Horn problem

[521newbie]

When I brought my 521 home a few weeks ago I noticed that the horn sounded weak. A couple days later it wouldn't sound at all. I replaced the horn relay and checked the connections. The battery is new.

Sometimes it will sound a few times in a row when I push on the steering wheel and then stop working again. If I switch the horn and battery wires nothing happens for about ten minutes and then the horn will be going non-stop out of nowhere.

The ign light is on in the cab. I don't have any other problems that I know of. The lights, highbeams, taillights, and interior lights all work. Could it be the voltage regulator? Any ideas?

[Phlebmaster]

Welcome to Ratsun :)

 

I had a similar problem with my 620. I found out that the connection in the steering wheel was the problem. Check your grounds and clean the connections and contacts.

[521newbie]

I cleaned all of the contacts. I did notice there is a contact that connects to the back of the steering wheel as it turns. This connector wasn't getting good contact. I fixed that but still no luck.

[Phlebmaster]

I cleaned all of the contacts. I did notice there is a contact that connects to the back of the steering wheel as it turns. This connector wasn't getting good contact. I fixed that but still no luck.

 

You did check your fuses too, right? I mean pulled them out and looked at the connections there? Sometimes the fuses get corrosion between them and the holders.

 

There is one other option.....

 

Just rewire the horn completely if all else fails.

[521newbie]

Cross your fingers for me. One way or another I'm going to have a horn! Thanks for the information. I'll try the fuses.

[datzenmike]

If there isn't, make a ground strap that runs from the Negative battery terminal to the body sheet metal. This may even give you brighter headlights, faster wipers and heater fan.

[hang_510]

There is one other option.....

 

[521newbie]

There is a wire running from the negative terminal to the sheet metal but it's not a very thick wire. Is this enough or should it be something substantial?

[Logical1]

Bigger ground wire = better but you dont have to go crazy if you dont have alot of electronics in your ride.... Do you have a Multimeter? Have you tried pulling power off the a +12v you know works and strait running it to the horn proper just to see if the horn is functional? you can also make some jumper leads and throw your meter on horn wire and then the other side of the steering wheel switch and hit the button and see what the meter says. with old system like these there will be some built up corrision resistance but should read fairly low... No multimeter? a fairly low-buget test is to put a extra tail light/ any 12v car lamp on the wire to the horn and then have someone press the horn, if it lights up nicely: your switch circuit is good and your horn is bad, and vice versa...

[MikeRL411]

Mathematically unlikely, therfore probable, cause. Your 20 amp fuse has a crack at the fusible element to metal cap junction. It just touches, so will check for continuity and voltage when you test. Try to draw enough current for the horn and the barely touching contact opens. Seconds later, the molten blob makes bare contact again. Put in a new 20 amp fuse and see what happens. Depending on the year of your truck you may have a secondary fuse labled "Corn" [i'm not making this up] which you should also check.

[az_rat210]

The horn also works by a spring passing from the Steering wheel to a metal capped plastic ring that then connects with the contact in the steering column. On my B210 this plastic ring/metal combo had come lose so the spring was not making proper contact.

 

Rent or borrow a steering wheel puller from Checker and make sure that Ring is firmly seated. I put conductive grease on mine while I had it apart.

[fisch]

Mine didn't work in my 521 either. turned out to be the contact ring/spring on the steering wheel. But it sounds like you already sanded that? Mine ring looked ok when I first examined it, a little yellow rather than bright shiney metal, but after I hit it with the sandpaper and brighteened it up, it worked like a champ.