Horn constantly blowing

[emann]

My BE horn is constantly sounding.

The hub between the dash and the steering wheel has a brass ring on it's face that the horn contact rides on to supply one side of the switch in the horn push.

As soon as I put the steering wheel on the shaft however, it makes contact with that brass ring and sounds the horn.

I don't have the horn push or the horn contact mounted, the steering wheel just conducts from the brass ring to the steering column.

Is there supposed to be something that insulates the steering wheel from the brass ring or is there supposed to be something that keeps them separated?

I suppose I could make a felt washer and place it in there, but I haven't seen that on any diagrams and am worried that whatever I make will eventually bunch-up or wear thin.

TIA,
Ed

 

[GB1]

Jack

Where are you? the beacon is up!!!

Pat

 

[jlaird]

LOL

I had to make a inslating disk from a peice of very thin hard clear plastic to insulate the ring from the wheel hub.

Guess you could maybe epoxy the wheel hub metal as well to provide the same effect.

I think the old wheels and splines wear and allow the wheel to go on further than it should or could on the orginal it is kind of a slip fit and the stearing shaft is very soft.

 

[emann]

Jack,

Thanks, I like the hard, clear plastic idea.

Now that I'm actually driving around, I notice how tall the SUV's are and see that having a horn could be very helpful in keeping from getting my BE (and me) squashed.

 

[kcbugeye1275]

Had the same problem, used a milk jug for the plastic. 5-10 yrs later, it sometimes gets out of position a little, guess I need to make a new one.

 

[emann]

Just a quick note to update this post.

I cut a plastic washer from a milk jug as suggested. Made it large enough so it was a friction fit in the steering wheel hub.

Made the center hole just a little smaller than the center hole on the steering wheel.

Cut a notch in the edge for the horn contact to be able to fit thru it's hole.

Put the plastic washer in the steering wheel hub and slid the wheel onto the shaft. The shaft pushed thru the washer.

Put the horn contact in its hole, thru the notch in the washer.

This worked perfectly, the horn only blows when I want it to now.

Thanks again for the help everybody.

 

[jlaird]

Hehe, that help was because we been there done that.

Was a real pain to figure out the first time but that for me anyway was about 30 years ago when parts were not so easy and information was impossable.

Glad it works, you will find it lasts about 20 years then will need replaced. lol

 

[emann]

Thanks Jack.

I just wanted to report back and explain what I did as well as I could so the next guy might be able to search and find the solution.

Now I just have to hope that in 20 years when it needs to be fixed again, my son will remember to check in this forum. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif