So I am trying to fix my horn on an 88 GTA with radio controls. If I jump out the relay at the convenience center the horn does work so I am guessing when many years ago I took apart the steering column to try and fix the radio controls I did something in there to make the horn notwork. The spring is in the correct place behind the horn button so I know it's between there and the convenience center does the horn use a spring like the radio controls do any help would be appreciated

 

The little white plastic thing that holds the spring and the brush, is almost impossible to avoid destroying when you take it apart, especially when you've never taken one apart before. It's a 2-piece deal that "screws" together like a turn signal bulb, with a little bayonet pip on one side that locks it into the turn signal cancel cam (big round white piece). For example:

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Horn-...lumn,7024.html

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Class...lt,116472.html

 

I have that attached. Could it be that it's just not touching the cancel cam?

 

Yes, could be that. It's REAL TOUGH to get the steering wheel parts all out of there without damaging all that, if you're not already expecting it to be there, and exercising EXTREME caution. It's probably wacked somehow or other but not in a noticeable way.

 

I figured. Does anyone rebuild them? Either that or I guess I am in search of a new column

 

Rebuild what?

 

I saw your post looking for a complete column? Why not fix yours ?

https://www.autozone.com/test-scan-a...8&gclsrc=3p.ds

 

I would love to rebuild mine I just know the Springs go bad that don't make contact after a while that's why the radio controls don't work and I don't think any of these parts are available. It would be nice to have the horn and the radio controls working again

 

ok so I asked this on a new post but realized I should have continued the conversation here I got a new column and installed it . now complete opposite problem the horn will not stop working I've replaced the relay no luck when I hooked all the wires to the column as soon as it touched I believe the firewall the horn would go off does anybody know where this would ground out on the column? Fyi The horn or wire with spring for the horn is not even attached yet.

 

It's probably the little brush piece described earlier. That's what it usually is when this happens (no you're not the first). When the holder is broken or not assembled or otherwise not right, anything can touch ground. Which of course then blows the horn.

Take off the wheel and look. Use caution when taking it all apart to avoid destroying the little brush & holder parts that you no doubt just replaced.

 

so with the spring loaded piece not installed yet I am not understanding what would be grounding in there. The round tube? That it inserts into is plastic so no grounding there. With wheel removed I still have Nothing accessible to look at (pic). Does this new column have to come apart? I dread ruining this column

 

That doesn't look right. There should be a spring trying to pop all that out of the column. Look at the part I linked you to with the # ending in 7024: the left end of the wire should be getting pressed against the cancel cam by that spring, then the right end, with the blade connector, should go to your horn button. I don't see any of that. Looks almost like it's in there upside-down or something. Try unscrewing it ¼ turn and pull it out, and look at it carefully, see if it matches the pic. In fact, just taking that out may well clear up the short, which well tell you quite clearly where the problem is. In which case you just need to replace it, and maybe the cancel cam too, and be VERY careful putting it all back together and attaching it to the horn button.

 

that is where the piece that you sent me (pic)which I don't have connected right now goes into turns and locks in place. That is why I am confused on how I'm grounding the horn when I don't even have the horn/ switch connected to the wheel.

 

If that's not in there and it's still shorted, then the problem is deeper down. Something down in there is touching ground. Gonna have to pop that lovely anti-theft collar and lock plate off and see. They're held on by that ring in the center below the big nut. The cancel cam is right below that.

 

And on the other end, is it the thin black wire that's the ground after the cam? In front of my finger?

actually wire behind my middle finger has a blue stripe in it and I believe that for the radio controls. So would the horn wire be the black one behind my pinky?

 

Sounds about right.

 

so you agree it's the one behind my pinky? I would just like to trace the correct wire back . Leaving the opening of the column as last resort.

 

With the limited documentation I have, yes.

