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Thx Ed, unfortunately (or fortunately), my truck is stock in that regard...it's only got two fuses, one for the stop lamps and one for the tail lamps!

You could do the same thing by just disconnecting hot stuff, lights, horn, brake lights, etc.

Ed

Thx Ed! Luckily, my horn relay was clicking when I would hook up the battery. Upon further inspection, one of the two horns was blaring and getting extremely hot. It was just as you said, I disconnected it from the relay, and my battery voltage jumped back up. I connected it again and it sparked, and started blaring again! So I disconnected it, and that looks to have resolved that particular drain issue!!! I assume it's internally shorted somewhere, as I can see the plate moving inside when power gets applied, but I don't think it should be moving unless the horn button is actually being depressed. The other horn I have installed seems to be fine.

I was also able to resolve one of my park/head light issues by swapping the wires on the headlight switch - thx bartamos! We really need to find Deve and see if he can fix that illustration. I read he had some bad health issues and/or an accident, but I wonder if there's anyone else who can replace it for him?

Now the only issue I have left is that the park lights come on when I pull the headlight switch out to the Park position, but they go off when I pull to the headlight position (and of course, the headlights come on as expected.). I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the fact that I don't have all the turn signals hooked up yet?

You are right, horn CAN NOT normally be operated without horn button being pushed. But you don't have a horn button installed. So if all is wired properly and you said:

"On the horn relay, the brown wire on the right goes to the steering column."

Are we supposed to know what that means? Is the wire bare end, or a frayed part touching metal? What is that wire doing? Where exactly is it?

As I already explained, the horn wire is grounded by the button. Grounded means touching column metal. That's how it completes the circuit and trips the relay. So if "column wire" is touching metal, it's trying to honk the horn............or the relay is bad or the horn itself is wired wrong.

You are having trouble being exact. Pretend we are not there to see what you see, because we are not.

I have a black wire soldered to the steering column mast jacket inserted in the column. This black wire is connected to a brown wire that I have run directly to the Switch connection (right end) on the horn relay. I have nothing else installed to the column at this point. No spring, no contact plate, no wheel (removed), no cap. Just the column, bearings, and mast jacket.

I have two horns installed, Delco Remy Model 651 and they are wired together and connected to the Load connection (left end) on the horn relay.

As you directed, I removed the brown wire from the Switch connection (right end) on the horn relay. I ran the battery drain test. All looks good - 0.00 on the mm. Just to double check, I hooked the brown wire from the mast jacket again to the Switch connection (right end) of the horn relay. I reran the battery drain test and "horn #1" immediately started buzzing/moaning/blaring. So, I think the cause of the battery drain is "horn #1". "Horn #1" was extremely hot to the touch, so I assume it's the culprit. What I haven't done is totally disconnected "horn #1" and tried to hook up just "horn #2" to the Load connection (left end) on the horn relay to truly isolate the issue to "horn #1".

Horn relay mounting bracket/foot must be grounded according to 1951 diagram. You have mounted to painted surface. Attach a wire under screw to clean metal place.
Both horn brackets/housings must be grounded to clean metal place. No paint on horn bracket bottom or truck body. If the housings have a dedicated ground terminal/screw, be sure terminal wire is touching a clean horn terminal/screw and be sure other end is to clean metal spot nearby on truck.

When you add these grounds, you can't add them to another screw or bracket that is on a painted surface. To test, you can use well attached temporary wires to the battery negative terminal to see if the spark/honk/click/buzz...........goes away.

Thx bartamos, I'll give that a try. I didn't realize that screwing the paint-less horn relay to the firewall where a screw connects that unpainted surface to the virgin metal of the cab would cause a problem.

I was still typing, re read in case you missed anything. Both the relay AND the horn grounds must have very good grounds. All other grounds must be bare metal attachments. The only "return" for the electrics is the WHOLE truck. Frame, body, motor.............to the battery. VERY critical. This is a long and torturous path. Everything is rubber padded/mounted. So braided cable, or other, must be used to bypass all those rubber isolators.
I.E. Frame to body, body to motor, motor to battery........in any order. Not to painted surfaces. Flexible braided cable is best.

Looks like you are doing a really good job and a very nice truck is emerging.

I hope you cleaned out that column hub, where the horn parts go. Can't get a ground thru that gunk.

The front parking light are only on with the switch half way out. They turn off when you pull the switch all the way out.

