Horn wont work

[Street fighter]

I have a problem with my horn not working,I know the horns are good because I have straight wired them and they works. I thought that the horn relay was also the buzzer that sounds when you leave the key in the switch, I have tried to find this relay but can't find one, how do these horns work and is the horn run though this buzzer for the switch? if not whats wrong with it?

 

[440roadrunner]

Well. ****. The first question is what are we working on?

Believe it or not, these girls have changed some over the years. Some of them (horn relay) plugs into the fuse panel.

 

[747mopar]

The way most horns work is the horn button provides the needed ground to opperate. Check to make sure your steering column is grounded (take an ohm reading from the metal column to a bare spot on the body). Next locate the ground in the column harness and do the same test while pushing the button. Did you already check the fuses? I used an aftermarket harness so I'm not real knowledgeable on the factory setup but it shouldn't be with the buzzer but it's own little relay under the dash. If nobody answers I can check my manual later. Good luck

 

[Street fighter]

Well. ****. The first question is what are we working on?

Believe it or not, these girls have changed some over the years. Some of them (horn relay) plugs into the fuse panel.

Well. ____ I am working on a 73 dodge charger.

 

[440roadrunner]

Well. ____ I am working on a 73 dodge charger.

- - - Updated - - -[/infro..

I BELIEVE that indeed plugs into the fuse box. "off" to look it up................page 8-132. Plugs into the fuse panel. You have a shop manual? Go to MyMopar. No, I don't "work there." Some of the manuals there CAME from the guys here on FBBO and FABO

 

[Street fighter]

Just as I thought the buzzer and the horn relay are two in the same, the buzzer works but the horn section don't. where can I find one of these relays? I have checked every where I can think of and have had no luck.

 

[440roadrunner]

How did you determine it is actually the relay and not something else in that circuit?

 

[Street fighter]

I installed a new horn setup in the grant steering wheel I have on the car, it does the same thing it did at first, you can hear the clicking of the ground plate touching the grounded steering wheel but no horn.. I'm not 100% sure that the relay is bad but I know it has been on the car for the 25yrs I have owned it.horns works when straight wired, so I have to start some where and I decided to start with the relay and work from there.

 

[5.7 hemi]

Sand in between the factory contact plates.

 

[440roadrunner]

Here's the thing..........you are fixating on the relay, for which you cannot seem to find a replacement. Why not ACTUALLY troubleshoot the SYSTEM and figure it out? Then you know what is wrong.

First thing to do is figure out if the relay is engaging. You cannot trust the horn button, so where else can you access the horn button wire?

EASY at the steering column connector. Look on the page I posted 8-132 The button wire is H3-20BK. This means a no 20 gauge wire and it's BlacK Follow that off the page, and down to the next page at the STEERING COLUMN. There you will see it at the very bottom of the turn signal connector. Get in there with a probe and ground that wire and LISTEN. You should be able to hear the relay click.

Now........if it is NOT clicking, is it getting power? Back up at the fuse panel, you want the FEED wire, H1-16V which is a no 16 VIOLET. That goes down to "2" on the fuse panel Is that hot? Probe it and see

Go back and find the fuse chart. You have a clock? Does it work? Does the "key in buzzer" work? If so, that fuse is good and the relay has power.

Now, is horn power getting "out" of the relay? This is a little more difficult because the power comes out of the relay, which is hard to access, and goes through the bulkhead connector. Both those terminations are difficult, because you could be losing power RIGHT IN the bulkhead connector terminals.

One way to do this is to make a "rig." Find some light gauge wire, or else strip out some heavy gauge, and get a "strand" of wire. Pull the relay, put this small wire down in the correct terminal which is "3" at bottom right. Hook this to your meter or test lamp and activate the horn button wire. You should get power there. If you do, the problem is LIKELY in the bulkhead connector terminal

 

[coloradodave]

Two things to add:
1- Have you tried grounding the horn wire itself to the steering shaft or another "known" ground?
2- Some Grant wheels are painted and the cap won't make a ground unless you install their 'foil' adapter.