[gotago]

Ijust replaced the steering wheel on my 69 SS with a Grant Challenger. I did this partly because I needed a wheel with a horn button(the stock wheel was missing the buttons). There is no voltage getting to the colunm and the wires at the horn are hot. The wires coming from the horn run into a relay bolted to the upper left of the radiator core support. Are the horns supposed to receive voltage all the time? Is the relay on the core support for the horns or did I get my wires mixed up? Where does the column get its voltage to complete the circut? I appriciate all the help Team Chevelle has provided and hope someday I can stop asking tech questions for awhile! Thanks

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Mark
69 Chevelle SS

 

[John_Muha]

The horn button only provides a ground to the horn relay. There is no voltage fed back up the column. Positive voltage is fed directly to the horn relay while the negative (ground) is provided by the steering wheel shaft. If you are measuring the circuit what you are seeing is the voltage coming through the horn relay.

 

[gotago]

OK, so if it completes the ground, then why doesn't it work? There is power to the horns. Since the car is just out of restification, and all the surfaces are painted, should the contact surfaces between the horns and the core support be cleaned? Would that make a difference? All I have to do is get the horn working and replace the wiper motor and I'm cruising legally. Thanks for the reply,it helps.

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Mark
69 Chevelle SS

 

[John_Muha]

First try to determine where the problem is. If you ground the black lead, on the horn relay, does the horn blow? Try it under the hood with a jumper wire to a good ground. If that works try it on the top of the column. Jump the horn wire to a good ground on the frame. See what works and what doesn't. It would be easier to narrow it down.

 

[gotago]

Tried to jump at the relay and no go. I took the leads off the relay one at a time to clean them and when I reconnected the battery lead, there was a clicking sound and spark. The relay is warm to the touch almost like its shorting out. There are leads going to the battery, voltage regulator, black wire on#2(not hot), wire to the horns on #3(hot), pink with black stripe on #4 (not hot). Is this correct?

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Mark
69 Chevelle SS

 

[John_Muha]

Don't have a 69 schematic with me at the moment. I'm assuming that when you say the wire to the horn is "hot" means that it has 12 volts when you energize the relay. The relay makes a clicking sound when it is energized. If the horn is getting 12 volts, the problem is down by the horn. The horn gets its ground through the mounting screw. Try cleaning the screw and the bracket area under the screw to get a better ground.

 

[gotago]

Cleaned the horns and still nothing. I think I'm going to try another relay and see if that makes a difference. Its the original one and the original harness so the connections are not the greatest and I might not have gotten them clean enough, either that or the wires going to it are not on the correct prongs. Thanks very much.

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Mark
69 Chevelle SS

 

[John_Muha]

Sure the horn is OK? You indicated that you had power out of the relay. If the horn is still mounted to the frame, disconnect the wire to it at the horn. With a thicker gage of wire, jumper between the horn and the battery positive terminal. Touch the wire to the horn first then the battery. This will prevent the horn contact from getting pitted by the arc.

 

[gotago]

Guess I should have done that in the first place!! Duh!! I did it and nothing. Never gave it a thought, what ever breaks on a horn? They are freshly painted and both contacts, ground and voltage, are clean. Are there adjustment screws for the pitch? Could these be doing it?

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Mark
69 Chevelle SS

 

[John_Muha]

I haven't had much luck getting dead horns to live but others have. Here's a thread from another section on the subject. Think I recall J Wagner knowing a trick or two (if I have the right person.) Maybe contact him. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/Forum5/HTML/001451.html

 

[sschevyfan]

Gotago,You talked about the car being painted in a earlier quote.Are you sure the horn is grounded? Take two jumper wires this time.One to the positive like John said then also jump the ground terminal of horn to a known good ground like the negative post of battery.Then you can for sure say the horn is at fault.

 

[gotago]

I took both horns off the car and sanded the portion that bolts to the car to bare metal. Took jumper cables and connected the horn to the battery and nothing. I took the 12? point screws out and cleaned them and put them back and nada. I think my horns are T/U. And to top it off, now I don't get any voltage from the relay to the horns. This keeps getting better and better. I'm going to try another horn and relay and see if this solves the problem. If not, maybe I'll see if I can "conversate" with the inspection guy. Thanks for all y'alls help, now I know what to do before I put on the other horn.

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Mark
69 Chevelle SS