L/H Switch Cleaning

[dna9656]

I went through the tutorial on L/H Switch cleaning. All switches but the horn worked.

I do not understand how the horn switch works.

I have the '83 (the one I'm working on) and the 85 parts bike, both have the same horn switch; (btw neither switch is as pictured in the tutorial) the 85 has the choke mounted under the switch like in the tutorial and the 83.5 has the handlebar twister thing) but again INSIDE both are identical to each other but different than the one in the tutorial.

The horn button has a hinge pin on the fwd end and a contact on the opposite the hinge. When pressed this contact hits a isolated contactor (the isolated contact has a pink wire soldered to it) that's mounted on but electrically isolated from a piece of copper. This piece of copper has a brown wire soldered to it.

NOTE: there is no wire (and there never was a wire) connected to the contact found inserted into the red horn button.

So when you push the red horn button the contact in the red button (the return spring is found around the this contact) touches the contact with the pink wire (that's isolated from the copper piece that has the brown wire is soldered to it.

NOTHING HAPPENS! THERE IS NO CIRCUIT.

Am I missing the same piece from 2 bikes?

I find that hard to beleive.

[syscrusher]

I am a little fuzzy about it right now but I figured this one out a few weeks ago. As you depress the horn button you bring the spring to complete the connection between the copper piece and the isolated contact. Don't forget the little spring loaded ball when you reassemble the switch. Also, I just took a look at a post from Dingy that I hadn't been aware the horn switch supplies ground to the horn as the horns already have +12v when the ignition is on.

 

Take a look and see if this doesn't make sense to you.

[dna9656]

Well I figured that spring had something to do with completing the circuit; but so far I'm confused as well. Switches complete a circuit; in vehicles they complete to ground; hot is coming in from the accessory, the switch sends it to ground (I think) Just looking at the switch... the spring contacts the copper plate at the large end, the small end of the spring goes around the OD of the terminal of the contact on the button. The SPRING completes the circuit correct? The helps by why won't my horn work AAAARRGGGG!!!!

OK I get how it works...both wires show cont. to ground that tells me the springs is touching the copper plate and the hot terminal IE it's shorted out. If that's true how come no fuses are blown, no smoke, no fire, NO HORN? Because down the line there is a break in the circuit. OR the wire is full of mold it won't carry any current. When I put the VOM on both wires and hit the button I get squat on both switches...though the wires individually test good and that tells me the spring is at fault...

Doug

Edited May 19, 2014 by dna9656

[dna9656]

Since I cleaned my l/h switch I have had notyhing but trouble, the horn switch works but when plugged into the harness I still got zip. I am not peeling the harness apart to get to the wires and see where the break is. I will run a new circuit and see what happens.

How can something so simple be so hard to troubleshoot or fix?