PWB Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 Please help. Was driving down the road and testing everything. Hit the horn and it went from two notes to one, then NONE within seconds. Wires appear perfect and I'm getting 12V DC at the horn terminal (when button pressed). Horns are bolted tight. No corrosion anywhere. I never thought a horn could die. Yet 2 together?! Am I not troubleshooting this right? Thanks much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 I would first hot wire each horn to make sure that it's working properly. Use only a 12V wire and the chassis ground. That way you're checking the ground as well. The horn grounds to the core support through the case/bracket. If the horns are good, then work your way back from the connectors at the horn back to the horn relay. Somewhere you'll find where the power (12V) gets lost. Or after testing the horns by hot wiring, you could start at the horn relay and see if you have power there, then work your way towards the horns. Do you have a wiring diagram? If not, find one, it will be a big help. From the sounds (or lack of) of things, it sounds to me that the problem might be in the horn bar/steering column. Have you tried honking the horns and turning the steering wheel to see if that makes a difference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWB Posted October 24, 2016 Author Share Posted October 24, 2016 Hey thanks. But I AM getting 12V DC on the final terminal at the horns. The voltage is not lost. Is it an Amperage issue? And I have done no maintenance on these so it all appears original. They were working fine last time I drove her. Battery is new/strong. Car cranks right up..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JZRIV Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 If you have 12 volt at horn it should blow ASSUMING good ground which I'd think you would have. Remove horn. Touch mounting bracket (bare steel) on battery negative post and touch a jumper from battery positive to terminal on horn. If no work horn needs serviced or replaced. In volume 29 issue #6 I did an in-depth tech article on horn repair.....Often they can be repaired. Or you can just replace it but sometimes used ones can be hit and miss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWB Posted October 24, 2016 Author Share Posted October 24, 2016 Thanks! I just researched that only the starter draws more power than a horn on your average vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 14 minutes ago, PWB said: Thanks! I just researched that only the starter draws more power than a horn on your average vehicle. That's why that big thing on the driver's side inner fender (horn relay) is connected directly to the battery cable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1965rivgs Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 6 hours ago, PWB said: Hey thanks. But I AM getting 12V DC on the final terminal at the horns. The voltage is not lost. Is it an Amperage issue? And I have done no maintenance on these so it all appears original. They were working fine last time I drove her. Battery is new/strong. Car cranks right up..... Yes, it takes amps in addition to voltage to sound the horns. Make sure your connections are clean and tight including loosening and re-tightening the horn mounting bolts. It is possible the relay is not transferring the necessary amperage to sound the horns also. As Ed suggested try connecting a hot wire directly from the battery, or better yet from the hot battery stud at the junction, to eliminate the rest of the system. Sounds hokey but after connecting the wire if the horns do not sound try tapping the horns with a rubber mallet. If they start to sound dont leave the hot wire hooked up too long. Remember the hot wire is not fused so be careful and dont ground the wire while still connected to a battery source. If the diaphram in the horn does free up use the horns once in a while to keep them operational. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWB Posted October 24, 2016 Author Share Posted October 24, 2016 Good plans. Well I just checked continuity between the horns' connector terminal and the horns' mount (bare metal). Nothing on the Ohm meter. I guess they are shot? So strange the couple went down together after a 49 year marriage. Hmmm..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 One dies, the second dies shortly thereafter of a broken heart. They've been mates for over 50 years now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68RIVGS Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 I seem to recall seeing an article here, or maybe the Riv iew, or somewhere else, on bringing dead horns back to life ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JZRIV Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 1 hour ago, PWB said: Good plans. Well I just checked continuity between the horns' connector terminal and the horns' mount (bare metal). Nothing on the Ohm meter. I guess they are shot? So strange the couple went down together after a 49 year marriage. Hmmm..... If the contact point inside the horn is oxidized or burnt you won't get a reading between the hot terminal and ground and of course no sound. Essentially the horn design is a direct short. If it were not for the rapid on-off pulsing of the contact during operation it would melt the wiring or burn the coil up. Again there is a good chance your horns can be revived. There is also a company that will rebuild them if you don't want to mess with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithbrother Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 Parts DON'T always wave a flag saying, I'M ABOUT TO QUIT. Dale in Indy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1965rivgs Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 2 hours ago, PWB said: Good plans. Well I just checked continuity between the horns' connector terminal and the horns' mount (bare metal). Nothing on the Ohm meter. I guess they are shot? So strange the couple went down together after a 49 year marriage. Hmmm..... If the horns are not drawing power you will not have continuity to ground. Smack the horns with a rubber mallet while supplying power. You have nothing to lose but 30 seconds of your time. You may get lucky, worth a try Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KongaMan Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 It seems peculiar that they would both die at the same time. That almost makes one think it's not the horns at all. Did you wiggle all the appropriate connectors (both ends of the wire from the horn relay), as well as all of the connectors to the horn relay? If the battery feed to the horn relay is corroded, you could get the volts but not the amps (think: sluggish starter with corroded battery terminals). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 I don't have a Riv, but when my horn went bad [I only had one horn on the Reatta 'vert] I went to my local You Pick and looked for a Cadillac with the four note horn. It sounds like a train. I let my wife listen to it before I installed it and she said it was too loud. So we comprimised and I put in three horns. It is still loud but that is OK by me. If bikes can be loud all the time I can be loud when I need someone to hear/watch out for me. BTW if you go this way take a portable power station. I makes testing real easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWB Posted October 25, 2016 Author Share Posted October 25, 2016 Thanks all. I'm back on the road away from my Riv. I'll try all these tips when I get home to her. That's a lot of rivets to drill out on 2 horns. Ugh - reminds me of my sheetmetal days. If anyone has a lead on a repair shop I'll get a quote. Too dicey from the junkey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 Just to reiterate, you tried jumping 12V directly to each horn, right? There's no chance that burned/corroded relay contacts are dropping voltage to the horns? Voltage drop is proportional to current draw, so you may see 12V at the output of the relay but high resistance may prevent sufficient current to excite the horn(s). The fact that initially one stopped, then both, has me wondering whether the relay could have failed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JZRIV Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 I have no personal experience with either one http://www.carhornrestoration.com/ http://www.classiccarhorns.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWB Posted October 30, 2016 Author Share Posted October 30, 2016 WHACK! They work now. Thanks Tom!!! Or - the Fonz'? Took a few blows. By the way - zero terminal corrosion, zero dirt. Hope they last Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Paul, looks like you win the "Golden Hammer" award this month! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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