Horn doesnt work, fuse is good.
Thread Starter
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (15)
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,474
Likes: 1
From: Long Island, NY
Horn doesnt work, fuse is good. i havent tested the leads going to the horn yet but i press the horn button on my sisters 99 t/a and no sound at all. fuse is good. do you guys think the high and low horns are both out ?? any other suggestions ? thanks
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,329
Likes: 346
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
First, did you replace the fuse with a known good one or just look at it? Fuses can often be blown but look fine. (BTW, this is a 20-amp minifuse in junction box #1 under the hood.)
Assuming it's not the fuse, there are several other things to check that are more likely than both horns going dead at once. The horn relay is a likely culprit that is easy and inexpensive to fix. The contact ring in the steering column is another somewhat common problem but it's expensive and difficult to fix.
You should start at the horns and work backwards with a test light or multimeter. Unplug a horn and check for power when someone presses the horn button. If there's power then check that the ground is good. If both power and ground are good then the horns themselves are the problem.
If no power then check at the horn relay. The relay is also in junction box #1 under the hood (on the left fender well). It gets power to two terminals on the orange wires and outputs power to the horns on the dark green wire when the black wire is grounded by pushing the horn button. First check that the orange wires have power - if not, check your fuse again. If there's power then check that the black wire goes to ground when someone presses the horn button. If no ground then either the horn button, the contact ring, or the wiring at the steering column is the problem. If there is ground then check for power on the dark green wire when the horn button is pressed. If not then replace the relay.
Assuming it's not the fuse, there are several other things to check that are more likely than both horns going dead at once. The horn relay is a likely culprit that is easy and inexpensive to fix. The contact ring in the steering column is another somewhat common problem but it's expensive and difficult to fix.
You should start at the horns and work backwards with a test light or multimeter. Unplug a horn and check for power when someone presses the horn button. If there's power then check that the ground is good. If both power and ground are good then the horns themselves are the problem.
If no power then check at the horn relay. The relay is also in junction box #1 under the hood (on the left fender well). It gets power to two terminals on the orange wires and outputs power to the horns on the dark green wire when the black wire is grounded by pushing the horn button. First check that the orange wires have power - if not, check your fuse again. If there's power then check that the black wire goes to ground when someone presses the horn button. If no ground then either the horn button, the contact ring, or the wiring at the steering column is the problem. If there is ground then check for power on the dark green wire when the horn button is pressed. If not then replace the relay.
Thread Starter
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (15)
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,474
Likes: 1
From: Long Island, NY
i did switch the fuse with another so thats def out. i will do what you said tomorrow when its light out. if it is indeed the relay who sells em ? thanks whitebird you're the best when it comes to electronics here !!
Thread Starter
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (15)
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,474
Likes: 1
From: Long Island, NY
I believe the relay is fine b/c i switched it with the fogs and the fogs worked fine. i just went outside to check a bit in the dark. the 2 term closes to the firewall are both good and hot, the term on the bottom towards the passenger was a good ground when i used it to ground the orange terminal, but the bottom driver side terminal i could not get anything coming from that at all. i have not tested the horns b/c like i said its dark. where should i go from here ? thanks
Last edited by 3800RS; Sep 30, 2006 at 08:27 PM.
Thread Starter
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (15)
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,474
Likes: 1
From: Long Island, NY
just hit my panic button, lights flash but no horn. i check the junction box again, i noticed when i used the test light on the drk green and grounded it with the black the horn sounded, no one hit the button in the car either. does that give me a clue to what it is ?
Last edited by 3800RS; Sep 30, 2006 at 09:12 PM.
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,329
Likes: 346
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
Using the panic alarm was a good idea (I should have thought of that). If the horn doesn't sound with the panic alarm then it's probably safe to assume that the problem isn't in the steering wheel or column.
So, you're back to the relay or wiring. Since you got the horn to sound momentarily, it's not the horn causing the problem. Check the relay socket for corrosion - you may find that the relay is fine but the socket is bad.
So, you're back to the relay or wiring. Since you got the horn to sound momentarily, it's not the horn causing the problem. Check the relay socket for corrosion - you may find that the relay is fine but the socket is bad.
