The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay The Horn, is it repairable?

So, my truck has an original horn. It has worked before but doesn't now.
I know how it i supposed to work. The horn is always hot, and you ground it by pressing the horn button on the steering wheel.

When i press the horn button it just gives a little "cough".
So i tried to just connect an other 12V battery straight to the horn (just plus and minus, no relay) but still it just says a little "Gmeeh". Hard to describe, but it doesn't sound like the horn should. So i wonder, how should i repair the horn? Can i take it apart? clean it up? I've tried to find something useful by searching the forums but i just wind up getting information about how its wired.

thanks a lot in advance!

My horns didn't work when I got my truck. I took a razor blade and slipped it between those vibrating (bakelite?) plates. That brought the horns back to life. They must have been stuck together.

This may not be a solution since yours were working. You have two side-by-side, right?

My horns have a round cover that can be popped off. Inside there is a mechanism just like a buzzer or bell. There is an adjustment that is very critical for operation of the bell. You may want to try altering that adjustment.

I'll take pictures, i've only got one horn, but it doesnt really look like any of the horns i find on google. So maybe not so original as I thought..

This is the same as mine: relay

I guess the horn looks i bit like this.. But not really. I'll take a picture tonight!

okay i took the horn out, I guess its the standard horn as i showed on the previous post. But i don't have that round cover.

I adjusted the nut in the "middle" of the horn as you can see in the picture.The horn still kinda clicks. not the relay (or maybe the relay too) but the click comes from the horn itself.

When i ground the horn, and connect the positive side of the relay, and then ground the relay, it kinda horns, but sparks fly all over the place and the horn started to smoke. So i guess the horn itself shouldn't be grounded? Or should it?

I don't really understand how it works..

Pictures:
One
Two

Also, there's not much to take apart. There's just that nut for adjusting, but the rest are rivets-like thingys, which i don't want to mess with.

You get power from your wire and you get ground from where the horn attaches to the body. Be sure that your horn is grounding properly where it screws into the body. Ensure there is clean metal on both sides of your ground and power. Also be sure your horn relay is working.

I have only been unable to repair 1 horn and that was because I took it apart. I have brought all of my horns back to life with PB Blaster soaks.

Disconnect the horn
Take note of how many threads are showing on the adjustment screw
Run out the adjustment screw
Spray PB Blaster in the hole
Let it soak a day or two
Rinse with brake cleaner\degreaser
Run the adjustment screw back in to the height it was and try to sound the horn
If the horn is low or still not working repeat the process for a few days


After you soak your horn and clean it re-install it and run the adjustment screw 1/8 turn at a time. It is way easier with two people (one at the horn and one at the screw). At first you might get a squeal but by adjusting you'll get a louder sound, if you go to far it will start to squeal again.


Your ground metal can use a good wire brush based on the pictures. Also DO NOT connect Directly to your battery you will kill the horn (that is why you have a horn relay in your vehicle).

If the mechanism doesn't have a cover, I would say it is missing. You will see a set of points. You should try and clean them. Smoke is not a good sign and maybe it is beyond saving.

allright thanks for the tips, very helpful!
Did like this:

1. soaked it in rust remover
2. soaked it in degreaser
3. soaked and rinsed in/with hot water
4. blew it dry
5. adjusted points.

Works like a charm!

Also, with the bench test i used a 20 Amps fuse, 10 seconds of horning. worked well. Now i Put it back in the truck and used a 30 Amps fuse but the horn button maybe isn't as solid as the switch i used for the bench test because now it burns through the fuse without more than a cough. I do like to have a fuse, but maybe i should let it be? Or would a good horn button cleanup work well enough? (Also do i have to take the steering wheel of completely to replace the horn button wire?)


The smoke was old rust and dirt and stuff that became hot when i tried the horn. THANKS A LOT GUYS. What would I do without this forum?!

Isn't the relay there just so i don't need a thick ground wire to the button? I thought the horn button just grounds the relay which starts the horn..

