TR6 TR6 horn button

[Tinster]

The horn is one of the last items Pedro-ized on my car.
I have replaced all the horn components except the new
innards inside the steering wheel hub. I have purchased
all the pieces but have not yet figured out how they
install. I tried a few different combinations but all
failed.

The twin horns function very well when I touch the purple
wire to the gear shift lever.

With the car on jack stands for most of the past two
years, the horn was low priority. Now I will have to
attend to it. Since I cannot figure out the horn button
and hub pieces, I'm thinking about installing a horn button
in the dashboard or on the gear shift lever.

Does anyone have experience installing a horn button in
the dash or gear shift lever?

Thanks,

d

 

[DougF]

The spring loaded pencil shaped brush fits into the small deep hole in the hub. The copper tab on the back of the horn button must be lined up to make contact with the brush.

 

[Tinster]

Thanks but I have installed the springy pencil thing.
It's the big wide plate with wire and the other bits of
stuff I can't firgure out.

That's why I want to install a different horn button
somewhere else in the car.

d

 

[Guest]

Dale, the downside to having a horn button somewhere other than the center of the steering wheel is obvious. Not good for emergency horn use.

Note that there are 2 different lengths of the "springy things" and did you get the right one. Taking the horn activation stuff down is tedious but that is right up you alley. Do you have Dan Masters' book on electricals?
Awfully helpful here.

 

[Bugeye58]

Dale, I don't know if this is applicable, as it's from my GT6 Manual, but I seem to remember the TR6 being the same, regarding the horn.
Jeff

 

[swift6]

Dale, the downside to having a horn button somewhere other than the center of the steering wheel is obvious. Not good for emergency horn use.

Bill, its more a matter of just knowing where the horn is. Not all horn buttons are located in the center of the steering wheel. Another popular horn location is as a push button on the end of the turn signal stalk.

 

[Aeroken]

My old Spitfire had the horn button mounted on the center pedestal by the radio (DPO'ism). It was a pretty good sized button and pretty easy to reach with your hand on the shift lever and I had used it many times.

I'll never forget the day someone tried to turn left across 3 lanes of stopped traffic in front of me. We had left a space for her to turn across but she didn't see me sitting in the middle lane (all I could see was the back of her head as she looked over her shoulder) and cut it too sharp. I beat the crud out of my radio trying to hit the horn button while I watched her car now being creased from fender to fender by my bumper (with her HUGE EYES staring at me with the most amazing "where the !@#$% did you come from!!" look as she plowed along. Not sure if I ever did hit the horn button, but I sure did crank up the radio.

I rebuilt the horn button into the hub shortly thereafter.

Ken

 

[RonMacPherson]

Ok, an option is to get a factory type o/d switch, column mounted, and run your horn wire to that. At least until you decide to upgrade and install an o/d, but by then you'll probably go the o/d switch on the shift knob install.

 

[poolboy]

Hello there Tinster. I saw the pictures of the mountains ..could be very challenging to say the least.
When you are fooling with the horns, I bet you are aware of the ground strap across (through) the rubber coupling on the steering column and the ground terminal on the steering rack fill hole (or grease nipple?). Good Luck with that.
BTW, I installed "compact air horns". The compressor and the dual trumpets are in the same housing...Same sound and nearly as loud as the big ones. No problems using existing relay and wires. It is compact; about the size of the coil.

 

[TR4nut]

Dale-

If you still want to consider the original horn button, take Poolboy's advice and check the grounds through the steering column. In the lingo you've been using, I think the purple wire is connected to the big wide plate, which connects to the spring thingy, which connects to the horn button. Press the horn button, and everything should connect to the steering wheel and inner steering column. From there it goes the route Poolboy mentions to ultimately ground to the frame. You can continue to diagnose the horn by adding a ground wire temporarily to the steering column to see if the flat plate/spring thingy/horn button is doing its respective job.

Randy

 

[TheSearcherMan]

Wouldn't not using the original horn set up be Pedro-I-zation?