Bartamos, I was also thinking about the ground subject. When I was trying to confirm that horn #1 was causing the battery drain, and with the battery and horn relay still both fully hooked up, I removed the mounting nut from horn #1 (the mounting studs for the horn are integral to the horn housing and mount through L shaped mounting brackets bolted to the firewall.) I then started to lift the horn out of the mounting bracket (which was still mounted firmly to the firewall), and as I pulled the horn mounting studs out of the mounting bracket, it was sparking all the way. I presumed, maybe incorrectly, that such was an indication that it was finding a good ground and that something inside horn #1 was an issue? Not true?

Carl - thx for clarifying that such is normal! As I want them to be on also when I pull the headlight switch all the way out (with the headlights), I’m going to run a jumper from the Park to the Tail connections on the headlight switch!

No not true. The only way it would spark is if there was voltage trying to find ground OR voltage touching ground. There should be NO voltage until horn button pushed. So you need a few tests. Keep the power wire OFF horns. You have a problem, as you know.

DO these tests.
DO NOT push horn button.
DO NOT let any wires touch ground.
1. test removed horn power wire for voltage.
2. test all three relay terminals for voltage. Do not disconnect the wires from the relay
3. Advise how you tested. With want instrument. How was instrument used. Specifically.
4. Report results. carefully, accurately. Each test. Each question.
5. don't do anything not on this list
6. Take off negative battery cable when finished with tests.
7. If using a meter, set to 20VDC. Red Plug into volt jack. Black plug into common jack. Touch wire/terminal with red lead and touch black lead to chassis ground.

YOU MENTIONED MAST JACKET: What is your definition of Mast Jacket?????????

Ok bartamos, tests conducted per instructions. But let me confirm one thing. You said, "1. test removed horn power wire"...did you mean the Load, Battery, or Switch wire, because the only one that I removed earlier in this discussion was the Switch wire, which I left disconnected as shown in the attached picture, for the below tests.

I had the mm hooked up exactly as you stated. I put the negative battery cable on the battery (the positive was already on) and got the below results. I touched the red probe to the wire and the relay terminals (one at a time), while holding the black probe on truck ground for each test.

1) 0.00 at the Switch wire (currently disconnected from the horn relay) coming from the mast jacket bearing - and there should not be any voltage coming from so can I assume that the wiring to the button/switch is good?

2) 0.00 (Load) 6.5v (Battery) 6.5v (Switch)
So, there's no voltage on the 'Load' terminal that currently both horns are connected to, there's battery voltage to the 'Battery' terminal on the horn relay (coming from the voltage regulator) and there's battery voltage at the 'Switch' terminal on the horn relay (again, with the wire from the Switch disconnected.)

I am pretty sure I understand. I will restate my test so you can do it one more time. I was not clear.

1. First, take off battery negative cable off of the battery post until just before test. I will tell you when to put it back on. Keep the positive battery cable on the battery.
2. Make sure the horns are mounted as they were to their brackets and firewall or wherever/however they were mounted.
2. Attach all three wires to the relay. Load-battery-switch. Sounds like you had the switch wire removed for the first test. So reattach.
3. Disconnect the wire on the horns that comes from the load terminal on the relay. Keep it from touching anything while it's loose.
4. Get the meter ready to test for DC voltage.
5. Attach negative cable back up to battery.
6. Test the loose end of the loose wire in no. 3, for voltage.
7. Test all three screw terminals at the relay, one at a time for voltage.
DISCONNECT NEGATIVE CABLE AFTER TEST
Report

Lol, shoot, I'm sorry man. Thanks for hanging in there with me. Ok, so same setup with mm as before. Now the Switch wire is connected to the horn relay terminal and the Load wire from the horns is disconnected from the horn relay terminal (and not touching anything else).

The loose end of the Load wire from the horns measures 0.00V. The Load terminal on the horn relay (from which I removed the Load wire) measures 6.5V. The Battery terminal on the horn relay measures 6.5V. The Switch terminla (which now has the Switch wire attached) is at 0.15V

I think you are playing with me or you can't read. Read it again. You did it wrong.

Unfortunately, I'm not screwing with you. #2 says attach all three wires to the horn relay. #3 says to remove the wire from the horns to the Load relay. If you meant to say remove the wire from the horns but leave it attached at the Load terminal of the horn relay, I can't. The horns only have one wire each coming from them. They are connected together, in parallel, and connected to a single wire that runs to the Load terminal on the horn relay. To remove either of them from the equation, I'll have to break that hard connection.

We won't dwell on what you did or how the horns are wired for now.

So from what I read on your voltage report is that all three terminal on the relay had voltage.....right?
The one that should NOT have voltage is the load terminal. You say it has 6.5V........right? This is the terminal on the relay that has a wire going to the horns on the firewall......right?

