Speaking of fuses RESOLVED

[4uall]

Went to honk my horn when leaving a friends house and it was not only faint, it also sounded different

Got home and investigated. It would appear that only one horn is working. Checked the fuses and found this


1980 Fuse box by itzebtze, on Flickr

Based on my manual the red fuse is 16 amp and should be in the first 3 from the left


1980 Fuse box labeling diagram by itzebtze, on Flickr


1980 Fuse box identifier list by itzebtze, on Flickr


16 Amp Ceramic Fuses by itzebtze, on Flickr

Questions are the following: should I put the 16 amp red fuses in the first 3 places? How in the world do I access the horns for removal?

I have never had an electrical issues in 1 yr of ownership.

[maytag]

all of those fuses look fine. the 3rd from left is rotated so we can't see the element, but i can see the tin on both ends, I'd bet it's fine too.
If everything is working (electrically speaking) then leave 'em alone!

When you say that only one horn is working; do you have the air horns or the electric?

[4uall]

electric

[maytag]

electric

both horns will be on the same fuse, on the same wire. So if one is working but the other is not, the most likely culprit is the wire between the first to the second horn. Or the 2nd horn is ungrounded.

[4uall]

I was able to remove and clean the power, add dielectric etc however, no change. What is the best way to remove horns? ironically I have brand new electric horns just waiting in a box for a day like this.

[maytag]

did you check the lead at the non-working horn with a test-light or meter?
sounds to me like a bad horn.

[4uall]

no Did not have the luxury of time today. Maybe tomorrow after our 3rd Thanksgiving dinner

[81SPIDERMATT]

same problem... for me it was a grounding issue...taking off the grill for me was the way to get to the horn..... air horns.. how cool would that be... for that matter put an air tank in and drop a train horn in... i seem to disappear in a traffic circles... would love to lay on a loud horn to express my displeasure at other drivers sometimes ..

http://www.hornblasters.com/products/de ... air-system

http://www.hornblasters.com/products/de ... train-horn

[focodave]

Jay,
Have you considered the possibility of the horn relay going bad?
That's the part that is under the most stress in the system, and a likely failed component.
With a change in horn tone, perhaps there is a voltage drop in the relay (possibly because of burnt contacts in the relay)that is preventing 12 volts from getting to the horn itself.
I would measure voltage at the horn while the horn button is being depressed.
Dave

[maytag]

Jay,
Have you considered the possibility of the horn relay going bad?
That's the part that is under the most stress in the system, and a likely failed component.
With a change in horn tone, perhaps there is a voltage drop in the relay (possibly because of burnt contacts in the relay)that is preventing 12 volts from getting to the horn itself.
I would measure voltage at the horn while the horn button is being depressed.
Dave

relays rarely fail in a "reduced voltage" way. they fail on or they fail off.

[focodave]

Um, OK.
Jay, after you have checked all wires in the circuit, all grounds, and the horn itself (can be tested by applying 12 volts directly to the horn terminals), don't forget that there is a relay in the circuit that could be bad.
Just saying...

[maytag]

Dave, I wasn't trying to be offensive. I'm merely suggesting that a failed relay is the absolute most unlikely culprit, given the symptoms.

you said:

That's the part that is under the most stress in the system, and a likely failed component.

the relay is certainly under less stress than the horn unit itself, so that is a more-likely failure. And we all know what sort of grounding issues these cars have, so ALSO a more-likely failure.

Relays just do not fail the way you're suggesting. is it possible? absolutely.
but not likely.

So it still makes sense to tackle the easiest and most probable culprits first, than it does to immediately assume it is the most difficult to repair and least likely to fail part.

just sayin'......

[focodave]

Maytag,
Absolutely no offense taken.
We're cool.
I guess one of the biggest problems with the written word is that it is still difficult to convey the sprirt of the message, even with all of the smiley face options available, etc.
I merely wanted to make sure that, after all else is checked, Jay does not lose site of the fact that the relay is in the circuit.
I'd hate for him to not have a functional horn.
It would be best if he was able to use a multi-meter to start going through things.
A horn circuit is pretty basic stuff to troubleshoot with a meter.
Dave

[4uall]

Removed and painted my grill. Absolutely no way I can get my man hands in there to disassemble the horns or remove the grounds etc. Is the relay fixed somewhere or is it in the lines? Horn is louder but still sounds weird/different


Freshly painted upper grill by itzebtze, on Flic

[maytag]

Maytag,
Absolutely no offense taken.
We're cool.
I guess one of the biggest problems with the written word is that it is still difficult to convey the sprirt of the message, even with all of the smiley face options available, etc.

You too!?!? Just when I think I've got it covered with smiley's, Fiat218 pipes-up and makes fun of my use of smileys! SUNNUVA!!!

good. glad yer good. me too!