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horns

Limey

Donation Time
Hi All,

I have a weird issue with my horns/hooters.

Series 2 Alpine. Horns work fine with the engine running but they only click when the engine is off. The amp gauge needle drops to the left a lot. Local Garage said they were 'pulling too much current'.

There is no relay fitted for them

Any ideas. All suggestions welcome

Oliver
 

Limey

Donation Time
There is an adjustment screw on the horns, try loosening it a half or quarter turn.

The thing is they work perfectly when the engine is running and when tested on the bench with a battery. When they are asked to honk when the engine is not running they make a quiet and quick 'tonk' and that's it. If I disconnect one then the remaining one works again...It's like there is not enough 'oomph' in the current to get the resonance cycle going if that makes sense.
 

Tom H

Platinum Level Sponsor
Sounds like there's just a bit too much resistance in the wires and horn ring contact along with a battery without charging on. You can add a relay, which would help, but simpler to first try the adjustment.
 

Limey

Donation Time
So - the adjustment allows compensation for the available current? Makes sense as thetrigger threshold for the resonance(for want of a better word) must be fairly fine. Thanks for the steer.

Oliver
 

loose_electron

Donation Time
When the horn is engaged, measure the voltage across the battery and across the horn.
If the voltage drops a lot at the battery, it could be a weak battery (and you should have trouble starting the car too) If the voltage across the horn drops a lot (say goes under 10V or less) the problem is either the horn ground or the wiring to the horn has series resistance (bad connections) The reason it works when the car is running is because then you got 14V+ to work with, vs. 12V or less with a poorly charged battery. Clean up the horn ground and check the hot side of the horn's connections too. Also check the voltage drop across the horn switch, if the connections are dirty or burnt, you can lose 1-4 volts there, which can also cause the problem.
 
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