Horns not working

G

GAR64

Senior Member
Horns on my 56 not working. Was thinking I could replace the relay but Im not sure how the contact is made in the horn ring so I may be wasting my time. I am going to remove the ring...what should I expect to see for the horn contact??
 
Check the wire that comes out of the steering box with a test light,have a helper hold down the horn ring or tape it down while you test for current from there test the horn relay terminals before you pull the steering wheel ring.
 
Ditto on Jeff's tip, but I recommend first starting at the horns to see if they get power, then work your way back to the relay output, the relay input, and finally the switch.

In my case the horns were at fault, they were corroded to the point where they made zero sound. Cleaned them up and that was it.
 
You can test the horns with a direct connection to the battery. Be prepared to jump! I was surprised to find 6volt horns work fine with 12volts.
 
The horns on my Edsel where working after I tested them directly on the relay. It seemed that I didn't got contact from the steering ring.
 
Same thing. Start at the horns. Its easier and the problem is more likely to be there than on the ring.
 
There is a real easy way to check the horn system. The switch wire for the horn is an earthing wire that goes up the the inside of the steering column tube. It has a connector just near where it enters the steering box to go up the column. Disconnect it, put a bit of wire inside the plug and whilst shorting it to earth check to see if you hear or feel the horn relay click in or out. The relay is just by the lighting connector on the fender apron on the left front.
If you can't feel the relay clicking the problem is the relay or the power to it ( it is powered by the voltage regulator). If the relay is working that would suggest that the horns are not working though the relay contacts may not be making contact. It is possible to get the horns working without any special tools.
Last on the list if the horns work when you short out the wire in the first step, the problem is in your steering wheel contact, though these usually fail by making the horns work continuously.
 
The biggest problem I have found with these old Spartan horns is that when they are corroded, the ground connection is no good. I even ran separate ground wires and bolted them to the horn mounting brackets but those are shot too. Drilled out the rivets in the horns and cleaned all rust off with a rotating wire wheel, then bolted the horns back together. Still nothing. There's no replacements for 6volt horns, so, okay, the horn ring is just a decoration now!
 
Hi GAR64, any luck with your horns?

As dumb luck would have it mine quit working last weekend, and the cause was a broken wire inside the steering column. At one time somebody spliced in a piece of new wire with crimp-on connections in the middle of the original wire (presumably to retain the original connections on either end). Anyway one of the crimp-on connectors broke loose.

Rick55's tip is a good one, and as a short cut you can ground the terminal for the horn button right at the relay. This should be the front most terminal, with a thin black wire hooked to it. If the horns honk then the fault is on the side of the horn button and its wiring.
 
Suddenly, last friday, my horns stopped working. I chased every possible ghost, and no luck. On a strike of pure luck, looking under the dash, I spotted a small switch someone instaled. Gave it a try on all three positions and it was a kill switch for the horns.
It seems that over the time, somewhere, it had more than two and the switch made them work. Intermediate position killed everything, and inadvertedly I touched it while driving looking for the source of a clanking sound the car was making.
So.. look under the dash just in case.
So...
 
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