Big Healey Horn Restorer

[CharlieCarpenter]

Anyone know of a place that restores Big Healey horns? Thanks

 

[Dave Russell]

Charlie,

You could send the horn to "Healey Surgeons Inc" in Maryland for repair.

Or - If you are a bit adventurous, you can try to do it yourself. The following is quoted fron Jim Werners web site;

"Horns inoperative? The horn contains a set of points that will corrode together. The small screw is for adjusting the points in the horn and you will probably find that if you turn it in a little further than it was originally, apply power straight from a good battery and bash the horn a couple of times it will start to work. Once you get it working you can adjust the screw for best beep."

I would add that the Healey shop manual says to adjust the screw for four amps draw with an ammeter in the circuit.
D

 

[bradal]

I almost hate to admit this, but it is a fairly good story. Once when trying to pass the Virginia safety inspection, I couldn't get the horns to work and, out of frustration, squirted some Armorall into them. They have worked fine ever since! I have had occasion to disassemble horn or two since then and have found that the metal sound piece inside was corroded within its housing. Cleaning of the sound diaphragm with steel wool and liberal application of WD-40 brought them right back to life. Don't be afraid to take them off the car and disassemble them. They are probably among the easiest things to fix on the whole car. Also remember that the wire leading to them is always "hot", however, and handle that wire accordingly! You can probably do this job yourself, Charlie. AL Bradley

 

[CharlieCarpenter]

Thanks to Dave & Al for the replys.
I have the horns off the car already and wondered about cleaning, painting, etc. Think I'll just tear into them and see what happens.
If I touch one lead to a live 12v battery and the other to the metal on my running car will they sound? Or do I have to do something else?
Charlie

 

[bradal]

Charlie: All it takes is to wire the horn to both terminals of the battery and it should sound. It should not matter which +/- lead is connected to which horn connector. If you try it and all you hear is some muted buzzing, then try adjusting the screw. If adjustment doesn't help, just tear into it and see what you find. The problem will probably be that, inside the horn, something is corroded to something else and cannot operate. You will discover that the horns are really very simple buzzer devices inside with minimal moving parts and very simply constructed. They just weren't intended to operate for 40 years! AL Bradley

 

[CharlieCarpenter]

Thanks for the great tips guys! Will give the horns a workout this weekend as well as the rear brake cylinders.

Charlie

 

[jandkellis]

Hello Dave,
I recently received my 100-4 horns from a restorer, wired them up, hit the horn button and both horns sounded beautifully for a split second. On subsequent hits of the horn button, I got only one horn sounding. On examination of the horns, I noticed that the entire silent horn was heating, too hot to keep my hands on it.
Any ideas of the problem?
Thanks,
Jim

 

[Bob_Spidell]

Well, you have a dead short somewhere inside the horn. Hopefully, the reworked horns came with a warranty.

 

[RAC68]

Hi Dave,

Keep in mind that, of the (2) fuses in the box, the larger is for dedicated to the Horns ONLY. The horns require quite a jolt of power to vibrate and on renewed horns, the power drawn by the horns could fuse the points together or melt internal or external wiring if shorted. As Bob suggests, sounds like you have a dead short but only if the fuse is blown. Before you do anything, I would check with the restorer before I would try anything on my own and see if he would recheck the faulty unit.

If you find yourself on your own, however, I would suggest you consider following the directions offered by Jim Werner in an article on the Healey6 website:
Horn RepairHorns inoperative? The horn contains a set of points that will corrode together. The
small screw is for adjusting the points in the horn and you will probably find that if you
turn it in a little further than it was originally, apply power straight from a good battery
and bash the horn a couple of times it will start to work. Once you get it working you can
adjust the screw for best beep.

Additionally, since your horns were redone, I expect that your problem is not a corrosion issue but one of needing adjustment. As Jim has indicate, I would try readjusting with the small screw.

Good luck,
Ray(64BJ8P1)