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Horn malfunction

Lin

Jedi Knight
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Hi folks,

I have hooked up all my electrical components, including extra driving lights and a number of added modifications and I am pleased to report that everything works as it should with the exception of the horns.

The horns are new and have been tested. They function and the wiring to the horns appears to be proper. I have power at all four terminals when tested with a test light. If I connect a wire to a ground and to the terminal for ground I get a nice honk.

I am almost certain that I wired the connections inside the control head properly, so before I have to disconnect the cable in the stator tube and retract the control head (trafficator) is there something else I should check?

If I use one of the three mounting bolts to the frame for the steering box as a ground connection for the test light, none of them provide sufficient ground to make a test light illuminate when touched to a horn terminal. I am wondering if there is so much paint on the frame and the steering box that the steering tube itself is not grounded resulting in the spring loaded horn button doing nothing? Does that make any sense?

One other thought I had was that I don't remember if I put the felt between the inside shaft and the outside wall of the steering tube. I don't think that forgetting the felt would cause this problem though. Wouldn't the reverse happen? Without it wouldn't the horn honk everytime the two tubes touched when under turning pressure?

Any suggestions, or do I pull the control head and verify that the wires are going to the proper terminals?

Sorry for the length of this.

Lin Rose
1960 BT7 in restoration
1959 Bugeye
 
Unplug the brown-black (#40) wire at it's connection from the steering column to the harness & check it for continuity to ground when you push the horn button. If no continuity, something wrong inside.

Also the metal part of the steering column MUST have a connection to ground somewhere.
D
 
Keoke and Dave,

First thanks as always for the advice. Turns out the problem was an easy fix. Just too much fresh paint between the frame and the steering box. Michael Salter suggested checking the ground carefully, and I had no ground at the steering box mounting bolts. A razor blade and a few minutes and I had a lovely "honking sound." No wiring miscues just thick glossy paint! Thanks.

Lin
1960 BT7 in restoration
1959 Bugeye
 
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