wiring horns

[Guest texasyamahamama]

My horns are stock and are not working. Both wires going to the horns are hot. Shouldn't one of them be a ground? Thanks for any help. Jackie

[bongobobny]

The horn switch supplies ground to the horns when pressed. If you are seeing 12 volts on both wires while still connected to the horn, that is normal as the voltage just goes thru the horn and out the other side until ground appears. When ground appears (horn button pushed) current is drawn, and the hot side is 12 volts and the other side is 0 volts, ground...

[GeorgeS]

Consider installing a " Bosh " Relay.

 

Use the existing 12 V wires to supply the 12v control voltage to the new relay.

Horn button supplys a ground to the New relay.

 

Install a New In line fuse to supply the main 12 volts to the Main relay contacts and then to the Two horns.

 

Use #16 stranded wire, for the New wireing.

 

Will work much better.

[Guest texasyamahamama]

Both wires hot until the button is pushed. Is that what is referred to as a positive ground?

[Tupperj]

Not really positive ground. There was a time when auto's were wired with the positive terminal attached to the frame, or ground, as opposed to the current method of wiring the negative lead to the frame, or ground. I know MG's were that way until maybe the 60's? And I've got a 1933 Chrysler that was positive ground.

 

I'm sure there's a perfectly good technical reason for the difference, just don't know what it is.

 

Have you tried putting a straight 12 volts to the horns? Either from a spare battery, or a booster pack. That will tell you if your horns are frozen up. Since you get power to the horns, I'd suspect either the horns are corroded solid, or the horn switch is not doing it's job and completing the circuit.

 

Hope that helps,

Paul

[Guest texasyamahamama]

One of the horns works when connected to a spare battery. The other one does not. How hard is it going to be to check out the switch?

[Tupperj]

Well, to check out the switch you could try this:

 

Take both leads off the horns.

Withe the bike one, you should see battery voltage on one lead, and nothing on the other.

Hook the lead with voltage back up to the horn.

Cover your ears.

Run a jumper from the other lead on the horn to a ground.

If the horn blows, probably the switch, if not, the horn.

 

If it's the switch, open it up and clean it out with contact cleaner or brake cleaner. Not tough, just watch for small parts trying to escape to parts unknown.

 

Clear as mud?

 

Hope it's useful.

 

Paul

 

Oh, and you can uncover your ears now.

[bongobobny]

One of the horns works when connected to a spare battery. The other one does not. How hard is it going to be to check out the switch?

 

Well, obviously you have one good horn and one bad horn. The previous post is good information and your horn switch is obviously not working as one of your horns work.

 

Hmmm, maybe it's a good time to switch to Steibel air horns...

[rhncue]

If both wires are hot on both horns you don't want to hook up any battery to the horn, it already has juice. What you want to do is disconnect one wire from the horn and take a jumper and ground the side that you disconnected. do this to both horns. If they both work then you know it's not the horns. If one horn blows when pushing the button then there's nothing wrong with the button but a wire not making a good connection somewhere in the harness.

 

Dick

[Guest texasyamahamama]

Thank you gentlemen for the help. I'm pretty sure that I have one bad horn. What's going on that the other one won't work, I'm still not sure. I took the bike to an independent motorcycle mechanic that I trust. You guys on this site are just the best. I really appreciate your help.

Thanks,

Jackie