lost the horn

[funinthesun]

jus decided, oneday last week, that it wasnt playing anymore..

is there a common issue with this? fuse? connections etc before i start pulling bit off , MOT due soon....appart from that all peachy..

[chris_chim]

I would check the steering wheel end first as the slider/ring arrangement tends to get dirty.

[Andy JB]

Check teh fuse in footwell - mine has gone several times in recent months & new fuse has sorted

[theaxe]

I had the opposite (horn locked on!), it was a dodgy connection in the boss so I'd look at that first.

BTW if you have the chrome & wood steering wheel only 2 of the hex bolts are real (the ones without numbers stamped into the heads).

[over_the_hill]

Andy JB said:

Check teh fuse in footwell - mine has gone several times in recent months & new fuse has sorted

Had the same problem about 18months ago. It was a loose fuse that needed pushing back in. HOWEVER, the fuse board in mine was nothing like the layout in the handbook and didn't match any of the plans in the bible either so don't confuse yourself by just checking the fuse that you think it might/should be - check them all.

[Bob the Planner]

chris_chim said:

I would check the steering wheel end first as the slider/ring arrangement tends to get dirty.

That was where the problem was on mine, however my problem was the connector that attaches to the springy bit that contacts the slider was loose. Cleaned the slider bit whicst I was in there too. Access is by removing the top cowl of the steering rack.

[FlipFlopGriff]

Could also be a relay - mine was. Cleaned everything, changed fuses, and even the relay but it was faulty.
FFG

[funinthesun]

do you need to take the wheel off to check the slider mechanism, or can you pop the centre button part out? or via the boss housing?

thanks for all the replies BTW..

[Bob the Planner]

Popping the centre out only gives access to the connectors to the horn button.

To access the slider mechanism, remove the 3 or 4 screws from the cowl covering the steering column and pull the top part off after removing any stalks going through that bit. The connection is at the top just behind the wheel.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Make sure the radiator fans are working. On some cars they are on the same fuse (or one is, or summat)

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Did you sort it?

[funinthesun]

not yet, will have a go tomorrow,... didnt want to start taking bits off as wanted to drive it to work today....

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Good luck! Let us know for future reference.

[funinthesun]

checked the connectors , all seemed ok, if i shorted out the circuit with a screwdriver could here , what sounded like a relay clicking in the footwell, checked fuses and all seemed ok, but still the horn is not happening..

any other ideas?

MOT looming...

[over_the_hill]

Try swapping the relay. Although it is clicking it may be dud. I think one of the other relays on the board is the same type so should do for a quick
swap and try. Another thing is carefully wrap some thin guage wire around the pins on the relay and carefully plug it back in so the wire doesn't fall off (easier said than done with the loacation) but this will let you measure what is going across the relay and you can switch it on/off by connecting the two low volt wires.

[Cider Andy]

How old is your car? One of the two horns was not working on my 1999 car. As there is just one relay and one fuse I suspected the dead horn. It was easy to remove so I took it out and connected it straight to a battery. It didn't look weathered and the terminals were in good condition, but it was dead. £6 later I had a new one delivered from a seller on Ebay, now working again.

[Podie]

Are both fans coming on? (horn is connected to one fan in my car)

[funinthesun]

didnt check both fans but one is definitely coming on,, will have a look tonight..

will also try a relay swap and shorting the horn out to see if its that..

its a 99 on a T plate ... actually just bought her a new plate , bit of fun, T500VR. looks good on.. and a new name.. Taima.. means thunder...


will have to see if i can find my steve heath book....bloody fiddly getting to those fuses..

thanks chaps..

[Podie]

99T... that means it may have been built during the period where they had issues with fuse box supplies... (guess who has been there).

Manual in mine states horn is connected to the fan fuse at one end, when in fact it's the other...

[over_the_hill]

And further to that the fuse wasn't either of the fans on mine (situated about six in from each end) but somewhere in the middle of the board (see earlier post above).