Fairly Strange

'84 Firebird. No power to horn button.

Wireing harness is untouched and perfect. I can run a hot wire to the horns and they work fine.(I think I'm deaf now!)

Does this thing have a horn relay? If so, where is it? I've consulted my "trusty-dusty" Haynes manual, and it doesn't mention that my car even HAS a horn!LOL

Any ideas or suggestions welcome!

Thanks

NM

Chris Luongo

There is a horn relay in the car somewhere. Something's making me think it's it's mounted to the same panel as the key-in-ignition buzzer, or the hazard flasher, but that could just be my imagination.

I assume that all the fuses are good, right?

The horn button itself supplies a ground, which goes to the horn relay. If you trace the wires coming down the steering column, the horn wire is black. If you put a test light or meter on it, it should show -12 volts when the horn button is pressed. Also, if you run a jumper from the black wire to ground, the horn should honk.

If jumpering the black wire gets the horn to honk, your problem is in the steering wheel somewhere. If the wire tests properly, the steering wheel part is good.

Fairly Strange

All fuses are good, tried jumpering the black wire.....still no horn.

I guess when it quits raining I'll see if I can track down the relay.

I'm trying to get this thing ready for my stepdaughters' driving test and the horn MUST work for that. Otherwise I'd not be so concerned.

Thanks!

NM

Jza

Did you try directly grounding the contacts under the horn button? BTW if you have the round horn button don't pull it off.

Fairly Strange

Yeah, I tried that, too.(by the way, horn button wasn't a prob.....it just clips on.)

I picked up a wireing diagram from another thread(very handy, by the way)that shows a "power distribution" box. Possible problem? I don't know where it is, either!

By the diagram it would be seperate from the "fuse block".

NM

Chris Luongo

That distribution box may be where the horn relay is. If I'm thinking correctly, it's up under the driver's dash someplace or another.

You should try turning your hazard flashers on, or leaving the key in the ignition..... follow the sound and you should find the box.

Personally, I usually like to test and troubleshoot instead of just throwing parts at the car.... but if you can't get hold of some good test equipment, it might be a reasonable risk to just buy a new horn relay, pop it in, and see if that fixes it.

Fairly Strange

Thanks....I'll give that a try!

I don't know that the relay will be the problem, but it was only $5 at Auto Zone. I went ahead and bought one so I'd know what I was looking for looked like!LOL

Now, if I could find a replacement for that fuel pick-up/guage sender assem. I missplaced!

NM

Fairly Strange

Thanks, Chris Luongo....that was ingenious!

For anybody else who may need to know it's a "drop-down" panel(just like the fusebox) right behind the data plug.(first box left of the console)

And, no....it wasn't the relay...but that let me finish tracing the circuit. The wireing looks fine, but the prob is somewhere between just after the column plug and the horn button.(I think that area has been suggested)

Anybody know what I should look for when I pull the column apart? (Wish I'd known this before I replaced the keylocks!)

NM

deadbird

There's a spring loaded 'connector' (kind of like a brush in an electrical motor) underneath the turnsignal cam. If that's not making contact or something there is broke/gone/imporoperly installed for some reason, it wouldn't matter if you grounded the wire on the horn button or not. That contact along with the metal piece on the signal cam is what allows the horn connection thru the steering wheels rotation, w/o that making a good connection, the wire on the horn button is just a wire taking up space.

Fairly Strange

Thanks...I'll check that tomorrow.

I plan on pulling the wheel and if thats' not the prob I'll run a new wire. I now know for a fact that its' in the column...and there can't be that much in there to be wrong!

NM