My horn doesn't work! :(

[FreeLitres]

I just tried using the horn on my Chim and nothing happened!

What do I need to check to fix this?

Thanks

[SwanJack]

The horns are in the nose cone, behind the front plate, one on each side. They look like plastic ammonites . As a result they rust and give up. If you have power to them, then you know the fuse and horn button is okay.

They are easy to get to and replacements are cheap on e-bay.

[FreeLitres]

During the service, they mentioned the alarm doesnt sound right (like a distressed cat ). Does the alarm usually sound through the horn? Could this mean they were on their way out anyway?

[saml666]

I had a number of malfunctions on mine after a rebuild, NeilR kindly helped me trace them (mostly) to the loom connector under the left hand side of the dash. Lots of slightly corroded connections in there spelt trouble. It is a white multiblock that will take some finding but if there is more than one problem up front it could well be to blame. Do all your indicators and repeaters work?

Cheers,
Sam

[FreeLitres]

Thanks Sam. Everything else seems fine.

[MADMAX2]

does your interior light work if not its the fuse

[SILICONEKID340HP]

My horn stays on all the time when i press it and release ..i have to have it sitting slightly off the steering wheel ,soon as i push it flush then the horn goes off ..

[carsy]

Have you just checked the connectors at the horns themselves. They can get corroded and full of muck. They might just need a clean.

[loud430]

with mine it was the earth wire had fallen of the back of the metal ring on the back of the steering wheel boss.

[Syrup2407]

Recently had the. same problem on my 93 4.3. turned out to be the horn relay found this after removing the grill, steering wheel etc. Might be worth a look.

Cheers

Gav

[mattrosersv]

My horn was on the same fuse as the cooling fans 96 car (with one fuse for both fans). The fans popping the fuse is a common fault with this setup. This changed on later cars from what I understand.

Worth checking before you get stuck in traffic.

[mattrosersv]

My horn was on the same fuse as the cooling fans 96 car (with one fuse for both fans). The fans popping the fuse is a common fault with this setup. This changed on later cars from what I understand.

Worth checking before you get stuck in traffic.

[nrick]

FreeLitres said:

I just tried using the horn on my Chim and nothing happened!

What do I need to check to fix this?

Thanks

Almost always the connectors to the horn, just did mine on the Tuscan, worth checking the earths and the nose cone connector.

WD40 is your friend!

How is it going Sam

[nrick]

saml666 said:

I had a number of malfunctions on mine after a rebuild, NeilR kindly helped me trace them (mostly) to the loom connector under the left hand side of the dash. Lots of slightly corroded connections in there spelt trouble. It is a white multiblock that will take some finding but if there is more than one problem up front it could well be to blame. Do all your indicators and repeaters work?

Cheers,
Sam

How is it coming together Sam?

[FreeLitres]

Thanks for all your help and suggestions!

I have been out to have a look at the car.

My situation is:

1998 Chimaera
I have never used the horn before, so dont know if this is a recent failure!
The interior light works fine.
Parts of the horn modules in the nose cone look slightly rusted up.
The horn modules look REALLY hard to get to! (Do you un-screw them before inspecting?)
The steering wheel has been replaced by a previous owner. (Did someone mention the earth connector?)

So, what should I test and in which order? Steering wheel seems easiest to get at. What am I looking for on the wheel?

Thanks

[Hoover.]

Had a few issues with my horn over the years......

most of them revolve around making sure the ring/contact behind the steering wheel is clean and free of dirt/grease or as mentioned the earth cable which connects to the rear of the spring loaded contact.

[FreeLitres]

Hoover. said:

Had a few issues with my horn over the years......

most of them revolve around making sure the ring/contact behind the steering wheel is clean and free of dirt/grease or as mentioned the earth cable which connects to the rear of the spring loaded contact.

To access, do I simply use an allan key to remove that ring of bolts around the horn button? Or is it a bigger job?

[haircutmike]

You will need a 3 legged, (or similar) puller for when you have removed the center bolt.

The boss is usually apita to pull off, hence the puller.

[loud430]

im sure i just removed the cowling & the earth wire connects to the metal ring behind the steering wheel.

[haircutmike]

loud430 said:

im sure i just removed the cowling & the earth wire connects to the metal ring behind the steering wheel.

Maybe , I just like making a meal of it!