Annoying Horn Problem

[JamesRGUK]

Hi all,

My car is coming up to MOT time and I've got a problem with the horns, originally I thought it was probably a crap earth or corroded terminals on the horns as I know they are exposed to the elements.

Anyway I took them off (very corroded), cleaned all the connections and tested them straight on the battery, they hooted correctly.

Popped them back on the car and when I press the horn all I get is a 'pung' sound and no toot, I re-checked all the connections again and still no luck.

Typically my multi-meter is at my house and I am 1/2hr drive away with the car at my parent’s house.

But besides checking current is getting to the hooters any other suggestions?

Ta

James

[Rich Hanlon]

Not really, other than I had the exact same problem and never thoroughly got to the bottom of it, However some new scrapyard horns did the trick - despite the fact that the originals worked perfectly when directly connected to a battery. Check the earth point, as you say, (as in, where the earth bolts to the front frame extension.)

But beyond that, I never really understood it...

[JamesRGUK]

Rich Hanlon Wrote:Not really, other than I had the exact same problem and never thoroughly got to the bottom of it, However some new scrapyard horns did the trick - despite the fact that the originals worked perfectly when directly connected to a battery. Check the earth point, as you say, (as in, where the earth bolts to the front frame extension.)
But beyond that, I never really understood it...

All fixed...

Ahh somtimes the simplest answers are the best, I had started and move the car a few time over the month and the battery has obviously taken a bit of a hit.

I fired up the engine and tooted the horns and they sung like angles, obviously the little extra current from the alternator was enough to over ride the weak battery.

Few, thought that was going to be a pain!

James

[Tourettes Tony]

yes no one wants to lose their horn :wink: TT

[Carl Hammond]

By the way, re the horns on the DeLorean, should and have they always sounded so feeble?

Or (as I suspect) is it just mine that sound like a constipated roadrunner! :roll:

If so, it's shocking for a car that has such presence on the road, actually, it's down right embarrassing! :oops:

:lol:

Best regards

Carl

[Dan6457]

Mines the same!! The other day at the wheel alignment place the chap was driving it onto the ramp and he beeped to get one if his colleagues to guide him on and no one heard him! :lol:

[bozzzydmc]

Both mine are new OEM style ...yes and they sound like they have come off a robin reliant ....

[Dan6457]

Actually mike its Reliant Robin, not Robin Reliant :wink:

My old Reliant sounded exactly the same, and the indicator storks were also the same as the Reliant ones :lol:

[bozzzydmc]

...there you go then .. its now a proven fact ....

[Carl Hammond]

Ah but then you have got the cheeky alternative on your car, haven't you Dan? :wink:

If the chap had used that one, his colleague would have probably fallen over! :lol:

Best regards

Carl

[Guinney1971]

How about a pair of chrome US Truck Horns on the roof between the
gullwings? :lol:

AAAAROOOOOOGAH!! :lol:

[Dan Howarth]

I got mine off a metro. Quite beefy now

[simid]

JamesRGUK Wrote:All fixed...

Ahh somtimes the simplest answers are the best, I had started and move the car a few time over the month and the battery has obviously taken a bit of a hit.

I fired up the engine and tooted the horns and they sung like angles, obviously the little extra current from the alternator was enough to over ride the weak battery.

Few, thought that was going to be a pain!

James

Interesting.

I went to the local wreckers a few weeks ago and picked up a pair of Astra TS horns as I always hated the standard weak Delorean horns. Swapped one horn, nice and loud on one side, swapped the other, both go mute.

Thought it might had been an earthing problem. But why did both different horns worked, but not both Astra horns?

So by your observation, I should reconnect it and have the car running for the extra power to see if they will both work?

[Rich Hanlon]

I've had this too. Either horn works fine independantly but when you connect both simultaneously they're crap. At the moment I've disconnected the 'high' and the low work perfectly.

That makes me think it's a lack of current, not a lack of voltage. I bet a horn relay and some big fat cabling would sort it, there's only a tiny brass terminal at the end of the horn push as standard, I don't think you can get enough amps through it.

[simid]

Must be a Delorean thing.

I'll try and reconenct the other Astra horn and test it with the car running. Don't really want to less around running fatter cables for the horns. :lol: