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| | | | Joined: Mar 2001 Posts: 279 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Mar 2001 Posts: 279 | My old horn used to sound pretty good a few years ago before I started this restoration. I rewired the truck to 12-volt and replaced the horn wire and all associated parts in the steering column. When I hooked up the battery and checked lights, I had everything. The horn barely sounded, though. I touched the outside cover of the horn relay and got sparks. From the diagram, everything is hooked up right. I disconnected the battery negative cable and I still have power at the horn relay. I had a little smoke there as well and am picking up a new relay at NAPA this morning. Any ideas what might be wrong? I'm not seeing anything that says something needs to be wired different for a 6-volt horn to work on a 12-volt set-up. And I'm wondering why I still have power at the relay with the battery disconnected. Thanks. | | | | | Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 6,377 Ex Hall Monitor | | Ex Hall Monitor Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 6,377 | If yer still using your 6 volt relay you prolly fried it. When you get a 12 volt relay in place don't overwork your horns or you could fry them too. They should last a long time, even on 12 volts, if you don't lay on the horn & burn em out.
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| | | | | Joined: Jul 2004 Posts: 5,708 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jul 2004 Posts: 5,708 | Rick,
With the battery disconnected, you won't have power anywhere...period. A 6 volt relay would probably fail quite quickly when powered with 12 volts.
Your relay sounds like it was wired incorrectly though. A typical relay should have three terminals, and hopefully they are marked somehow.
One terminal would have a larger gauge power wire attached to it. Another wire of maybe the same gauge would go to the horn. The third terminal might have a small gauge wire that travels up the column to the horn button.
When you push the horn button, you supply a ground to a little coil inside the relay that closes some contacts and allows current to travel to the horn to toot it.
You might already understand how this device works, and it is pretty simple to wire up. Good luck with the new 12 volt relay.
Stuart | | |
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