GM columns never changed much until well into the airbag and "multi-function switch" era. Tilt columns for ALL cars were essentially the same from the 60s well into the 80s. I recall once for example, getting one at the boneyard out of like a 76 Buick Electra or something random like that, and putting it in one of our 69 Chevelle SSs. With that in mind, the wire sequence in the early 80s was: an unknown (to me) color that has to do with turn signals (keeping in mind that you have a Firebird, which uses the same bulbs tor TS as for brake lights), dk grn, yel, ppl, brn, dk blu, lt blu, blk (for the horn), lt grn, & tan (last 2 are newer, for the key buzzer). So yeah, seems fairly consistent with what's in your hand.

It's reasonably certain though, that if the horn only starts beeping when you plug THAT connector in, the problem is inside the column somewhere. I'm betting that if you unplug it and use your ohmmeter to check that wire on the column side, you'll find it's shorted to ground. Which would be a malfunction of some sort up in the column.

 

"only starts beeping when you plug THAT connector in" Just to be clear . The horn beeps with THAT connector , connected or not .
although I agree it's most likely a malfunction in column. 🤬

 

If the connector in the pic isn't plugged in, then the column isn't connected to the car. If the horn beeps without it plugged in, then the fault can't be in the column. At that point it might as well be laying on the ground out in your yard. If that's the case then you can work on the column from now til the cows come home and it won't matter.

If the horn is quiet without that connector plugged in, but then honks when you DO plug it in, then the problem is in the column.

Let's be clear on that point so that tail-chasing can be avoided.

Note also, that changing out the column, wouldn't have had any effect on the rest of the horn circuit, other than by some truly bizarre set of circumstances. Like bashing it into the "convenience center" and damaging the horn relay, or some such. Not saying that didn't/couldn't happen; only, that it isn't exactly the first possibility on the troubleshooting list. Or even close to it.

 

Okay you'll have to forgive me the connector I was talking about is the one that's connected to the horn switch. The connector with all those wires on it is connected when the horn sounds. Sorry , text is confusing sometime. Or I am often confused. Lol

 

OK...

Then the problem is somewhere between the top of the column, where the little spring-loaded wire thing is; and the bottom of the column, where the black wire goes into that connector body. IOW, inside the column.

The spring-loaded piece clips down into that "tower" feature on the front of the cancel cam, and makes contact with the slip ring on the bottom of the cam. A little brush is in the TS switch, spring-loaded against the slip ring on the back side of the cancel cam. The black wire that goes down the column is attached to that.

Some one of those parts/pieces is contacting the metal of the column, or the black wire is pinched or chafed somehow.

You can replace every single one of those parts. The harness is part of the fixed half of the TS sw, which is one piece; the brush, is another; the moving part of the TS sw is another; the cancel cam, and the spring-loaded wire thing, are the last. You can buy the entire TS sw assy (the 1st 3 of those parts) easily enough. Then all you need to completely renew the whole thing is the cancel cam and spring-loaded wire.


for example. When you pull out your old one, tie a string or piece of wire to the connector, and use that to pull the new one back down the passage in the column.

 

thank you so much you really are a great help on here.

 

thank you so much you really are a great help on here.

 

I would just like to give an update on to what happened with my constant horn on the new column I bought it turns out there was a wire that has a covering on it that was making contact with the center of the steering column I didn't take everything completely apart but was able to move this wire over so it didn't make contact the casing on The Wire must have worn in that one spot

it was the wire in the picture just below the pins. Hopefully this will help someone else out in the future as a good spot to look for a grounding in the column

 

I would just like to give an update on to what happened with my constant horn on the new column I bought it turns out there was a wire that has a covering on it that was making contact with the center of the steering column I didn't take everything completely apart but was able to move this wire over so it didn't make contact the casing on The Wire must have worn in that one spot

it was the wire in the picture just below the pins. Hopefully this will help someone else out in the future as a good spot to look for a grounding in the column

 

I'm trying to find my horn wire to run a new button. What color wire is the horn in the column?

 

the ground is what sounds the horn /black.

 

Well that narrows it down alot. Thank you