So since you have voltage on that terminal, it is sending voltage to the horns even when button not pushed. So that means either the mast bearing wire is touching ground somewhere inside or along the way to the relay or you have a bad relay. So now you need to put ALL WIRES back on EXCEPT the wire at the relay that comes from the column. This will mean you will have a new loose wire. It means you will have a terminal on the relay, called the switch terminal, with no wire attached because it is loose.

So do a voltage test on the end of the loose wire and a voltage test on the relay switch terminal (the one with no wire attached to it).
Then, one more thing, while wire is still off of the relay switch terminal, retest the load terminal on the relay for voltage.
REPORT

NOW let me know that you understand BEFORE you do the test. Obviously you need the battery cables attached to the battery and obviously you need mm set the same. Also answer the questions so that I understand.

It's gotta be the mast bearing grounded inside the column. I disconnected the wire coming from the mast bearing, from the wire that is connected to the Switch terminal on the horn relay. Put the negative battery cable back on and voila, no horn honking, or relay clicking, etc. When I remeasured the voltage at all three terminals, I now get 0.00 on the Load terminal, 6.5V on the Battery terminal, and 6.5V on the Switch terminal (which again, is disconnected now from the mast bearing wire in the steering column.)

OK, so the test show that no voltage at the load when switch wire disconnected and there is voltage when switch wire is connected. This seems to indicate that the switch wire coming from the column is shorted to ground.

So take switch wire loose from relay and do a mm continuity test, test between the end you removed from relay and a good ground. Should be no continuity. Continuity will confirm a short. You said you attached a wire from the relay to the mast bearing wire....right?
Is that connection protected from touching anything?

I WAS TYPING WHEN YOU RESPONDED SECOND TIME

Correct, the mast bearing wire is connected to a wire that runs from under the dash to the Switch terminal on the horn relay. I disconnected at the location under the dash and made sure that neither end was touching metal of any sort - and to my delight, there was no clicking/moaning/blaring of any kind when I put the negative battery cable back on! I also checked the battery voltage at the battery posts and confirmed there was no drain occurring. So tomorrow, I will run continuity test by reconnecting that wire under the dash (effectively again grounding that wire), after disconnecting the wire from the Switch terminal of the horn relay. If confirmed, I'll see if I have time to pull that mast bearing back out and see where it may be contacting the inside of the column tube. Thank you again bartamos for all the help!

Sure enough bartamos, I disconnected the Switch wire from the horn relay and plugged that same wire under the dash back into the mast bearing wire. I ran continuity test from the disconnected end of the Switch wire (horn relay end) to ground and got like 005 on 200 Ohm setting = continuity Good, well at least I have isolated the problem! Now to get the mast bearing out and see where she's touching. What's the best way to ensure that it doesn't ground to the inside of the column tube?

Usually you tie another wire or string on it before you pull it out, so as to be able to pull it back thru. If the mast bearing is new, it should be good. If wire not pinched on install, or damaged during install, I don't know what could be wrong. I assumed it was the add-on wire that was the culprit. As wire leaves the column, it should be protected and tied up away from rubbing on sharp edges. The upper mast bearing is a combo bearing and electrical slip ring. It is a pretty straight forward install. Be sure you don't have the steering wheel or something else touching the copper slip ring portion of the bearing. Maybe you can do a continuity test on just the bearing wire by disconnecting the add-on wire, if you can reach in and test.
Where do you have the wire exiting the column? I believe that is near the top of column?

Yeh, I have the mast bearing wire exiting the column near the top. Shoot, why didn’t I think of disconnecting that in-between wire and checking continuity of just the mast bearing wire?! Don’t answer that. I’ll have to check that tomorrow.

I did make sure to guard that in-between wire from metal and sharp edges so I don’t think there’s any of it exposed anywhere. I’ll have to double check that tomorrow as well...

..................and nothing touching the slip ring/copper ring on top of bearing. Right?

Wrong. So now we’ve got the real cause. I had a flat washer and a lock washer around the internal steering rod, laying on top of the copper ring of the mast bearing. I don’t even know why I had those on there because it’s not like I had the spring or contact plate or wheel installed, and certainly didn’t even think about them causing a Ground situation. When I removed those two washers, no more continuity! Hooked my Switch wire back up at the horn relay, no clicking, horn blaring, battery drain, etc. I just won dumb [censored] of the year award for that one. Sons a [censored]...

we’ve all done stuff like that. You’re extremely lucky that bartamos stayed with you. Normally about the end of the first page of posts he’s pulling his hair (if he has any left) and throwing in the towel.😁

Thanks Martin, don't I know it! That was obvious in one of his earlier posts, where I was clearly frustrating him with my descriptions I'm not sure why he stuck with me, but I'll never be able to thank him and the others that chimed in along the way, enough!