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1964 Malibu horn relay

15K views 46 replies 11 participants last post by  64palamor 
#1 ·
Hey, my Malibu never came with the horn relay or horn and I am looking for help in figuring out the wiring. The problem is, there doesn't seem to be any spare wires. I am guessing the horn may have been removed at some point and never used.

In the pictures below I see a plug that looks like it goes to the horn relay, a red wire that comes from the alternator, and a plug that I think goes to the fuse box. I think the red wire also goes to the fuse box because it is the same length as the fuse plug. The new horn relay also came with a three connection plug with black/yellow/white wire and I have no idea what that is used for. Please help.

Also worth mentioning too that I have an internally regulated alternator so no voltage regulator.



 
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#42 ·
I don't want to get too far off track here but, because we are on the subject. Why are fuse links better? Because of the "slow blow" characteristics or something else? Would a self resetting breaker of the correct voltage and amperage be even better yet?

https://www.delcity.net/store/12V-A...p_kw=&mp_mt=&gclid=CMa6t57inNMCFQ2UaQodEBwDvQ I have one on my fans is why I'm asking and it works awesome.

Just looking for a lesson if someone with the knowledge has the time to explain :)
 
#43 ·
Darren,

Better for certain applications...

Let's back up. We are saying (if chosen) to protect the main charging line to the battery. We're not fusing the horns alone.

Fuses and fuse holders are NOT the choice for "mission critical" stuff like this. The wire from the battery to the horn relay is responsible for providing power in order to activate the starter solenoid, provide all the power until the alternator can or be responsible for ALL the loads if the charging system quits as well as providing the link between the battery and alternator so there is filtering of the DC in the system.

The best fuses and holders and breakers are still an introduced weak point-- for oxidation, temperature cycling, etc. When I worked for the State Patrol as a Senior Electronics Tech, you soon see with a fleet of hundreds of vehicles how even the best fuse holders, fuses, breakers, etc. succumb to not only the elements, but just age. And we're not talking vehicles used for 40 years. Some were not even subject to extreme duty fatigue.

Fusible links? Not so much. Why? It's a wire, spliced to another wire and then sealed where the splice is. It is not going to oxidize unless it is physically damaged. It's not going to get "weak" with age like a circuit breaker or certain fuse holders. They provide protection against catastrophic overload (without nuisance blowing or tripping when unexpected higher then normal increases in current draws take place) while maintaining this high level of long term reliability.
That is why they were used over a half century ago and still used today.

Fuses and breakers have their place, but I wouldn't want one in this location.
 
#45 ·
I do not agree that fusible links [ FL ] 'trump' replaceable fuses. It depends...
Many FLs are hard wired into the harness, making replacement difficult. Also, there tends to be just one FL in the alt cct, which is 'on' all the time the engine is running & has the highest current flow of the car's electrical system [ other than the starter & it's solenoid, only momentary use during starting ].
So it makes sense to use the FL in this situation, with it's high current rating.

Today's blade type fuses are an encapsulated fuse & are very reliable. No reason not to use to protect sub-circuits.

In the case of this thread, & the OP connecting his horn: if power to the horn relay is spliced into the alt main wire, you would NOT want to use the alt's FL to protect the horn cct, because the horn relay wire [ thin ] would have to draw a HUGE amount of current to open the FL. The horn wire could burn before the FL opened.
My assumption, & comments, are in the belief that the OP intends to power the horn relay direct from the bat [+] terminal or the alt terminal. Either way, the most effective protection is an inline fuse [ or cct breaker ] in the feed wire to the horn relay.
 
#46 ·
In the case of this thread, & the OP connecting his horn: if power to the horn relay is spliced into the alt main wire, you would NOT want to use the alt's FL to protect the horn cct, because the horn relay wire [ thin ] would have to draw a HUGE amount of current to open the FL. The horn wire could burn before the FL opened.
My assumption, & comments, are in the belief that the OP intends to power the horn relay direct from the bat [+] terminal or the alt terminal. Either way, the most effective protection is an inline fuse [ or cct breaker ] in the feed wire to the horn relay.

That's the thing Geoff, you have valid points, but I'm advising the OP on exactly how the Chevrolet division wired these cars. Based on his earlier pictures, he purchased a factory style horn relay. The relay also doubles as the power distribution point in these cars--the horn relay has a direct connection to the alternator and battery power at all times with no dedicated fuse with its sole purpose to protect the horn circuitry.

If he were to install a fuse just to protect the horn relay, then he could no longer use the side bussbar connections on the relay for his main charging and feed lines--he would have to come up with another terminal arrangement, then connect the fuse assembly between this new main splice point and the horn relay bussbar itself.
 
#47 ·
Not sure if this will get read. I’m needing a little help with the horn relay on my 64 as well. I have all the manuals, shop and assembly. I have a color coded wiring diagram as well. New wire harness is from lectric limited. The problem I am having is I don’t know where to attach the black wire coming out of the harness near the horn relay. Diagram shows it attach on the left/driver side. Is it grounded using the attachment bolt for the horn relay? Thanks for any help/pictures.
 
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