Horn Help Please

[KTLX]

I finally got around to installing my steering wheel, last part of the interior. My problem is when I push the horn button, I hear a clicking noise on the firewall and the horn does not sound. Any assitance would be greatly appreciated.

[cowboy33713]

Howdy;
check out your horn relay, which mounts to the inside of the firewall near the fuse box. It will have a connector with three wires. I'm no electrical expert, but if your relay needs to be replaced, it can do this clicking.
I bought mine at a local parts chain store; it is a common item and doesn't cost much. Make sure all the wires to the horn are hooked up! You can make sure the horn itself works by applying 12volts to the terminal on it directly to see if it sounds off. A plain length of wire run from your battey's positive terminal touched to the horn's terminal would do fine to check in this way.
Just a few ideas...hope it helps.
cowboy33713

[KTLX]

Thanks very much, I will try that tonight. I appreciate the help.

[bobs409]

Sounds like your relay is working, that is what's making the clicking sound.

Pull the wire off the horn and connect a test light. If it lights when you hit the horn, that will show everything is good and the problem is the horn itself. In that case, you could remove it and clean the mounting area and reinstall. (if bad ground) or sometimes giving them a sharp smack with a hammer can get them working again.

Odds are it will have to be replaced though.

[KTLX]

All, thanks for the help, I pulled the horn off and connected it to the battery directly after un-bolting it and bolting it to a close location. Attached the wire and the horn blew. Thus, I reattached to the original horn location after wire brushing it and connected the horn. Ya, it worked, must have been a bad ground. Again, thanks for the help.

[ChevLoRay]

When we are dealing with trucks that are from 33-39 years old, we must not forget that electrical connections are moot. Everything may look good, i.e., connected, but corrosion is an insipid evil that screws up all kinds of stuff.

A good thing to do, for anything you may be working on or suspect to be bad, is to take the connection apart, and use a brass bristle brush on the connecting parts....AFTER disconnecting the battery ground and/or positive cable. Make sure that none of the bristles break off and form a path for current, however minute it may be, that could short out when you reconnect the battery cable(s).

Whether you're dealing with a screw-on connector, terminal strip, or a plug-in component, cleaning it with electrical contact cleaner will get rid of any greasy or oily contamination. Then, brushing it with the brass brush will restore the cleanliness of the part. After reassembling it, you may want to spray it with WD-40, which displaces water and offers some anti-corrosion properties. With any plastic connector, though, be careful with the WD-40. Since it is a petroleum product, it attacks some plastics and could cause a problem with fitting them together, or taking them apart. Using EJC (electrical joint compound) on plug-in connectors, will keep them from being damaged by water and dirt that seeps into them.

[matthufham]

wd-40 would be a fire hazzard.