The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Horn wiring?

I am working on a 50 Chevy PU that has a late model (1991) GM steering column out of a van installed. The person who installed it did not wire in a set of horns. Where can I find the horn wire in the steering column? Do I then need to install a relay? Any advice will help.
Thanks
larry

On the column connection the horn wire should be connection G. I would put a test light on it and try it just to make sure.

I would use a relay if it were me.

Please expand on the horn wiring dilema, as I must do the same thing to my truck.

If your truck has an original horn, you may already have a relay. Mine (on a '59) is mounted on the left side of the firewall.

The horn wire will probably be black. Putting a test light to it won't tell you if it's hot, since it only completes the coil side of the relay circuit to ground. You have a hot on one side of the the coil, the ground for the circuit is completed when you press the horn button. It is grounded to the steering shaft or column. Once the coil circuit is energized, it will close the switch side of the relay.In most cases, there is only one connector on the horn itself.The horn is actually part of the ground circuit on the switch side of the relay.The hot will come from the fuse block. If you take your DMM, set it for continuity, probe the hole where your horn contact goes in. you can see the rotory contact on the canceling cam through this hole ( about 1/4" dia. ). Then, probe the wires at the base of the column, until, you find the wire with continuity. This is the wire that goes to the "coil" side of the relay. The rest is a basic relay circuit. Hope this helps.

Jim Sgrig "Piewagn"

I've thought about this one more. Your test light may light up dimly, depending on the resistance of the relay coil. Your test light will complete this circuit to ground, energizing the relay coil, closing the switch side of the relay.

JS

The wire coming down the steering column is black, and leads to a 10 pin connector that usually clip mounts to the column. The horn lead is pin #28, or "G". The connector has 6 pins on one side, and 4 on the other. The horn contact wire is the 3rd pin from the end, on the four-pin side of the connector. To test if the horn pad contacts are working properly, disconnect this column connector from the underdash lead, and connect a test light to a known hot lead, then touch to pin 28. Hit the horn pad, and the test light will light. If not, either the horn contacts are inop or your column isn't grounded where it is mounted. This black lead is used as a switchable ground source for a horn relay (a must!) All you need to complete this gig is a horn or horns, and a 4 terminal relay of appropriate amp rating. Best regards!