Trending Topics
Thread Starter
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (15)
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,474
Likes: 1
From: Long Island, NY
i will check it out today when my sister gets home, last night didnt notice any corosion and like i said i swapped it with the foglight relay to see if the relay is bad. i am gonna check good tonight to see. what would i be bypassing by putting the pos part of the testlight to the green and the grnd to the black ? that when i heard the horn. thanks whitebird
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (15)
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,474
Likes: 1
From: Long Island, NY
no corosion but when i did the pos testlight on the green and the ground to the black the horn does sound but is distorted. tomorrow i am putting it up on ramps and gonna look at the horns them selves.
Thread Starter
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (15)
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,474
Likes: 1
From: Long Island, NY
ok so still no horn. i tested the ground at the horn, ground is fine. but the green wire at the horn i could not seem to get any power from. now i ran a new wire from the green at the relay to the horn, still no power. but when i do the testlight thing with the pos on the green at the relay and the ground from the testlight to the black at the relay the horn sounds without anyone in the car hitting anything. i did notice when the horn did sound it wasnt really distorted but i think it was only the low horn sounding. now my question is if the high horn is dead will that make both not work ?? i am lost at this problem and its becoming a headache.
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,329
Likes: 346
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
Do you get power on the green wire at the horn relay when someone presses the button (or you use the panic alarm)? That is when you use an independant ground - not when connecting to both the green and black wires.
Try removing the relay and connecting the orange and dark green terminals with a piece of wire. If the horn sounds properly then the problem is either the relay (regardless of swapping another one) or the trigger circuit to the relay.
And no, if one horn is out the other one will still work.
Try removing the relay and connecting the orange and dark green terminals with a piece of wire. If the horn sounds properly then the problem is either the relay (regardless of swapping another one) or the trigger circuit to the relay.
And no, if one horn is out the other one will still work.
Thread Starter
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (15)
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,474
Likes: 1
From: Long Island, NY
Originally Posted by WhiteBird00
Do you get power on the green wire at the horn relay when someone presses the button (or you use the panic alarm)? That is when you use an independant ground - not when connecting to both the green and black wires.
Originally Posted by WhiteBird00
Try removing the relay and connecting the orange and dark green terminals with a piece of wire. If the horn sounds properly then the problem is either the relay (regardless of swapping another one) or the trigger circuit to the relay..
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,329
Likes: 346
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
Originally Posted by 3800RS
No just did this couldnt get power at the relay with the green using a good ground in the bay with the horn pressed or the panic.
When i tried this i conected the orange to the green and the horn immed sounded and sounded fine. let me know what you think. thankyou so much.
When i tried this i conected the orange to the green and the horn immed sounded and sounded fine. let me know what you think. thankyou so much.
Thread Starter
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (15)
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,474
Likes: 1
From: Long Island, NY
ok i just did that whitebird. no ground at the black when the horn is pressed. how do i go about tracing that ground ? where is it to ? i appreciate this alot
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,329
Likes: 346
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
The black wire goes from the relay in the junction box along the fender to the grommet in the firewall on the driver's side. From there it goes under the dash to connector C200 which is one large inline connector with three smaller connectors plugged into it. It is the only black wire in the black flat 17-pin connector (it's in position 7 of 17). From there it goes to the base of the steering column where it plugs into the black flat 11-pin connector attached to the column (it's one of two black wires there - you want the one on the fourth position not the one in the second position).
Use a test light with a sharp probe to test for ground in that wire at each connector when the horn button is pressed (don't unplug the connectors). When you find a good ground, you know the break in the wire is further "down-stream" (closer to the relay). If you don't find a ground even when you get to the column then the problem is in the column or the horn switch. But I doubt that will happen since the panic alarm doesn't work and it would provide a separate path to ground from the column.
Use a test light with a sharp probe to test for ground in that wire at each connector when the horn button is pressed (don't unplug the connectors). When you find a good ground, you know the break in the wire is further "down-stream" (closer to the relay). If you don't find a ground even when you get to the column then the problem is in the column or the horn switch. But I doubt that will happen since the panic alarm doesn't work and it would provide a separate path to ground from the column.