The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Repairing Horne at wheel

I’d like to get the original type Horne working. I’ll post what I have and would like to know how to proceed. Plan to order parts today!

Do you have a horn button?
Harold

Did you hot wire the horn to see if it works yet? That would be where I would start. Which style horn do you have? Trumpet type mounted to the intake manifold , or snail shell type mounted somewhere else?

The Horne works fine. It has a button mounted on the dash that I hit every time I put the shifter in 1st gear. It’s a snail shape Horne.

you can see it in the photo.

I was talking about the button for your steering wheel.

To the OP,
A dash button is NOT stock for your horn button. It should be part of the steering wheel assembly. Why was the dash button installed instead of bringing back the steering wheel button? Is there a wire running down the inside of the steering column?

I said i want to get the original horne working again. I posted a photo of what is on the wheel after I removed the wheel Horne cap so people can see and tell me what to do next.
I don’t know what is beneath what you see in the picture or what that is (Horne contact plate?)what is needed to bring her up to functioning again. New contact Horne plate, bushing, wire ?
I assume I need to remove that nut, pull out the plate and go from there?

Is there a wire coming out of the steering column, down by the fire wall? If so, it goes up to the horn button. Check to see if this is correct. Then confirm to see where the wire goes once it leaves the steering column.

I will look tomorrow for that wire. This horne plate looks pretty bad. I assume I need to remove the nut and pull this plate out?

That picture shows the Horn Button Retainer which is replaceable, as is all the others. Under the Horn Button Retainer which is removed by the Steering Wheel Nut, is a Horn Contact Spring and Bushing, then the Steering Column Upper Bearing which has the wire attached to it. I imbedded links to all these parts so you can see what they look like.

As long as you steering wheel doesn’t have play, the wire is still poking out the upper side of the lower portion of the column under the dash, has continuity and isn’t grounded out, replacing the “Horn Button Retainer and “Horn Contact Spring Bushing” should get you a working horn.

First things first.
Find the horn wire where it comes out of the steering mast and check to make sure that it is not grounded out to the steering mast from deteriorated wire insulation. Use an ohmmeter.
If all is fine, attach the ohmmeter at the horn wire and a good ground, then push on the horn plate to see if it reads on the ohmmeter as next to zero resistance.
I don't know how your dash button is wired.
The original horn button provides the ground to a relay, which then energizes the positive wire on the snail horn. The snail horn bracket grounds to where it is attached to sheet metal.

I can’t get into it well until next week but I did look at it. I couldn’t tell where the wires might come out from if at all. There are wires taped to the column.
Thanks!
Oh I just saw your reply’s. Thanks I can’t wait to hear her blow!

When you check that column wire have the ohmmeter hooked up then turn the steering wheel back and forth a few times to see if you get a ground. I had a problem with mine honking if I did a hard right turn.

[img]https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthread...A506805-429A-4A9E-8523-0D7BDFE2B3E5.jpeg[/img]
This is what I found on the steering column. I think there is a wire above the screw. The screw is too tight at this point to turn.

I don’t see any wire in the 3 holes in the center of the steering wheel.[img]https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthread...48A4077-0438-4A04-87A1-B603494C6F83.jpeg[/img]

There is a problem and I can’t open any of the pictures you posted☹️

You need to remove that screw to release the wire so that it can be removed with the upper steering mast bearing. If you don't destroy the bearing while removing it, you might be able to attach a new wire to the bearing and reinstall it.
The 2 holes in the steering wheel which are opposite of each other are threaded to accept a steering wheel puller. You need to remove the steering wheel to get to the upper mast bearing.
There are no wires in the steering wheel.
You are missing the spring loaded contact in the steering wheel. It goes in the big hole which should have a plastic tube in it.
Carl

52Carl,
Thank you for your help. I have the inner horn contact plate and the new outside horn cover. I thought the spring bushing was for an older truck when I was searching so I did not order it. Regarding the upper bearing. I tested the wire coming out of the steering column to the steering wheel hole and I had OHMs there. I don't know a lot about OHMs as to how many is good or bad or what OHM # to have it on but it definitely had OMS. Problem is the wire at the column is just a stub. Don't know if I can pull more out when I get the screw out or not. So may need to order the bearing anyhow.


Is there supposed to be an actual spring in there, not just the spring bushing?
So I should be able to remove the bearing and repair the wire. I assume it simply pulls out after removing the wheel? I can't tear it up trying to remove it? Must be a trick to running a new wire down the column and out through that hole?
Glenn

To check the wire down the column, set you ohmmeter on the lowest range. With continuity in the wire you should see nor more than 5 ohms. Also clip you meter lead on the wire and check against the column itself. If you have more than an open circuit there (however your meter indicates that), then you'll need to replace the wire for sure. You can also use a test light for the tests. You should get a light between the steering wheel contact and the wire stub down the column and no light from either the contact or the wire stub to the column itself. [on edit] I see that your wire is broken down by the column, so you already know you need to replace it, so testing is a useless exercise.
To fish the new wire in, tape a piece of wire or string to the wire stub before pulling the bearing, then use that string to pull the wire thru the hole.

