Dead horn?

[Supermike]

Hey guys... anyone know if there is any way to make a "dead" horn come back to life? What in the world causes these to go bad? They don't seem THAT complicated!

I have one dead (original) "Hi" horn that is dead in my CS. Additionally, I just bought a set of Hi/Lo horns off eBay, and NEITHER of them worked when I installed them tonight!

Now, before you think I'm missing something, I've tried it all. My ORIGINAL "Lo" horn works just fine, with both my original horn wiring harness and the harness (FoMoCo) that was sent with the horns I bought. I checked to make sure both harnesses tested out. The ebay horns had been painted, so I even scuffed a spot on the "Hi" horn and grounded it with an alligator clip to ensure it was grounded. No dice.

Any ideas? I guess I should've just bought one from Autozone, but I wanted the "original" look and not some Chinese knock-off.

[fordman]

run direct 12 v to each horn by itself and see if it honks. it should with direct power. atleast the one i tested does honk with direct power. make sure and ground the case of it.

[basketcase0302]

Mike,

What Fordman said and also, if it has the phillips head screw in the side of it.
This is for adjusting the diaphram on the horn. I've gotten them working before by turning the screw one way/try it. turn it the other way/try it.

Jeff

[Supermike]

run direct 12 v to each horn by itself and see if it honks. it should with direct power. atleast the one i tested does honk with direct power. make sure and ground the case of it.

Yeah... I need to get a battery charger and try this, I guess. Either that, or use jumper cables. The guy who sold them to me said they tested out this way both before and after he painted them, but when connected to my truck they flat will not work. I tried using my "Battery Tender", but it didn't work, either. I figure it not sending a 12v charge, though.

In fact, I even sanded off the paint on the mounting brackets, hoping it was just a ground/contact issue, but that didn't make a difference. However, I know that my truck harness works (it tests out with a light) and the original "Lo" horn works, so I can't figure out what's up with these.

The fella on ebay DID refund my money, including shipping, so that was really cool. But I want to make every effort I can to ensure these are really bad or non-working, just as a point of honesty.

Let's say I hook them up to a charger and they DO work, though... I've sanded off the paint on the part of the bracket that makes contact with the radiator support, and ensured they are getting juice from the harness, so what else would keep them from working? Just that diaphragm screw? What exactly does that do, internally?

[ToughOldFord]

Mike,

What Fordman said and also, if it has the phillips head screw in the side of it.
This is for adjusting the diaphram on the horn. I've gotten them working before by turning the screw one way/try it. turn it the other way/try it.

Jeff

Sometimes that's all it takes.

[fordman]

the screw will adjust the tension of the diaphram. it can also change the pitch of the sound of the horn

[basketcase0302]

it can also change the pitch of the sound of the horn

LMAO...

Remembering the times I was trying to do this, (make sure you have a video recorder ready)!

From elephant sounds to duck noises and everything in between!

Basketcase

[fordman]

thats what i was always told. sorry if i was wrong.

[Supermike]

You guys got it! It was that dang screw, on both of them. Apparently they were tightened down so snug the horn couldn't honk!

From elephant sounds to duck noises and everything in between!

You weren't kidding! I didn't have my camera, but the first sound I got sounded like I stepped on a sick duck. Then I hit something akin to a cat caught in an electric fence. Then maybe a sick elephant, followed by a rabid coon.

In the end, my "new" (to me) "Hi" and "Lo" horns both worked! The "Hi" horn actually tuned up quite nicely. The "Lo" gave me quite a fit, to the degree I just put my original one back in. I made probably 45 trips between the cab and the horn making 1/2 screw turns and had a hard time hitting the "sweet spot". I finally got it, mostly, but it still had a very slight "throaty" sound to it. I'll hang on to it as a backup. At least I have my sweet sounding dual horns. I love that sound!

Thanks guys!! This is what makes this site so great! The seller had actually already REFUNDED my entire payment, shipping and all. A stand up guy, who took my word for it. I've already emailed him and told him I'll send him back his payment ASAP (I have to wait for the refund to clear). But you folks should check out his auctions. His seller ID is "cjmince" ( http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZcjmince ) and he has a pretty sweet dash cluster for sale right now:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/67-72-71 ... enameZWDVW

[l1k2gadd]

That says a lot about you too! Many people wouldn't think about sending him his payment back again either. Great job on that one!! Honesty!!

The way I see it, if you don't do something like you are doing by paying him for the horns again it would cost you somewhere else down the road, like a flat tire, a clogged fuel filter or something else.

No, not a Earl Hicky, Carma thing, that's B.S.! There is One watching everything we do though and when we don't return that extra dollar the cashier gave us by accident, or step on the money another person drops so they don't know it's been dropped I believe you will pay out more for the little gain you got in the long run.

[Supermike]

Thanks... I try to hold up my end of deals. To further prove what a guy he is, he told me to take my time and to forget about the shipping costs... they were on him. He has now been paid back, and I couldn't be happier with my horns. =)

I think it's just like "Earl", though... if you don't do the right thing now, "Karma" will bite you back later. I tend to think of "Karma" as God's natural law... your actions are eventually repaid in equal, opposite reactions.