I don't think a horn relay is different than direct hookup to battery for test purposes. A relay is a switch with big contacts and is operated by grounding a wire at the wheel. It keeps the major current switching way from horn button.
That type horn has a vibrating metal diaphragm. Electromagnetic device. Flexible contact......on off. Creates sound magnified thru the "horn". As said , clean contacts, adjust the sound screw, get shinny good ground to body of horn. Make sure the horn bracket has shinny ground to horn body. Use whatever fuse is called for. If it tests good with direct to battery but not with relay/horn button, those components are faulty as Gail says. Works with a 20A and burns a 30A after install? Would expect the other way around. Bad relay? All in all, they are not expensive to replace with a good donor.
Is this a 12V converted truck? Is this a 12V horn? 6V horn will work, just curious. Without a cover, it's all rusty, corroded, gummy...
There is no horn relay shown on 1951 wiring diagram. your relay link to J. Carter says "Fits just below the voltage regulator on left side of firewall. 6 Volt only. Began use in 1953 when the horn changed from the bell design to the ram horn style". You are showing a ram horn, horn. Your horn is not an original for 1951. No big deal to me and probably you, but FYI. All wires on all trucks should be fused or fusible linked, except the big batt cables. Why not? get rid of ammeters too, they are fire starters. Switch to Volt meter.

The Sea Shell horns will be stamped "12V" on the machined surface on the back side (cast aluminum side near the edge). It should also have a model number like 603. These Delco horns were used during the crossover between 6V and 12V (mid 50's) so GM marker all of the 12V units to prevent confusion in the parts deprtmewnts...if it's not marked it's 6V.

Directly hooking it to a battery to bench test won't hurt it as that's what the relay is doing when it's wired in the truck.

Mike B

Thanks Bartamos and Mike for the information!

Now i've cleaned the hornbutton and now it grounds really well, works well on 20 Amps untill the horn starts to sputter and stop horning. I did lock the adjustment nut, but i have to adjust the nut every time i horn for some reason. I'll try to figure it out.

Is there any other way to replace the wire in the steering column without taking the steering wheel of? I tried a puller but its damaging my wheel so i want to leave it..

AD guru's will correct me if I'm wrong but....Don't think there is another way to replace wire. Also: The wheel hub has threaded holes for puller bolts. It should not get damaged when pulling. You can hit shaft, with nut flush to end of shaft, with a brass hammer, or equiv., while pulling up on wheel. You can also hit upward on back of wheel all around while puller is being used. You don't pull on outside of wheel hub with a puller. Keep nut on, as mentioned, to prevent wheel from smacking you in the face.
The wire is attached to an upper mast bearing which is also has a horn contact surface. See this part on vendors web sites.
Why do you want to replace the wire???????????? Where is it bad???? You have the horn almost working. That wire seems OK. If wire shorts out it will honk, if it is broken it won't honk. Yours is honking with button as normal. You should try a good horn and new relay before you replace wire/bearing.
Yes clean/shine or replace all the parts inside horn button, they need to make good contact also.
Buy a new 12V relay at any flaps.
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/d...elay_1488211_2546&keyword=horn+relay

Pull up one of your other vehicles and hook up it's horn to your wiring and new relay using jumper wires.

Yes i used a puller on the outside of the wheel hub, dont have a puller for the inside, also tried to hit it with a brass hammer on the back and on the puller but it wont budge.

I want to replace the wire because the isolation is cracked on several places and i dont want to take the risk of having it crack inside the shaft and start the horn out of control! Also, its the only old wire left in my truck, have replaced all the others.

The relay is good, atleast when benchtesting it. But i'll clean all points and everything i bit more thorough later.

Any more farmers out there? busy times right now here in Sweden.. Almost dont have no time for my truck!

Did you unscrew the nut?

Hahah yes ofcourse i did

Sprayed some wd40 ob the shaft/spline too

There is a very good chance of destroying the wheel with an outside grab puller.

allright, i'll make a puller for the small holes then!

Horn adjustment is a pretty simple process. They even wrote a manual on how to do it.

https://www.tm9-801.com/DRElectrical/index.php

Page 48 is the horn section.

Nice Thanks! I'll download the manual when I get home