 

[Tinster]

Thanks guys for the input BUT
Both my horns are rewired and work perfectly.
I touch the horn wire to the gear shift lever and
blast away. The horns are NOT the problem.

My empty, hollow steering column head is the problem.
I think I have purchased all the horn button pieces
required but for the life of me I can't figure out how
they get installed.

That is why I am looking for an alternate location for
a horn button/switch. I'm thinking maybe run the horn wire
under the carpet and bring it out at the base of the gear
shift lever. Then a toggle switch instead of a horn button.

 

[Bugeye58]

Dale, the piece in the upper photo doesn't go <u>into</u> the hub opening, it fits into the bowl below the steering wheel. That's the contact ring. The horn brush, (the springy thingy in the bottom pic) goes through the hole in the wheel and makes contact with it.
Look at my previous picture of my GT6 column to get an idea of the orientation of everything.
You've come too far to go DPO on us now.
Jeff

 

[startech47]

You have to pull the steering wheel to install the piece in the upper photo.

I believe the closer end of the springy thingy should bear against the upper spade lug tab on the horn button when installed.

 

[DNK]

Somebody needs to put a how to photo collage for this. It would help him out. If I have time tomorrow and I can find all the pieces I will do it.

 

[Tinster]

Thanks Don,

I'm really having a brain farc on this one. My single new
horn wire works just great when I touch it to ground.

My new horn button has two spades and I have one horn wire.
I hooked my horn wire to a horn button spade and nothing
happened. I took apart the horn button and inside is a simple clicker contact.

If I hook my horn wire to one horn button spade and then
run a new ground wire from the second spade to the engine
block, I'm guessing my horn buttom would beep the horns.

But that still does not account for all the horn button
parts I have purchased. I'm thinking it is much easier to
move the horn wire to a ground somewhere like the gear
shift lever or a toggle on the dash board.

thanks,

dale

 

[TR4nut]

Dale-

I think you've clearly demonstrated the ability already to solve this issue - if you want to install the horn button in the dash, go right ahead.

I agree with you on the horn button - not sure where you got that one. I believe the correct button would have only one terminal which contacts the horn brush (spring thingy). The horn button also has metal on its side which grounds it to the steering wheel to complete the circuit.

You might be able to still use the button you have by making sure one terminal contacts the brush, and make a short wire connection from the 2nd terminal to the steering wheel. You might not have the right sized horn button to do that, though.

Randy

 

[DNK]

OK Dale,I can't show all as I can't find my 3 prong metal clip. What do you expect after 10 years.

1. Steering wheel off and the slip ring insulator assembly needs to be UNDER the wheel. It has the purple lead that connects to the wire showing in th column.

2. Steering wheel on. Place the horn push brush in the hole at the 12:00 position. Then place the 3 prong clip on the threaded stud. Thens add washer and nut and tighten wheel (picture doesn't show clip)

3. then attach the horn push assembly onto the 3 prong clip. You will see where the clip has holes for the clip on the back.

Add the leather cover and your all done. I hope this helps and I didn't forget anything.

 

[Tinster]

Don,

Thanks for the photos.
Now I see where the large plastic disk with the
wire lead is installed. But I don't see how connecting my
live purple/black horn wire to the disk will make my horn
button functional.

Also, I'm still clueless about the short rubberized tube
thing in my photo. My new horn button and DPO Pedro's
old broken horn button both have two wire spades. What
wires connect to the two horn button spades? Remember,
my steering wheel and hub are 1969 and a good bit different
than in your photos.

The spring brush I can almost visualize as a contact of
some sort for the plastic disk. How it relates to the two
spades on the horn button, escapes me.

My horn button inserts and snaps directly into my steering
wheel center. The three prong thing is not needed, as far
as I can tell.

Still confused but getting there, a little. I think.

d

 

[Bugeye58]

Dale, the rubber thing in your photo is a steering column bushing, unrelated to the horn in any way. #115 here.
Jeff