6 volt horns how to repair

[otto]

I bought a pair of used 6 volt horns, they werenot working, but after trying I can't get them to work. Any shops that can repair them?  

[JamesR]

It's possible they may have an adjustment on them that's cranked all the way, and the reason they aren't working. Turning the adjustment might help, though I wouldn't know where it is.

 

I don't know if your horns for something obscure or something like a 40's - 50's GM or Ford, but someone on another forum I frequent APPARENTLY found a rebuilder that charged something approaching $200 for rebuild service. If it's a Ford or similar, I'd look for a working set at that price rather than a rebuild.

[TerryB]

Can you tell if they are drawing any current?

[Jon37]

Otto, I assume that your horns (like most) are wired through a relay.  And I'm guessing that the relay is mounted somewhere in the engine compartment where it's accessible (you didn't mention the make or year of your car, though.).

 

Have you tried running a wire direct from the battery's hot terminal to the terminal on your horn?  If it blows then, this would indicate that the relay -- or even the horn button -- is bad, not the horn itself

 

Just to cover yourself, run a wire from the body of the horn to the ground terminal on your battery, at the same time, so you'll know it's not a grounding problem between horn and car body. 

 

(Sorry: it sounds like you have not yet mounted the horn(s) to the car, so I guess you would indeed have run a separate wire from the horn body to the ground terminal on the battery.)

[Bloo]

Take the cover off and unstick the points.

[Brill_C-37M_Bus]

What kind of horn is it?  I fixed a Sparton 12v “snail” horn by turning the adjusting nut and testing it straight off a battery.  I’ve seen similar 6v horns from Sparton, so here’s hoping it’s similar.

 

I made a video on the horn restoration for a bus project YouTube channel that I never finished or made public.  Here’s the link so you can see the horn repair video. The first 5 minutes or so are what should be relevant to your question.

 

 

Hope that helps!

 

 

-Steven

 

 

[Mark Gregory]

There was a AACA member Chris Wantuck who went by Friartuck who has now passed. Wrote for the publication Second Chance Garage and he wrote up an article about Horns.

 

http://www.secondchancegarage.com/public/198.cfm

[BuicksBuicks]

I still don't know what kind of horn this is.  Ah-ooo-gah?  A matched tone pair?  I recommend measuring the resistance from the horn electrical post to the case; I'd be happy if the resistance is under 100 ohms. Is there any writing on the horns like, "Chrysler", "General Motors", or "Tucker"?

[gossp]

There is a bit of art to tuning a horn to get the sound just right, but getting it to make sound is usually as simple as breaking loose all parts that are intended to move. 

[MochetVelo]

I'm trying to restore a c1915 Auto-Lite electric horn. It uses a flat spring to vibrate the diaphram. This spring was broken so I replaced it, but couldn't find the exact thickness spring. I think I made it too thick; no sound. I'm insure where to locate a small piece of flat spring metal. Could I make one from sheet metal?

 

Phil

[Guest]

I have purchased small pieces of spring steel from Clock repairers or suppliers.

[keithb7]

My aoogahh horn was dying a slow death. Slowing down. Trouble shooting I found it was not due to grounds or a relay. I popped it open released the brushes. I hand sanded everything with emery cloth. Cleaned up all the contacts and brushes. It's working great again now. Some of the best tones I ever heard from it! 

The aaoogah horn, any type of electric horn actually, needs lots and lots of free flowing electrons going through it to work properly. Tracing the path of electrons everywhere,  and cleaning up all connections is paramount to a good working horn.

 

Don't let those pesky little electrons get bunched up at a restriction before entering the horn. Or let a bunch of them take a shortcut to ground and completely skip the horn work you asked them to do. They are like untamed savages in the wild if they are not contained and strictly controlled. They will do as they please, taking the laziest, quickest simplest path back to ground without doing any work, if you let them. They will go as far as light fires in your car if they all stampede and rush to an escape route, directly back to ground. Madness, these electrons.