
Thank You Dave

 

[32phil]

Joanne
Just to add to what DavidG offered, if you are ordering the brushes from A&L you may want to order 2 gaskets for the diaphragm. They are critical in how the parts line up and how the horn ultimately sounds. They also carry a nice hardware kit for those horns as well.

 

[nstegall]

Joanne,

Do you have the ahooga horn or a beep horn on your car?

Neil
THE HORN MAN

 

[JOANNEM]

I think I have a ahooga horn. How can you tell by looking at the horn? It doesn't make a sound.
Joanne

 

[32phil]

Ahooga horns, motor driven horns or taper back horns have a small electric motor behind the cover. The cover itself is tapered hence the name taper back horn. A word of caution the 32 horn is very similar to the Late Model A horn. If the motor is slightly offset from center and the tapered cover fits well, it's probably a 32. perhaps someone else can give a more definitive determining method. Beep horns have a shallow round back and a set of contacts under the cover. Mounting brackets differ as well.

 

[DavidG]

If it turns, as she says, it cannot be a ******** horn, although she did not say what 'turns'.

The photo on the left below shows the back of a motor-driven (or ahoogah) horn. The one in the center are side and rear x-ray views of the ******** horn used later in the model year. The photo on the right shows the brackets for the two types of horns, with that for the motor-driven horn on the left and that for the ******** horn on the right.