I finally got that screw out. Waiting for the parts. Regarding pulling the steering wheel. Do I need to buy two screws that fit into the wheel then hook something to them in order to put the gear puller on?
Thanks

Go to any chain parts store and get a steering wheel puller. Itll have all you need to pull the wheel. And I'd bet its probably less than $20.

Go to classicparts.com and order part# 27-225 Horn contact spring and bushing. It goes in the third hole in the steering wheel which is not threaded.
Are you able to pull the horn wire out far enough to add a wire to the end of it? If so, you won't need to pull the steering wheel.

That wire is out just about an inch or 2. Maybe I can solder the wire to another one and use heat shrink?

For some clarification. My present horn is wired to a fuse on the left side in front of the driver door. The other wire goes to the horn up front.
So the new correct horn wire is ground, it goes to a relay someplace that I don't know where it is or what it looks like. That relay should have a wire going to the horn under the hood as a hot wire?

Thanks,

Go to the horn and follow the wire back. If it’s wired to a relay, the horn will be wired to it. Can you post a picture of your horn?

The first picture is a wiring diagram for a 6v relay. 12 volt relays are wired the same. The second picture is my relay, a reproduction that I installed.

After reading your last post more throughly, it sounds like the PO wired it directly from the fuse panel, thru the horn button on the dash then directly to the horn. if that is the case, you will need to buy a horn relay and rewire the whole horn circuit. But don’t worry, we can walk you thru it.

Just to clarify what you said. Does existing dash mounted horn button have two wires attached to it? If so, is one wire is coming from the fuse panel and the second wire going directly to the horn?

Correct. The horn button on my dash has a wire going to a fuse, the other wire goes through the firewall & ends up at the horn.
The horn is grounded to the chassis & one wire cut.
I looked for a horn relay but didn’t see one like I see on the parts store on line.
Picture to follow.
I should be able to find a relay locally?

any flaps will have them in stock

[img]https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthread...3D4A0CA-26E9-4101-9C31-CC3FDDF6ACF0.jpeg[/img]

[img]https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthread...86D84B2-284F-4FFF-A1DE-C516B581D480.jpeg[/img]

The picture is the terminal block for the headlight and parking lights. From your description it doesn’t seem like you have a relay. The existing horn won't work with the horn button on the steering wheel without a relay. Plus a relay is a much safer way to wire the horn.

You can buy a relay from Classic parts. https://www.classicparts.com/1947-54-Horn-Relay/productinfo/53%2D311/

Wire it in accordance with the diagram in this picture. Six volt and twelve volt systems are wired the same.

I have a twelve volt system and used 12 gauge wire to supply voltage to the relay. I suggest getting this power from the fuse panel that the existing horn button is wired to. Use a 10 amp fuse in the panel and run a 12 gauge wire to the “B“ terminal on the relay. The wire coming from the Horn should also be 12 gauge and that will go to “H” terminal labeled “H” on the relay. The remaining terminal labeled “S” goes the the wire coming out of the steering wheel. That should be at least 16 gauge and soldering that wire on to the existing wire is fine. Do use heat shrink.

The relay can be mounted anywhere that is convenient. The factory position on my ‘52 shares the mounting bolts for the brake and tail fuse holder mounted on the drivers side firewall.

In case anyone read my post I am editing it. I couldn’t locate a wheel puller locally and my gear puller is too large.
The wheel bearing would only make continuity at 12 o’clock position. I went out tonight with my flashlight and noticed something strange. What should have been shiny was white. I began scraping it with a small flat screwdriver and the white was being removed and turned shiny. I then cleaned it with rubbing alcohol and a Qtip. Now the wire at the column has continuity 360 at the wheel!
I sort of messed up the new pin by pulling it out again. I super glued the cap back on and now the now metal spring might stick sometimes. So I may have to order a new one again🤔.
Hopefully will have my horne relay in tomorrow. It’s 2 days late!

[img]https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthread...A6CDBED-7890-4F50-937D-0796A2D9EC05.jpeg[/img]

Happy New Year!
Got the horne connected properly. I used the old bearing. It had a white paint on it. People did some odd things to this truck in the past including sloppy wiring!
Thank you guys for your help through this!

[img]https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthread...A087A34-1F03-4C5C-9A97-F9D215A70362.jpeg[/img][img]https[img]https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthread...6FD2C18-A2C7-4F91-AD1E-D1D733FEFE94.jpeg[/img][img]https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthread...6FD2C18-A2C7-4F91-AD1E-D1D733FEFE94.jpeg[/img][img]https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthread...9723A9E-FBA3-4E19-91A3-73A40C639104.jpeg[/img]

Your links do not work for me.

I downloaded one of your images and used the Stovebolt.com Attachment Manager.
That image is attached, below.

You might want to try the Attachment Manager with the rest of your images?

Happy New Year

Congrats on your success. Your right, your wiring looks just like mine did when I first got my truck. These were built to be farm trucks and more then likely the result of sixty seven years of hard use, abuse and farmers that just needed the truck to work and didn’t care what it looks like.

Happy New Year!

I use the full editor, then attach manager.
They all open for me. I always have problems Photos!
I’ll try to re post a photo.

[img]https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthread...F11FFFE-5830-4E06-990D-148B81DB1A1C.jpeg[/img]
Looks like I’ll need to rejuvenate the wheel now!