| 1939ute | -- 11-24-2010 @ 11:53 PM |
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Hello, I have had my 6 volt horns working on my 1939 Ford but now they just make a dull noise when I press the button then stop and nothing else! I have a new relay fitted and all seemed OK but now nothing! What can be done to get them going? I have three sets of horns and two new relays and the horn button works OK! Can anyone suggest anything? I don't want to take them off, if there is an easier way! Thanks. Cheers, John
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| TomO | -- 11-25-2010 @ 9:27 AM |
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First try connecting the horns directly to the battery with a jumper cable. Do this one horn at a time. They should give off the correct sound. If they still don't work, try connecting the sh*ll of the horn directly to the battery grounding connector with another jumper cable and repeat the test. If the test works, your problem is probably the horn relay contacts or the wiring to the horn relay. The grounding circuit is through the body of the horn to the body of the car. The horn button grounds the circuit to the horn relay allowing the relay to energize and supply voltage to the horns. The replacement relays sold by Mac and other vendors do not seem to work as well as the relays with 4 terminals and the hook for the wiring harness. If the test fails, you will have to remove the horns and check the horn motors. The armature gap should be between .025" and .050". I like to set the short horn at .035 and the long horn at .050. The contact points should be adjusted so that they fully close when the horn is not activated and will open before the armature moves .005". There should be little or no rust on the diaphragm. If there is severe rust, discard the motors and look for replacements. Save the sh*ll and the trumpets as later motors will fit your sh*ll. Tom
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| 1939ute | -- 11-25-2010 @ 12:28 PM |
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Hello Tom, thanks for the information; I'll try that and see how I go! I do have some other horns and a new relay that I can change around if the test you describe indicates that the ones fitted are rusted out! If they are not rusty, I'll try the adjustments you mentioned. Once again, thank you and I'll let you know how I go! Cheers, John
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| 1939ute | -- 11-25-2010 @ 9:27 PM |
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Hello Tom, I have done the test on another set of horns I have and I could get them both to work (one louder than the other) with just wires from the battery! When I tried them with the relay (old one I had) they wouldn't work! I wired them up through the relay on my Ute and the wouldn't work! The relay on the Ute is one from Mac's. I don't know what the function of the relay is so I couldn't fiddle too much! I will look through my bits and see if I can find any other relays to give them a go! It would be good to know what the relay actually does!! Can you tell me? Once again, thanks for your help! Cheers, John
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| Stroker | -- 11-26-2010 @ 2:25 AM |
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39 UTE: The horn relay, much like your starter solenoid, is simply a way of switching a high amp load using a small switch such as the starter button, or in this case the horn button. The relay is operated by your horn button, and when you push the button, it closes a set of large contacts in the relay which actually carries the current to the horn "motors". This saves having to have two big wires running to your horn button.
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| 1939ute | -- 11-26-2010 @ 2:37 AM |
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Thanks Stroker, that makes sense; my horns work when I bypass the relay but I only got a click from the relay and only a slight noise from the horns when connected through the relay! I have tried two relays (one being a new one from Mac's that did work and one old one I had in the shed)! I'm a bit lost yet but I'll keep working at it!! Thanks again for your help. Cheers, John
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| TomO | -- 11-27-2010 @ 9:00 AM |
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The relay from Mac probably cannot carry the full current required for your horns. The original relays had heavy duty contacts. If you have an original relay, you can try removing the cover and cleaning the contacts. The original type relay has four wiring terminals, top 2 are for the horns, next is the battery terminal and the bottom terminal is for the horn button. The battery and horn button wires are soldered to the terminals to improve current flow, but the horns will work without soldering them. Tom
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| 1939ute | -- 11-27-2010 @ 4:13 PM |
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Hello Tom, thanks for that; I have an old relay that's branded RVB and it has three terminals! One terminal has 'H' on it, the other has a dot on it and the third is unmarked, I connected it 'H' terminal to horns, 'Dot' terminal to battery and unmarked terminal to button/ground. When I connected the ground wire, the contacts closed and the horns made a little sound and then stopped! I did try wiring one horn at a time with the same result! I had cleaned the relay points prior to doing the test! I can get each horn to blow if run wires directly from the battery!! Silly question! What if I try wiring two relays to give it extra power to the horns?? Cheers, John
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| trjford8 | -- 11-27-2010 @ 5:27 PM |
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John, make sure the relay is properly gounded. Anything electrical needs a good clean ground.
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| 1939ute | -- 11-27-2010 @ 11:55 PM |
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Hello trjford8, thanks for the info, I will recheck the ground and give it another go! Cheers, John
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| TomO | -- 11-28-2010 @ 9:36 AM |
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I still think that you either have a defective relay or the contacts cannot deliver enough current to make your horns work. I have attached a photo of the correct style relay for your car. The short hook is for the wiring harness and the long leg is for mounting the relay to the frame. If you cannot find one locally, send me a private message and I will sell you the one pictured. Tom This message was edited by TomO on 11-28-10 @ 9:44 AM
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| TomO | -- 11-28-2010 @ 9:37 AM |
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Here is a photo showing the horn terminals. Tom
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| 1939ute | -- 11-28-2010 @ 7:23 PM |
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Hello Tom, I have finally got the horns working using two aftermarket relays, one to each horn! I would say the old relay that I found in the shed is faulty and using one aftermarket relay on two horns wasn't delivering enough power! As you had already said! Thanks to all the members who have assisted me to deal with the problem. Tom, I have sent you a private message regarding the relay you have! Cheers, John
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