Need help troubleshooting why horn will not work. The two horns will sound when I touch the lead on the horn with power source to horn relay.

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67 Malibu Convertible
Bonner Springs, KS
A.C.E.S # 4806
N.C.O.A # 5322

Locate small black wire where it comes out of steering column. At the connector place a wire in with this black one and touch it to ground. If horn blows the trouble is under the steering wheel. If it does not blow the trouble is from here out to the relay. Hope this helps.

The response above was great. I'm just passing through.
Disconnect the lead on the relay that runs to the steering column. Using a jumper wire, ground this relay terminal to ground. If the horn checked OK, and the relay is OK, the horn should work. If you are unsure if the wire from the horn relay to the button is OK, measure continuity from one end of this wire to the other. Do this BEFORE you hook it back up to the relay. If this wire is OK, reconnect it back onto the horn relay.
At this point everything under the hood is functional. Now try grounding the horn wire on the top of the steering column. Don't ground it to the steering column. Ground the wire to a known good ground under the dash. If the horn works, now ground it to the steering column shaft. If is doesn't work grounding it to the shaft, you have a problem in the steering shaft rag joint.

Jon -- The horn relay has four wires coming off of it. Two hot wires and then two other wires. Do both of the other wires go to the steering column? When I grounded the terminal closest to the front of the car, it made a clicking sound. The other one did not click. I did take one of the hot wires and made contact with one of the horn and the horn did sound. Is there anything else I should check before going under the dash?

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67 Malibu Convertible
Bonner Springs, KS
A.C.E.S # 4806
N.C.O.A # 5322

Sent a picture to your email. Hope it got there.
As jhow66 points out, your problem is around the relay. You should be able to ground the relay terminal where the small black wire is tied to. This is the horn button wire. If the horn does not work but the relay makes a click sound only 2 things. Really bad dirty connections on the relay. Try cleaning them up. If that doesn't work the relay internal contacts (like points) are cooked. Time for a new relay.
*EDIT*
You also might try applying 12 volts to the relay side of the green horn wire just for laughs. Sometimes the connector on the horns acts up. This will check out the green wire and the horn connector.


[This message has been edited by John_Muha (edited 01-12-2002).]

John - Had success in grounding the horn at the relay to make it work. So that means I have a ground problem between the relay and the horn button. Should I try grounding the black wire from the connection at the firewall or just go straight under the dash?

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67 Malibu Convertible
Bonner Springs, KS
A.C.E.S # 4806
N.C.O.A # 5322

(Short break for me then gone for a while)
I wouldn't pull apart the bulkhead connector at the firewall. Since nothing else is acting up it wouldn't be the first place I would look. Re-read what I wrote above. If it is a wire continuity problem you can measure the wire from under the hood to the top of the column in one shot without tearing the firewall bulkhead connector off.
If it was me I'd remove the steering wheel and ground the horn wire to another good ground under the dash with a jumper wire. The horn wire gets its normal ground from the steering column shaft. I'm just guessing that the shaft is not grounded anymore through the rag joint.
If my guess is right, you may want to jump ahead and first put a small jumper across the column rag joint coupling down by the steering box. If the horn then works, you saved yourself a couple of steps. If not start at the top.

John -- I was able to make the horn work from a good ground under the dash to the horn button and I was able to ground it from the nut holding the steering wheel on. But when I put everything back on, it still will not sound. Any ideas? I cleaned all the areas that would make contact when the center cap button is pushed.

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67 Malibu Convertible
Bonner Springs, KS
A.C.E.S # 4806
N.C.O.A # 5322

Sounds like you have it narrowed down to either the horn button is not causing a ground path to the column or the wire that goes up through the column is broken some where inside the column Since you say you can make it work from under the dash

Can you touch the wire at it's steering wheel end to the metal up there and make the horn work ?

The wire is broken if you can ground the lower end of it and make the horn work but grounding the upper end of the wire does nothing

(unless your column is not grounded)

I was able to touch the horn button to the metal in the middle of the steering wheel and made it sound. I did it several times, once with a wire and once with a screw driver. I believe the column is grounded. I'm not sure how everything gounds when you push the center cap/horn button.

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67 Malibu Convertible
Bonner Springs, KS
A.C.E.S # 4806
N.C.O.A # 5322

Kinda hard to describe. There's a round flexible piece of metal that moves when you push down on the horn button. Touches ground when it gets pushed down. Maybe someone else can describe it better.

I know the piece you are talking about. I cleaned it up and cleaned up the other pieces too. When I lift up on the wheel from the botton and push the horn cap, it will then sound. When I take the upward pressure off then the horn will not sound.
Any suggestions?

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67 Malibu Convertible
Bonner Springs, KS
A.C.E.S # 4806
N.C.O.A # 5322

Weird. Sounds like you are pulling on the steering shaft to get a good connection. Try grounding the upper steering shaft, under the hood, near the brake booster. Have someone press the horn button. See if this helps. Just guessing. I think I see what you mean.